Muckraker: Grist on Politics

• Barack Obama visited Nevada, where he assured voters that he loves the mining industry.

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• Locals in Sarah Palin’s hometown of Wasila, Alaska, say that she “fouled her own nest” by promoting rampant development during her tenure as mayor. “Sarah’s legacy as mayor was big-box stores and runaway growth,” said one resident. One of the victims of that development was the lake in Palin’s own front yard, Lake Lucille, which is now effectively a “dead” lake.

• In her two years as Alaska governor, Palin accepted $25,367 in gifts, a quarter of which came from entities represented by one of Alaska’s most influential mining lobbyists. The gifts include two “fact-finding” trips that mining companies sponsored for Todd Palin, the governor’s husband.

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• CBS takes a look at the presidential candidates’ stances on climate-change policy. The Colorado Independent also rounds up the candidates’ stances on climate and energy issues. And DeSmogBlog rates the candidates on their environmental plans (special bonus: Canadian candidates for prime minister, too!).

• Reuters covers a debate on climate policy between senior advisers to both campaigns.