"The New Orleans mayor, LaToya Cantrell, signed an emergency declaration for the city on Friday amid concerns about saltwater from the the Gulf of Mexico that has been creeping up the drought-hit Mississippi River in Louisiana."
Billions of dollars in federal funding to get rid of lead pipes is only the beginning — now the pipes have to be located, removed and replaced. And the latest TipSheet says that’s a story that’s found in many U.S. communities, so is ripe for local reporting. Here’s the backstory and why it matters, along with more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources.
As hurricane season ramps up, how are the disaster planners considering those with disabilities in your community? Texas-based journalist Greg Harman shares the story of one group that sued their city over claims it failed to properly prepare. And he extracts some rules of thumb to help determine if emergency planners are taking those with disabilities into consideration where you are.
"The power regularly cuts out on the 500-member Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, throwing the reservation’s casino, community center, and homes into the dark."
"Congressional Democrats are vowing to defend President Joe Biden’s new federal green jobs program from future Republican attacks."
"Promising to end the practice of piling on more environmental burdens to the same South and West Side communities, Mayor Brandon Johnson is proposing a series of reforms aimed at changing city practices after federal investigators last year determined Chicago violates the civil rights of its residents by concentrating polluting businesses in Black and Brown communities."
"President Joe Biden is launching a new federal program that aims to put more than 20,000 young people to work in jobs that promote renewable energy and combat climate change."
"They claim the offshore wind is responsible for a spike in whale deaths. Experts don’t buy it, but interest groups backed by fossil fuel money are spreading false information."
"The Biden administration announced Tuesday it will open applications for the first tranche of funding — $400 million — to help states and territories take up energy-efficient building codes.
A senior administration official told reporters Monday that under the codes, new buildings and major renovations would be done with better construction and in a way that is more efficient and resilient.
The Energy Department said in a press release announcing the funding that homes built using modern energy codes are 40 percent more efficient than homes built 15 years ago."
"Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), two of Congress’s most vocal proponents for aggressive climate action, on Monday called for President Biden to establish a Civilian Climate Corps (CCC)."
