10 Key Open-Gov Resources for Environmental Journalists

03/10/2010 – In honor of Sunshine Week, which began March 14, the WatchDog serves up a meaty list of essential resources for journalists working to expose governmental secrets voters and taxpayers have a right to know about.

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.

Survey Finds Little Early Improvement in Science-Meddling Under Obama

03/10/2010 – George Washington University's Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy (SKAPP) followed up with 37 scientists at 13 federal agencies to see if conditions had improved at their agencies post-Bush. Survey says: Not really, or not yet.

White House May Urge Greater NEPA Transparency

03/10/2010 – New NEPA policies proposed in February by the Council on Environmental Quality cover climate impacts; findings of no impact and requirements for monitoring; categorical exclusions; and better tools for reporting to the public on NEPA activities.

EPA Launches New Online Regulatory Gateway

03/03/2010 – The site offers some improvements over poring through the Federal Register, but it's not comprehensive, topics are too broad, and there's poor differentiation between topics and constituencies. On the plus side, visitors can comment on in-process regulations, get alerts about specific regulations, attend online public meetings, and sort in-process regs.

New Fed Climate Change Site Consolidates Information

03/03/2010 – The site includes news, studies, reports, fact sheets, data, predictions, educational tools, an events calendar, and images. The agency says it will adapt the site in response to comments, so feel free to provide feedback.

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. 

Comments on Fed Agencies' Open Government Plans Due March 19

02/24/2010 – Various trackers are sorting through and compiling ideas, comments, and agencies' progress towards meeting the deadline.

FCC Broadband Plan May Promote Open Gov

02/24/2010 – John Wonderlich of the Sunlight Foundation has been tracking the Federal Communications Commission plan.

Forest Service Issues Gag Order to Employees on Talking to Reporters

02/24/2010 – Monongahela National Forest's public affairs officer recently directed employees there that, if contacted by national reporters on any issue or local reporters regarding national issues, they "cannot talk to the reporter"and suggested that the instructions came from "our Washington office."