SPJ Publishes Useful Resource List for Access to Information

October 3, 2012–The list, recently published by the Society of Professional Journalists, includes items ranging from the FOIA letter generator from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to Charles Davis' "The Art of Access" blog.

More Secret CRS Backgrounders Written at Public Expense

September 19, 2012–The Congressional Research Service regularly produces objective and informative background material on matters of interest to environmental journalists. Because Congress refuses to release these reports to the public, the WatchDog links to leaked versions published by the Project on Government Secrecy of the Federation of American Scientists.

Obama Administration Gets Only So-So Openness Grades for 2012

September 19, 2012–For an administration that trumpeted its open-government agenda on its first day in office, the Obama administration has not lived up to all the heightened expectations. A new annual report card by OpenTheGovernment.org, a watchdog group devoted to freedom of information, spells out some of the details.

EPA’s ECHO Database: Your Two-faced Best Friend

September 15, 2012–

Facing Budget Cuts, NOAA Scales Back Collection of Greenhouse Gas Data

September 5, 2012–The existing climate research budget crunch may be made worse by across-the-board cuts mandated if Congress and the White House fail to reach a budget agreement by January 2013.

Researchers, Health Groups Urge Congress Not To Black Out Carcinogens Report

September 5, 2012–More than 70 scientists from research and health groups wrote House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders September 4, 2012, urging them not to cut funds for the biennial Report on Carcinogens, which showed that formaldehyde and styrene can cause cancer.

Database on Environmental Treaties an Aid for Reporters on Environmental Stories

August 22, 2012–There are well over a thousand binational or multinational environmental agreements, usually technical and obscure. However, environmental reporters would do well to know about them — to shed light on local stories and to find national or international news. Here's help.

House Considers Quashing Report on Carcinogens

August 22, 2012–For years, scientists at the National Toxicology Program have published the "Report on Carcinogens," which lists chemicals known to (or believed to) cause cancer. The "12th Report on Carcinogens" was released on June 10, 2011 — will there be a 13th? Some House Republicans want to stop updating and publication of the report.

Will Security Lapse Bring Another EPA Data Blackout?

August 22, 2012–More than a decade ago, on February 17, 2000, the entire EPA website was taken down for two weeks because of data security concerns raised by the House Energy Committee. There are faint hints that such events may be in the offing again.

Washington Post Faults Obama on Living Up To Openness Pledge

August 8, 2012–An analysis of records and statistics by Post reporter James Ball concluded: "Three years later, new evidence suggests that administration officials have struggled to overturn the long-standing culture of secrecy in Washington. Some of these high-profile transparency measures have stalled, and by some measures the government is keeping more secrets than before."