Publication Items

Firm Seeks To Silence Fracking Pollution Concerns with Defamation Suit [1]

The video of Steve Lipsky setting his drinking water on fire nearly went viral on You Tube. The fracking company he thinks caused the problem is suing him for defamation. Now that case is headed for the Texas Supreme Court. Oral arguments are scheduled for December 4.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [3]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Health [5]
Water & Oceans [6]
Region:
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [7]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Firm Seeks To Silence Fracking Pollution Concerns with Defamation Suit [1]
Congress Doesn't Want You To Read These Reports [9]

More evidence of Congress' ineffectiveness comes in its ongoing failure to keep its secrets actually secret. Its official policy is to keep the Congressional Research Service from publicly releasing the handy explainers it produces at taxpayer expense. Thanks again to the Federation of American Scientists' Government Secrecy Project for unauthorized publication of these reports.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [10]
Disasters [11]
Economy & Business [12]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Government [13]
Health [5]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Policy [15]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Congress Doesn't Want You To Read These Reports [9]
Shouldn't "Trade Secrets" Face a Sunset in Interests of Public Health? [16]

One of the oldest tricks U.S. industry has used to hide the potential harm to public health done by chemicals it puts into the environment is to claim that their identities are trade secrets via a loophole established under the antiquated Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976. On August 21st, a coalition of groups petitioned EPA for toxic trade secrets to have an expiration date.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [3]
Economy & Business [12]
Environmental Health [17]
Health [5]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Shouldn't "Trade Secrets" Face a Sunset in Interests of Public Health? [16]
News Innovation an Essential Skill for New Journalists [18]

In this excerpt from the latest issue of SEJournal (Spring), we debut the new EJ Academy column (a place for educators and students to explore current research on environmental journalism) with University of Michigan's Emilia Askari sharing how she and SEJ member Julie Halpert teach news innovation à la Knight Challenge style.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ Academy [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [17]
Health [5]
Journalism & Media [20]
Region:
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [21]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about News Innovation an Essential Skill for New Journalists [18]
In Covering Chemical Spill, Ward Zags When Others Zig [22]

"Inside Story" editor Beth Daley interviews Charleston (WV) Gazette reporter Ken Ward Jr. — who is recognized nationally for his reporting on coal mining, the environment and workplace safety — about his unique work on the Freedom Industries spill story. Photo: The FI tank which leaked a coal-cleaning chemical into the river on Jan. 9, 2014, contaminating the drinking water of 300,000 West Virginians for weeks. Credit: Commercial Photography Services of WV via USCSB.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [23]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [3]
Disasters [11]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Environmental Health [17]
Health [5]
Water & Oceans [6]
Region:
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [24]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about In Covering Chemical Spill, Ward Zags When Others Zig [22]
Appeals Court Radically Expands FOIA 'Safety' Exemption [25]

A federal appeals court created a sweeping and dangerous precedent January 22, 2014, when it ruled the U.S. public had no right to know whether it is endangered by failures of federal dam safety agencies to do their jobs. If the ruling stands, federal agencies could withhold from disclosure almost any information showing federal failure to protect the public from infrastructure dangers.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [11]
Health [5]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Appeals Court Radically Expands FOIA 'Safety' Exemption [25]
EWG Database Helps Public, Journos Find Drinking Water Threats [26]

While EPA and local utilities make much data available online, the Environmental Working Group has compiled a tap water database that is much easier to use. It gathers data from the states as well as from EPA, and compiles city-by-city rankings of the best and worst drinking water quality. It also explains the health significance of contaminants and lists contaminants not regulated by EPA.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [6]
Technology [27]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Health [5]
Region:
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [24]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about EWG Database Helps Public, Journos Find Drinking Water Threats [26]
SEJ, SPJ Urge EPA, CDC to End Press Office Obstacles in Public Health Crises [28]

Reporters scrambling to inform the 300,000 citizens of Charleston, West Virginia, about why they could not drink their tap water, what health threats it presented, and who was responsible faced a stone wall from most of the responsible government agencies in the early days of the crisis.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [6]
Health [5]
Environmental Health [17]
Disasters [11]
Region:
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [24]
National (U.S.) [29]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about SEJ, SPJ Urge EPA, CDC to End Press Office Obstacles in Public Health Crises [28]
"Peril in the Ponds: Deformed Frogs, Politics, and a Biologist’s Quest" [30]

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [31]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [3]
Environmental Politics [32]
Environmental Studies [33]
Health [5]
Wildlife [34]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about "Peril in the Ponds: Deformed Frogs, Politics, and a Biologist’s Quest" [30]
Senate GOPers Seek To Hide Silica Science Funding [35]

OSHA's proposed silica rule "requests" (not requires) that commenters state clearly who paid for any research they cite and declare whether there may be possible conflicts of interest or whether the funder of the research may have influenced its findings. But 16 Senate Republicans have complained of OSHA's request for funding disclosure.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Science [36]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Health [5]
Environmental Politics [32]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Senate GOPers Seek To Hide Silica Science Funding [35]

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