Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD)

Biden Nominees Foretell Aggressive Action on Climate, Environmental Justice

Key picks for President Biden’s environment and energy team suggest top priorities, among them an aggressive, whole-government climate change agenda. The latest Backgrounder assesses choices to pursue Biden’s international and domestic climate policies, as well as historic selections for EPA and Interior, and more. Plus, dive into SEJournal’s expanding “2021 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment” special report.

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‘Red Flag’: How An Ethanol Plant Is Dangerously Polluting A US Village

"For the residents of Mead, Nebraska, the first sign of something amiss was the stench, the smell of something rotting. People reported eye and throat irritation and nosebleeds. Then colonies of bees started dying, birds and butterflies appeared disoriented and pet dogs grew ill, staggering about with dilated pupils."

Source: Guardian, 01/11/2021

Environmental Justice Stories Will Keep Proliferating in 2021

The surging racial justice movement has reenergized aspirations to correct the environmental injustices that blemish countless underprivileged U.S. communities. The new TipSheet, another part of our 2021 Guide, scans the landscape of trouble spots, from urban to rural, industrial zones to Superfund sites. Plus, story ideas and reporting resources.

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How Much Longer Will Insurers Cover Wildfire Loss Near You?

With wildfire exploding across the West this season, it may not be long before insurance companies worried about houses built along the wildland-urban interface try to raise premiums or drop policies altogether. It’s already happening in California, which is pushing back. Will it happen in your region as well? TipSheet has the backstory, plus a range of reporting resources.

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"North Dakota Seeks To Repurpose Coronavirus Aid For Fracking"

"North Dakota officials say they want to repurpose $16 million in federal coronavirus aid and spend it on grants to encourage fracking instead of using it to clean up abandoned oil well sites."

Source: AP, 10/23/2020

Bringing Stories Home Under Lockdown, With Remote Video Interviews

They’ve long been a staple of the news business. But now, with the pandemic continuing to keep journalists from their subjects, remote video interviews have become an essential tool. And even newbie video reporters can quickly learn the basics. Science video producer Eli Kintisch shares a quick eight-step remote video setup and some simple tricks of the trade, in this SEJournal how-to.

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Midwest Derecho Devastates Iowa Corn Crop. Satellites Show Damage

"Monday’s derecho across the Corn Belt and Midwest laid siege to more than 10 million acres of Iowa’s corn and soybean crop, devastating farmers and capping off what has already been a difficult few years of farming for many."

Source: Washington Post, 08/13/2020

North Dakota: "Hope Outlasts Prosperity In Town Flattened By Oil Bust"

"Even for a pandemic, Main Street is quiet, maybe the quietest it's been during the decade of furious construction that built western North Dakota's Bakken oil fields into the second largest oil-producing region in the nation."

Source: E&E News, 07/28/2020

Iowa Quietly Passes Its 3rd Ag-Gag Bill After Constitutional Challenges

"In the midst of uprisings against police brutality across the U.S., Iowa legislators quietly passed a bill on Friday to increase penalties for animal rights activism that has targeted the factory farming industry. Debates in both the state House and Senate were followed rapidly by votes in favor of the legislation. The bill now awaits the governor’s signature."

Source: The Intercept, 06/11/2020

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