Group Sues California over Enforcement of Fracking Disclosure

January 30, 2013–The Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity filed suit in Alameda County Superior Court charging that the California Department of Conservation's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources was not following the state's own law.

Sunshine Week, March 10-16, Shines Flashlight on Dark Corners of Government

January 30, 2013–Sunshine Week is a great opportunity for journalists to do the most important part of the job: spotlighting the very news that government officials are uncomfortable about disclosing. The website includes examples of good freedom-of-information stories, permission-free cartoons, logos and icons, and many all-purpose story ideas.

TRI National Analysis Dangles Leads for Investigative Stories

January 30, 2013–EPA had already released preliminary TRI data for the latest available year (2011), but its National Analysis makes for easier reporting as data is collated by state. It also offers analyses by industry sector and of toxics handling by collating the parent companies of each facility nationwide.

EPA Allows Drinking Water Reports Online — But Can Consumers Hack It?

January 16, 2013–EPA bowed to industry, ruling in a January 3, 2013 memo that local drinking water utilities no longer have to notify their customers of contamination in writing. "The memo fails to set clear standards for electronic notification and delivery and makes it likely that segments of the public will have less access to these reports," the Center for Effective Government wrote in response to the EPA memo.

J-Groups Urge Supreme Court To Toss Va. Ban on Out-of-State FOIA Requesters

January 16, 2013–Should state freedom-of-information laws disqualify people or organizations from out of state from getting government records? Led by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, some 53 news media groups have urged the US Supreme Court to say no.

Open-Access Science Publishing: Good for Journalists, and Good for Public

January 16, 2013–The suicide earlier this month of open-access activist Aaron Swartz brings again to the fore the ongoing difficulty journalists have accessing published scientific studies that bear on key current and future policy issues. Photo of Swartz, credit Flickr/peretzp.

Political Appointees Bared To Journos in Digital "Plum Book"

January 16, 2013–The Plum Book, a list of most major federal political appointments that is published every four years, has long been a starting point for juicy stories — but hard to use because it was only published in print. Now it has been digitized. That makes it grist for data journalists.

Analysis: Obama’s Second Term — Enviro Breakthrough or Train Wreck?

January 15, 2013–In this excerpt from the latest issue of SEJournal (Winter), Peter Dykstra's analysis helps environmental journalists sort through the convergence of money, politics, ideology and nature.

Are We Ready for the Next Superstorm?

January 15, 2013–In this excerpt from the latest issue of SEJournal (Winter), Francesca Lyman asks "What does Hurricane Sandy tell us about coping with human health and consequences of climate change?"

Keeping Up on Chemical Databases

January 15, 2013–In this excerpt from the latest issue of SEJournal (Winter), you'll find a rich collection of online resources courtesy of the National Library of Medicine and others, compiled by SEJ member and NLM technical information specialist Philip Wexler.