Water & Oceans

A Town Derailed, a Trust Obtained

The devastating 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, toxic train derailment left a legacy of illness and a town torn by competing understandings of the contamination’s aftereffects. A yearlong reporting initiative with photojournalist Rebecca Kiger and Time magazine writer Alejandro de la Garza worked to gain the community’s confidence and tell its story. Their prize-winning feature, in the latest Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Visibility: 

"FirstEnergy Bribery Scheme Sank Lake Erie Offshore Wind, Lawsuit Says"

"The corruption that led to Ohio’s infamous HB 6 also torpedoed what would have been the Great Lakes’ first wind farm, the suit alleges. FirstEnergy is pushing back."

Source: Canary Media, 12/15/2025

"Colorado River Water Is Too Cheap, Particularly for Agricultural Users"

"A new report from UCLA and the Natural Resources Defense Council found nearly a quarter of Colorado River water is basically provided for free by the federal government."

Source: Inside Climate News, 12/15/2025

"Vote To Overhaul FEMA Canceled After Leaked Report"

"An expert panel advising President Donald Trump about overhauling the Federal Emergency Management Agency canceled a meeting scheduled for 1 p.m. EST Thursday at which members were set to release a report recommending their changes to the disaster agency."

Source: E&E News, 12/12/2025

Tens Of Thousands Evacuated After Torrential Rain In Pacific Northwest

"Surging floodwaters turned farmland into vast pools, washed out bridges and prompted rescues of people stranded in cars and homes across Washington state on Thursday, as tens of thousands of people were under evacuation orders and authorities hoped levees would hold and prevent far worse damage."

Source: AP, 12/12/2025

Greenpeace Scrutinizes Environmental Record of the Company That Sued Them

"The nonprofit said in a new report that pipeline company Energy Transfer reported hundreds of oil spills to federal regulators in recent years, among other incidents."

Source: Inside Climate News, 12/11/2025

"Roadmap For Trump’s FEMA Reforms Set For Release Thursday"

"The Trump administration is set to unveil its plan this week to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a proposal that is sure to be contentious but is not expected to go as far as earlier calls to eliminate the agency completely."

Source: The Hill, 12/11/2025

As NOAA Funding Lags, Critical Ocean Weather System Nears Breaking Point

"Years of underfunding and new delays in federal grantmaking threaten buoys and ocean monitoring assets run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that protect fishermen, cargo ships and endangered species across the country."

Source: Inside Climate News, 12/10/2025

Arizona Probes Proposed Critical Mineral Mine’s Polluted Water Discharge

"A proposed critical minerals mine in southern Arizona that was the first added to a federal permitting process designed to be quicker and more transparent has reported water with levels exceeding the state’s regulatory limits of a mineral that can damage the heart, lungs, stomach and eyes."

Source: Inside Climate News, 12/10/2025

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Water & Oceans