CRS Reports: You Paid for Them — You May As Well Read Them

May 2, 2012–Here are some recent reports by the Congressional Research Service related to the environment/energy beat. Congress does not release them to the public. We again thank the Federation of American Scientists' Government Secrecy Project for doing so. 

Data Accumulates Slowly on What's in Fracking Fluid

April 18, 2012–If you have a fracking story in your beat, getting information about what's in the controversial fracking fluids may be like pulling teeth. But there are a few resources that can help, such as the "FracFocus" chemical disclosure registry.

Boots on the Ground at Annual SEJ Gathering

April 15, 2012–

Global Talks Offer Chance To Improve US Extractive Industries Transparency

April 4, 2012–An initiative involving some 35 nations aims to solve many complex revenue-reporting problems, including improving the flow of information across national borders. But solutions can't even begin until individual nations get a grip on accurate data about extractive industries within their own borders. The results could illuminate key environmental policy issues.

Mining Industry Threatens Journals To Keep Diesel Exposure Data Secret

February 22, 2012–The Patton Boggs lobbying firm, which represents the mining industry, has sent letters threatening unspecified legal action against four scientific journals if they publish results of a study about the exposure of miners to diesel emissions, according to Science magazine.

2012 Snow Cover Starting Out Very Low

January 18, 2012–Snow cover has many implications, from ski resorts short on snow and farmers who rely on snowmelt for irrigation to firefighters and residents battling major fires in unusual locations in the middle of winter and smothering blizzards in areas at the other end of the extreme snow spectrum this year.

Checking Local Water Use and Scrutinizing Those Big Water Projects Can Benefit Your Community

January 15, 2012–Read this excerpt from the Winter issue of SEJournal: Author Cynthia Barnett explains water-use truths and fallacies, offers tips for investigating water projects proposed for your audience area, and reports how some of the country’s most progressive engineers and local governments are showing that it’s absolutely possible to live with far less water.

Documerica, Lost and Found

January 15, 2012–Read this excerpt from the Winter issue of SEJournal, about EPA's long dormant photojournalism project containing thousands of color photographs depicting a nation and its environmental problems in the early 1970s — and the new State of the Environment Photo Project this rediscovery has spawned, inviting participants worldwide to submit their work. By SEJournal photo editor Roger Archibald.

Dept. of Energy Focuses on Critical 'Rare Earth' Minerals

January 4, 2012–The new Critical Materials Strategy lays out the issues for 16 key materials used in the manufacture of components for electric vehicles, electronics, wind, solar, and lighting equipment — such as current and projected supply and demand, options for reducing supply and demand problems, alternative materials and product designs to explore, and implications for various international relationships.

BLM Says 9 Western States Have Worthy Wilderness Areas

November 23, 2011–Designating lands as wilderness or some other highly protected status always is contentious, but the BLM has identified 24 areas in 9 western states the agency says have significant local support for this idea: CA (9 areas), CO (3), ID (1), MT (1), NM (2), NV (2), OR (2), UT (3), and WA (1).