States Push Congress, EPA To End Toxic Trade Secrets

03/10/2010 – Do commercial products we have body contact with contain toxic chemicals? In too many cases, states and environmentalists are saying, the federal government forbids consumers from knowing.

USGS Minerals Report: A Tale of Economy and Environment

03/03/2010 – Many story leads are tucked away in this 196-page report: recession impacts from drops in extraction and consumption, increases in importation of key materials, insights on stories related to climate change and air pollution, and much more. 

Will Appliance Rebates Match Cash for Clunkers?

02/03/2010 – States and territories are each designing and running their own unique rebate program, with funding from the US DOE for development and implementation.

Environmental Disclosure a High-Stakes Issue for Corporations

01/27/2010 – Companies of all kinds face the prospect of major costs or losses as they face a future of unknown risks and uncertain regulations — and you are provided an environmental reporting opportunity.

20% of Chemicals in Commerce Claim To Be 'Trade Secrets'

01/13/2010 – Washington Post reporter Lyndsey Layton writes about the thousands of chemicals exempted from EPA screening for potential harm to the environment and public health — and the three-decades-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that renders it possible, in the interest of protecting manufacturers' bottom lines.

Watchdog Groups Call for Improvements in Contractor Misconduct Database

11/18/2009 – The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) and OMB Watch want the federal government to tighten the accountability of federal contractors by fixing problems with the database — a potentially valuable tool for environmental reporters.

Feds Begin To Quantify Hidden Climate Change Costs

10/28/2009 – As debate over climate legislation rages, reporters will encounter many confusing and seemingly contradictory statements about the costs of changing US energy practices. You may help your audience with an understanding of how incomplete the cost figures cited by companies and politicians often are.

Report Documents Foreign Ownership of U.S. Farm Lands

10/28/2009 – Foreign ownership of privately-held US agricultural lands, on the rise for the second year in a row, can affect the local economy, politics, culture, foreign investment in the US, food security, and agricultural subsidies.

CRS Publishes Cost-Benefit Analysis of House Climate Bill

09/30/2009 – A report prepared by the Congressional Research Service is likely to be one key focus of an upcoming Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.

GM Dropout Endangers Vehicle Mercury Switch Recycling Program

08/19/2009 – The Associated Press reports "GM says mercury pollution not its problem anymore," defaulting on its dues payments just as the US government's cash-for-clunkers program is causing the retirement of many older vehicles.