Publication Items

Is EV-Driven Demand for Lithium on Collision Course With Environment Concerns? [1]

The push to replace gas-guzzling vehicles with electric-powered alternatives is hitting significant speed bumps. The existing supply of lithium for batteries can’t keep up with demand, and new mining proposals often face opposition from area residents worried about local impacts. Radio reporter David Boraks has been covering one such conflict in North Carolina. He shares his insights and reporting tips.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [4]
Air [5]
Biodiversity [6]
Climate Change [7]
Consumer [8]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [11]
Environmental Politics [12]
Government [13]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Natural Resources [16]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Technology [19]
Transportation [20]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
California [23]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [24]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
International [26]
Asia [27]
Visibility:
Public [28]
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What Will It Take for Geothermal To Heat Up the Renewable Energy Sector? [29]

Geothermal has long been hyped as the next big thing in renewable energy, but its breakthrough moment hasn’t happened yet. Barriers to expansion include the elusiveness of sites offering the magic trio of heat, water and permeability and concern for unique ecosystems. Contributor Jessica McKenzie on geothermal energy’s possibilities and challenges and the government funding that may finally fire it up.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [6]
Climate Change [7]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Government [13]
Natural Resources [16]
Science [30]
Technology [19]
Wildlife [31]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
California [23]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [24]
Northwest (OR WA) [32]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [33]
International [26]
Australia & Oceania [34]
Europe [35]
Middle East [36]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about What Will It Take for Geothermal To Heat Up the Renewable Energy Sector? [29]
Tracing Humanity’s Longtime Urge To Manage Moving Water [37]

When humans began to put down roots, we also started to forge what Giulio Boccaletti calls a “social contract” with water. In his new book, “Water: A Biography,” the London-based scientist explores that relationship through a long historical lens. BookShelf contributor Gary Wilson reviews the volume and finds that political ambitions and economic development are central to the story.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [38]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [4]
Economy & Business [9]
Government [13]
Infrastructure [39]
Natural Resources [16]
Technology [19]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
International [26]
Asia [27]
Europe [35]
Middle East [36]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Tracing Humanity’s Longtime Urge To Manage Moving Water [37]
Finding the Secret Rail Hazmat Routes Near You [40]

Under federal rules, states can decide whether to divulge information about hazardous materials rolling along their railways — and mostly they don’t. Not knowing where and when hazmat trains are traveling or what’s on board creates anxiety and raises the risk for those who live near the tracks. TipSheet offers resources and step-by-step instructions for investigating railway hazmat threats to your community.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [41]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [42]
Disasters [43]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [11]
Government [13]
Health [44]
Infrastructure [39]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Transportation [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [45]
International [26]
Canada [46]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Finding the Secret Rail Hazmat Routes Near You [40]
From Swine Waste, Student Journalist Extracts Prize-Winning Story [47]

Industrial hog farmers tout swine biogas as a clean, green energy source, but others point to its messy side. A young journalist who investigated the underreported stench of environmental racism associated with this technology learned valuable lessons along the way to producing a feature story that won her a Society of Environmental Journalists’ award for outstanding student reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ Academy [48]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [4]
Air [5]
Chemicals [42]
Diversity [49]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [11]
Environmental Justice [50]
Environmental Politics [12]
Food [51]
Government [13]
Health [44]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Pollution [18]
Science [30]
Technology [19]
Waste [52]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about From Swine Waste, Student Journalist Extracts Prize-Winning Story [47]
Will Thousands of Orphan Wells Be Safely Plugged? [53]

Abandoned oil and gas wells are found in significant numbers in some 27 states. Reporters who want to track their status can dig into several databases, but will need to support their data crunching with lots of shoe-leather and ground-truth reporting. Reporter’s Toolbox has insights into what the databases offer. Plus, a primer on API numbers.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [54]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [5]
Climate Change [7]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [11]
Environmental Politics [12]
Government [13]
Health [44]
Infrastructure [39]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Natural Resources [16]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Technology [19]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [55]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [33]
International [26]
Canada [46]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Will Thousands of Orphan Wells Be Safely Plugged? [53]
Diving Deeper on the Wetlands Beat Yields Groundbreaking Coverage [56]

Two journalists covering water policy used a wide range of reporting techniques, from FOIA appeals to on-the-ground reporting, to get at the heart of how problems with wetlands and waterways in the United States are tied to climate change concerns. Inside Story spoke with Hannah Northey and Kevin Bogardus of E&E News about their award-winning beat reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [57]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [6]
Climate Change [7]
Disasters [43]
Diversity [49]
Economy & Business [9]
Environmental Health [11]
Environmental Justice [50]
Environmental Politics [12]
Government [13]
Health [44]
Infrastructure [39]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Science [30]
Technology [19]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [45]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Diving Deeper on the Wetlands Beat Yields Groundbreaking Coverage [56]
Follow the Money With Campaign and Lobbying Data [58]

With a new Congress in place and the seemingly never-ending political races to track, reporters can often learn a good deal about how environmental policy is influenced by looking into campaign and lobbying donations. Backgrounder takes a deep dive into the topic, pointing to important sources of information and data … and their limitations.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [59]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [9]
Environmental Politics [12]
Government [13]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Policy [17]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Follow the Money With Campaign and Lobbying Data [58]
SEJ Panel Gauges Issues in the Works in the U.S. West [60]

As part of our 2023 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment special report, we’ve got highlights from last week’s reporter panel on the year ahead, led by #SEJ2023 conference co-chair Tom Michael (pictured, left). The focus was largely on the U.S. West, where challenges abound over issues like equitable siting of renewable energy infrastructure, regulating natural gas, managing wildfires and addressing the health consequences of climate-driven heat waves. Read our account [60], plus check out the full 2023 Guide [61].

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [62]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [4]
Air [5]
Biodiversity [6]
Climate Change [7]
Disasters [43]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [11]
Environmental Justice [50]
Environmental Politics [12]
Fish & Fisheries [63]
Food [51]
Forests [64]
Government [13]
Health [44]
Infrastructure [39]
Journalism & Media [14]
Natural Resources [16]
People & Population [65]
Planning & Growth [66]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Water & Oceans [21]
Wildlife [31]
Region:
California [23]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [24]
Northwest (OR WA) [32]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [33]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about SEJ Panel Gauges Issues in the Works in the U.S. West [60]
Epic Struggles Ahead in 2023 on Energy Transition, Pollution [67]

In our annual analysis of what’s ahead on the environment beat in 2023, there are some things to count on: worsening climate disasters and continued politicking over energy transitions, but also regulatory action on greenhouse gas emissions (not to mention on “forever chemicals”). Other things are less clear: environmental rulings by a conservative U.S. Supreme Court, energy impacts of war in Europe and the effectiveness of COP28 and treaty talks on plastic pollution. Read the full overview and get more in our “2023 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment [61]” special report.

SEJ Publication Types:
Special Reports [68]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [4]
Air [5]
Biodiversity [6]
Chemicals [42]
Climate Change [7]
Disasters [43]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Justice [50]
Environmental Politics [12]
Fish & Fisheries [63]
Government [13]
Health [44]
Infrastructure [39]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Military [69]
Natural Resources [16]
Planning & Growth [66]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Science [30]
Waste [52]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
International [26]
Europe [35]
Middle East [36]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Epic Struggles Ahead in 2023 on Energy Transition, Pollution [67]

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