Publication Items

Wetlands Mitigation — Why Draining the Swamp Is a Local Story [1]

As the Trump administration challenges wetlands preservation policy under the Clean Water Act, an important related practice has come into question. Mitigation banking — the creation or preservation of one wetland to offset the loss of another — has become a billion-dollar industry. But as this week’s TipSheet reports, the legal and regulatory tangle aside, wetlands permitting and mitigation continues, likely near you. Tracking the local story.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Military [10]
Natural Resources [11]
People & Population [12]
Planning & Growth [13]
Policy [14]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Wetlands Mitigation — Why Draining the Swamp Is a Local Story [1]
Will Hackers Crash U.S. Energy, Environment Infrastructure? [18]

The vulnerability of critical U.S. infrastructure to cyberattacks has been a growing worry for years, as electric utilities, drinking water systems, chemical plants, nuclear plants, pipelines and more are the target of a burgeoning cadre of hackers. But for environmental and other journalists focused on the story, another problem has emerged: The secrecy that has long been part of the U.S. cybersecurity policy. In this comprehensive Backgrounder, SEJournal takes a look at the risk, the response and the resources to let reporters go deep on cyber warfare as an energy and environment story.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [20]
Energy & Fuel [21]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Military [10]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [22]
People & Population [12]
Planning & Growth [13]
Policy [14]
Technology [23]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [24]
Canada [25]
Asia [26]
Europe [27]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Will Hackers Crash U.S. Energy, Environment Infrastructure? [18]
SEJ Weighs in on Khashoggi, Parks Canada; Plus, Zinke Calendar & Data Resources [28]

The Society of Environmental Journalists has joined several dozen other journalism groups calling for the investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and separately, urged Parks Canada to stop imposing reporting barriers for journalists. That, plus black holes in the calendar for Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke, and new data resources for reporters. All in the latest WatchDog Tipsheet.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [30]
Biodiversity [31]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [11]
Planning & Growth [13]
Wildlife [32]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [33]
International [24]
Canada [25]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about SEJ Weighs in on Khashoggi, Parks Canada; Plus, Zinke Calendar & Data Resources [28]
As Climate Struggle Gets Real, Cities Stand on Front Line [34]

When it comes to facing the risks of coming climate change, cities and states are leading the way for the United States. That means planning for future emissions reductions, as well as preparing for probable impacts. This week’s TipSheet has the story, with details on which local governments are acting and resources to find more, plus ten key questions to ask.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [30]
Climate Change [35]
Disasters [20]
Economy & Business [3]
Energy & Fuel [21]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
People & Population [12]
Planning & Growth [13]
Policy [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
California [36]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [37]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [38]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [39]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [40]
Northwest (OR WA) [41]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [42]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [33]
International [24]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about As Climate Struggle Gets Real, Cities Stand on Front Line [34]
Dam Removal May Provide Environmental News Near You [43]

Local dams are threatened with floods brought by Hurricane Florence. But already, many of these dams were being removed after decades of building them up, as part of a growing effort to limit harm to the environment and hazards to local communities. This week’s TipSheet explains the trend, highlights some examples and points the way to databases and other resources to find and report on dams in your area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [21]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Natural Resources [11]
Planning & Growth [13]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [37]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [39]
Northwest (OR WA) [41]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Dam Removal May Provide Environmental News Near You [43]
Private Companies Pump Cash from Troubled Municipal Drinking Water Systems [44]

Millions of Americans are served by private rather than public water systems. And while that may be helpful in the case of the tens of thousands of smaller systems that lack key resources, it also raises controversial questions about privatization, as well as about what’s best to insure drinking water safety in a post-Flint era. The latest Backgrounder explains this complex issue, considers the most critical issues and offers resources to report the story in your area.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [30]
Consumer [45]
Disasters [20]
Economy & Business [3]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [7]
Health [46]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Planning & Growth [13]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [37]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [38]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [39]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [40]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Private Companies Pump Cash from Troubled Municipal Drinking Water Systems [44]
With Wildfire, When Is Climate Change the Spark? [47]

Massive wildfires have been a huge news story this summer. But caught up in the conflagration is a big question: To what extent can climate change be blamed? This week’s TipSheet looks at the controversy, and helps journalists work their way through the challenge without getting burned.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [35]
Disasters [20]
Forests [48]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [12]
Planning & Growth [13]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
California [36]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about With Wildfire, When Is Climate Change the Spark? [47]
Coming to a Coastal Area Near You — Drowning Real Estate [49]

It’s a blockbuster — literally. Homes by the tens of thousands are at risk of being lost to coastal flooding in coming years, communities broken up thanks to climate change. This week’s TipSheet tells you how to find the data to tell the story and provides examples of model reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [35]
Consumer [45]
Disasters [20]
Economy & Business [3]
Environmental Studies [50]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [12]
Planning & Growth [13]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Alaska and Hawaii [51]
California [36]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [39]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [40]
Northwest (OR WA) [41]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [42]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [33]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Coming to a Coastal Area Near You — Drowning Real Estate [49]
Veteran Photo Editor on Making Visual Storytelling a ‘Lead Actor’ [52]

Visual storytelling can serve as a primary narrative tool, especially when it comes to human impacts on the environment. That’s the case made by acclaimed former National Geographic photo editor Dennis Dimick in this feature interview, that delves into his unexpected journalistic career.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [53]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [54]
Climate Change [35]
Energy & Fuel [21]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Studies [50]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Food [55]
Forests [48]
Health [46]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [11]
People & Population [12]
Planning & Growth [13]
Pollution [56]
Science [57]
Water & Oceans [15]
Wildlife [32]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [58]
Northwest (OR WA) [41]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [33]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Veteran Photo Editor on Making Visual Storytelling a ‘Lead Actor’ [52]
The ‘Dock Deck Doc’ – Multimedia Storytelling in the Web-Wide World [59]

An independent journalist finds a key to survival by building a mini-empire of multiplatform content based on his deep research and extensive interviewing. In our latest Freelance Files column, Silver Donald Cameron shares his so-called “Dock Deck Doc” approach and the collaborative, multimedia techniques that support it.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [60]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Forests [48]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [11]
Planning & Growth [13]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [24]
Canada [25]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about The ‘Dock Deck Doc’ – Multimedia Storytelling in the Web-Wide World [59]

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