Publication Items

When Disaster Strikes, Building Codes May Make Things Worse [1]

They may not be the sexiest topics on the environmental agenda. But building codes and zoning can become a matter of life and death when natural disasters strike. This week’s TipSheet runs down the reporting challenge when floods, earthquakes and wildfires threaten your coverage area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
People & Population [8]
Planning & Growth [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
California [12]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [13]
Northwest (OR WA) [14]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about When Disaster Strikes, Building Codes May Make Things Worse [1]
Sun Doesn’t Shine at Trump Environmental Agencies [17]

There’s little cause to celebrate upcoming Sunshine Week for those who cover Trump administration environmental agencies. The latest WatchDog catalogues how the EPA has adopted a secretive approach and displays frequent hostility to the news media, including with a troubling series of attacks on individual journalists.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [19]
Chemicals [20]
Climate Change [3]
Consumer [21]
Disasters [4]
Economy & Business [22]
Environmental Politics [23]
Government [5]
Health [24]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Policy [25]
Pollution [26]
Science [27]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Sun Doesn’t Shine at Trump Environmental Agencies [17]
“The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea” [28]

A new book on the Gulf of Mexico earns kudos for the balance and passion of its tone, as well as for its historical storytelling about this important ecosystem and the overfishing, oil spills, hurricanes, explosive growth and poor land-use decisions it faces. BookShelf reviews Jack Davis’ “The Gulf.”

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [30]
Disasters [4]
Economy & Business [22]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Health [32]
Environmental Politics [23]
Fish & Fisheries [33]
Natural Resources [34]
People & Population [8]
Planning & Growth [9]
Policy [25]
Pollution [26]
Water & Oceans [35]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [36]
Mexico [37]
Central America & the Caribbean [38]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about “The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea” [28]
Abandoned Mines — Stories Beneath Your Feet [39]

They count in the tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands, and each one is a potential story. This week’s TipSheet looks at abandoned mines spread across the United States, many of them polluted, and with few cleanups underway. Find out what’s at stake, and get reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [4]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [34]
Pollution [26]
Waste [40]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [41]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Abandoned Mines — Stories Beneath Your Feet [39]
Charting the Year Ahead in Environment, Energy News [42]

This is a decisive time on the energy and environment front, with challenges and confrontation expected over the consummation of the Trump deregulatory agenda. Our second annual issues guide provides a roadmap for covering the big stories. The guide's formal launch took place at an SEJ event in Washington, D.C. [43] on January 26. If you missed it, the webcast is archived here [44].

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [46]
Chemicals [20]
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Economy & Business [22]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Health [32]
Environmental Politics [23]
Forests [47]
Government [5]
Health [24]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [34]
Policy [25]
Pollution [26]
Science [27]
Water & Oceans [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
California [12]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [13]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [41]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [48]
Northwest (OR WA) [14]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [36]
Central America & the Caribbean [38]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Charting the Year Ahead in Environment, Energy News [42]
For 2018, Predicting Extreme Weather Disasters Not As Hard As You Think [49]

Floods, hurricanes, wildfires and other human-caused disasters made 2017 a hard year to beat. But environmental journalists would do well to be prepared for 2018. This week's TipSheet explains why predicting weather-related disasters may not be as hard you think, and provides resources to get reporters ready.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Environmental Politics [23]
Government [5]
Laws & Regulations [7]
People & Population [8]
Planning & Growth [9]
Policy [25]
Science [27]
Water & Oceans [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
California [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [36]
Central America & the Caribbean [38]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about For 2018, Predicting Extreme Weather Disasters Not As Hard As You Think [49]
Energy Remains Big Issue for Public Lands Management [50]

Long-standing disputes over exploitation of public lands bubble over as the Trump administration advances campaign promises to ease restrictions on energy development. A special TipSheet, part of our 2018 Journalists' Guide to Energy & Environment, has resources for covering public lands-related issues as they play out in the coming year.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Politics [23]
Forests [47]
Government [5]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [34]
Policy [25]
Water & Oceans [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
California [12]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [48]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [36]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Energy Remains Big Issue for Public Lands Management [50]
Investigations May Bring News in 2018 [51]

Almost a dozen investigations are underway at the U.S. EPA and the Interior Department, including of unusual travel, private sector connections and staff/advisory panel moves. This week's TipSheet runs down the probes in detail, and offers resources for coverage of developments in 2018.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Consumer [21]
Disasters [4]
Economy & Business [22]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Politics [23]
Government [5]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Policy [25]
Science [27]
Water & Oceans [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [36]
Central America & the Caribbean [38]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Investigations May Bring News in 2018 [51]
FOIA Suit, Silence on Hog Farms & Sea-Level Rise, Plus Shield Laws [52]

A push for disclosure on hazardous air emissions from industrial hog farms, and reporting on how the coastal real estate industry works to block bad news about sea-level rise. That, plus the Bay Journal FOIAs the EPA over grant defunding, and a move in Congress towards a federal shield law, all in the latest WatchDog.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [46]
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Environmental Politics [23]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
People & Population [8]
Planning & Growth [9]
Pollution [26]
Waste [40]
Water & Oceans [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [13]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about FOIA Suit, Silence on Hog Farms & Sea-Level Rise, Plus Shield Laws [52]
Wildland-Urban Interface — How Disastrous Wildfires Get Into Your Neighborhood [53]

As this month's fatal California fires demonstrated, the risk of wildfire at the wildland-urban interface rises as development moves into fire-prone zones. The latest TipSheet explains this complex phenomenon, and provides story ideas and a wide range of resources to help you get ahead of the problem.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [4]
People & Population [8]
Planning & Growth [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
California [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Canada [54]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Wildland-Urban Interface — How Disastrous Wildfires Get Into Your Neighborhood [53]

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