Is Corporate Ghostwriting of Journal Articles a Threat to Environmental Information?

March 9, 2011–Before picking up stories based on journals in the environmental sciences, reporters might pause to ask about those journals' policies on transparency and potential conflict of interest. And then ask about enforcement, and any relevant conflict declarations on the article in question.

Minerals Extraction Affects Many Beats

February 16, 2011–With the US now 99-100% dependent on foreign countries for 20 of the 90 or so mineral commodities covered in a new USGS report, there are plenty of opportunities for you to concurrently cover the environment, business, national security, and crime.

A Smear Campaign Against Jane Mayer After Koch Exposé?

January 12, 2011–The media blog Gawker thinks it has uncovered a campaign to discredit the New Yorker writer after her August 2010 story on billionaires Charles and David H. Koch, who have secretly funded attacks on government regulations and bankrolled efforts to discredit settled climate science.

Small, Sometimes Invisible Invaders Draw Increasing Attention

December 22, 2010–Two recent studies — one examining problems in urban and natural forests, and the other on microbial pests in various settings — reveal the latest knowledge on insect and microscopic invasive species.

Will Donations Influence New House Committee Chairs?

December 22, 2010–The organization MAPLight has pulled together information on who the leading contributors were from Oct. 14, 2008 through Oct. 13, 2010. See which incoming committee chairs received the most money from industries such as oil and gas, agriculture, construction, insurance, electric utility and forest products, and more.

Can Environment Sustain Quest for Valuable "Rare Earth" Materials?

December 8, 2010–A US Geological Survey report offers a perspective on the global situation and an assessment of known US deposits. There may be about 13 million metric tons available in 14 states — with the sites generally posing the usual environmental challenges associated with mining and refining.

Evidence Showing Threat Posed by Medusahead Grows

December 8, 2010–This invasive grass that already has a grip on about 2 million acres in the West makes the rangeland it invades virtually worthless for grazing, harms many animals that contact it or try to eat it, increases wildfire risk, and creates monocultures that have very low biodiversity and crowd out numerous native plant and animal species.

Feds Funding Clean Energy Employment Efforts

November 24, 2010–As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal government is shoveling more than $32 billion to the states to develop what it considers less-polluting energy and to train, certify, recruit, and retain workers.

Calif. Climate Ballot Fight: National Ripple Effects Either Way

September 29, 2010–If Proposition 23 passes, it could disrupt plans for many green companies and their suppliers in CA and around the US — not to mention weakening political will in other states, or at the federal level, for tougher green energy policy.

Cities Attack Climate Change, One Kilowatt at a Time

September 29, 2010–The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (Canada, US, and Mexico) issued a report on Sept. 17, 2010, illustrating the steps 13 North American cities are taking, from small, planned efforts to reduce building energy use, to comprehensive, multi-sector adopted plans for reducing energy use.