Publication Items

TOOLBOX: Follow the Money on Gulf Oil Spill Contracts [1]

Investigative Reporters and Editors brings news of a special Gulf Oil Spill Report put out by the Federal Procurement Data System which lists all federal contracts that the General Services Administration (GSA) knows about.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Pollution [4]
Government [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about TOOLBOX: Follow the Money on Gulf Oil Spill Contracts [1]
Rooftop Solar Leasing Deals: Better Business for Renewables? [8]

Driving this trend is mounting time pressure in many states for utilities to meet deadlines and quotas for renewable energy production, as well as the recession and federal tax incentives.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Rooftop Solar Leasing Deals: Better Business for Renewables? [8]
BP Contractors, Feds Continue to Bar Media from Public Property [11]

WDSU, the NBC affiliate in New Orleans (Channel 6), found that BP's highly publicized statement that it is not barring news media from witnessing the cleanup, or its failure, is in fact not true. See video of this and other examples, and get contact info for the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center if you've been denied access.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Disasters [12]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [13]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [14]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about BP Contractors, Feds Continue to Bar Media from Public Property [11]
Manufacturing Plants Are Source of Drugs in Waterways [15]

Wastewater treatment plants can't mitigate the problem, which is compounded by other sources of water contamination, such as drugs that end up in landfills or flushed down toilets, and metabolites or unutilized drugs that pass through people who take the drugs.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Chemicals [16]
Consumer [17]
Health [18]
Pollution [4]
Water & Oceans [19]
Environmental Health [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Manufacturing Plants Are Source of Drugs in Waterways [15]
BLM Tweaks Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Policies [21]

The changes affect only new drilling areas and may include greater consideration of environmental impacts, more public review, fewer "categorical exclusions" from environmental review, and more.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Disasters [12]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Government [5]
Policy [22]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [23]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [24]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [25]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about BLM Tweaks Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Policies [21]
Cleanup Workers' Contract: Don't Talk to Media [26]

Workers in the "Vessels of Opportunity" Gulf spill cleanup program had to sign a contract prohibiting them from talking to the news media or disclosing "proprietary and confidential" information.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Disasters [12]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Water & Oceans [19]
Environmental Politics [27]
Journalism & Media [13]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [14]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Cleanup Workers' Contract: Don't Talk to Media [26]
BP Hires Cheney Spokeswoman, Defender of Secrecy, as PR Boss [28]

Anne Womack Kolton, who as former VP Dick Cheney's press aide defended the secrecy of his energy task force, has been brought in to fix BP's PR problems in the Gulf oil spill.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Fish & Fisheries [29]
Economy & Business [3]
Disasters [12]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Pollution [4]
Water & Oceans [19]
People & Population [30]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [14]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about BP Hires Cheney Spokeswoman, Defender of Secrecy, as PR Boss [28]
Dispersants Remain a Mystery to Public, Despite Fake "Disclosure" [31]

Dispersant manufacturer Nalco failed to disclose the chemical identity of the ingredients to the news media or public, and ignored a US EPA order to stop using the product in the Gulf.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Chemicals [16]
Disasters [12]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Health [18]
Pollution [4]
Water & Oceans [19]
Environmental Health [20]
Wildlife [32]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [14]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Dispersants Remain a Mystery to Public, Despite Fake "Disclosure" [31]
Top Kill Operation Succeeds in Killing Much of BP's Credibility [33]

US EPA withheld information, and twice during the five-day operation BP cut off the mud pumps for long periods without letting the public know, making statements that left the impression the operation was ongoing.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Fish & Fisheries [29]
Economy & Business [3]
Disasters [12]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Pollution [4]
Water & Oceans [19]
Government [5]
Wildlife [32]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [14]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Top Kill Operation Succeeds in Killing Much of BP's Credibility [33]
Media Access to Oil-Impacted Areas Disputed [34]

The WatchDog's special Gulf oil spill issue includes stories on media access problems, withholding of information by US EPA and misleading statements by BP, mystery dispersant ingredients, BP's new ex-Cheney spokesperson, prohibiting cleanup workers talking to media, and detaining rig survivors till they sign two statements.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Fish & Fisheries [29]
Economy & Business [3]
Disasters [12]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Pollution [4]
Water & Oceans [19]
Technology [35]
Journalism & Media [13]
Wildlife [32]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [14]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Media Access to Oil-Impacted Areas Disputed [34]

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