Publication Items

Particulate Air Pollution — An Old Story Made Newer, and More Local, in 2023 [1]

Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set in motion a long-overdue requirement to update a key Clean Air Act rule involving fine particulate air pollution, or PM 2.5. The latest TipSheet reviews PM 2.5’s health harms and its checkered regulatory history, while offering story ideas and key resources on how to tell the story locally.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [3]
Environmental Justice [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Pollution [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Particulate Air Pollution — An Old Story Made Newer, and More Local, in 2023 [1]
Water-Sharing in the West: An Urgent and Complicated Environmental Story [12]

Water has always been a precious commodity in the western states. Now, with rapid population growth and a drying climate, the way this resource is shared and distributed is becoming more contentious across the region. Freelance journalist Jennifer Oldham talks about the tensions between supply and demand and how to drill down into water rights laws and policies.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [14]
Climate Change [15]
Consumer [16]
Economy & Business [17]
Environmental Health [18]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [19]
Infrastructure [20]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Natural Resources [21]
People & Population [22]
Planning & Growth [23]
Policy [24]
Technology [25]
Water & Oceans [26]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
California [27]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [28]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [29]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Water-Sharing in the West: An Urgent and Complicated Environmental Story [12]
EPA Texts Disappear, Suspicions of Misdeeds Do Not [30]

A scandal at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over regulatory capture of some toxic chemical officials has surfaced another serious issue — the EPA says it can’t provide related phone text messages. But it’s required to do so by law. And for environmental journalists, access to such records is key to holding the agency to account, argues WatchDog Opinion.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [31]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [32]
Chemicals [33]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [19]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Policy [24]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about EPA Texts Disappear, Suspicions of Misdeeds Do Not [30]
As Concern Over Methane Mounts, Emission Controls Yield Stories [34]

While carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas most often in the news, methane has greater warming power and accounts for a big chunk of the current increase in global warming. Now, growing regulatory pressure may help shift that focus and could drive more local environmental reporting, per the latest TipSheet. The backstory, plus reporting ideas and resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [14]
Air [3]
Climate Change [15]
Energy & Fuel [35]
Environmental Health [18]
Environmental Politics [5]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Natural Resources [21]
Policy [24]
Pollution [9]
Waste [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [37]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about As Concern Over Methane Mounts, Emission Controls Yield Stories [34]
Collaborative Journalism Project Reveals Inequities in Escaping Climate Change Hazards [38]

When U.S. communities become unlivable due to climate change impacts, can residents count on government relocation assistance — and are those most in need of help actually getting it? Those questions kickstarted a year-long investigation led by three high-powered journalism organizations. Now they’re sharing their reporting resources toolkit and inviting other journalists to widen the coverage with more local stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [15]
Disasters [39]
Diversity [40]
Economy & Business [17]
Environmental Health [18]
Environmental Justice [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [19]
Health [6]
Infrastructure [20]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
People & Population [22]
Planning & Growth [23]
Policy [24]
Water & Oceans [26]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Alaska and Hawaii [41]
California [27]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [42]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [43]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [44]
Northwest (OR WA) [45]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [46]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [29]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Collaborative Journalism Project Reveals Inequities in Escaping Climate Change Hazards [38]
On Reporter’s Privilege, Justice Department Takes a Step Forward [47]

The Department of Justice’s new regulations around reporter’s privilege — the protection of journalistic sources and notes — is a noteworthy advance. But the WatchDog Opinion column calls for more: a federal shield law that is less vulnerable to weakening by subsequent administrations. A take on the new regs, the state of current law and prospects for congressional action.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [31]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [32]
Government [19]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Policy [24]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about On Reporter’s Privilege, Justice Department Takes a Step Forward [47]
Coal Ash — An Overlooked Toxic Story That Won’t Go Away [48]

Obama-era regulation of the toxic waste product coal ash, which was watered down in the face of resistance from coal and electric utilities and further weakened by the Trump administration, has meant many coal-fired power plants simply ignore disposal requirements. That’s per a new report that the latest TipSheet writes can offer journalists useful ways to report an overlooked environmental story in their area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [35]
Environmental Health [18]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [19]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Pollution [9]
Waste [36]
Water & Oceans [26]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [46]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Coal Ash — An Overlooked Toxic Story That Won’t Go Away [48]
Extreme Rainfall Offers Journalists a Deluge of Environment, Climate Stories [49]

The increased frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation presents environmental reporters with challenging coverage of flooding, property damage, insurance shortfalls and risk to human life, as well as about the climate change driving the downpours. The latest TipSheet offers context, story ideas and resources to cover such big storms in your area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [15]
Disasters [39]
Government [19]
Health [6]
Infrastructure [20]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
People & Population [22]
Planning & Growth [23]
Water & Oceans [26]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [46]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [29]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Extreme Rainfall Offers Journalists a Deluge of Environment, Climate Stories [49]
EPA To Propose Plan Soon for First PFAS Drinking Water Rule [50]

Plans are nearing for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate PFAS in drinking water — and the complexity around the effort will challenge environmental journalism. In the mix are questions of environmental persistence and health risks, plus thorny politics. Our Issue Backgrounder has guidance on these and more as PFAS regulation hits this critical juncture.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [51]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [33]
Consumer [16]
Economy & Business [17]
Environmental Health [18]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [19]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Policy [24]
Pollution [9]
Science [52]
Water & Oceans [26]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [44]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about EPA To Propose Plan Soon for First PFAS Drinking Water Rule [50]
ESA Inaction Spells Trouble for an Iconic Grassland Bird [53]

The lesser prairie-chicken is in dire need of protection, but a decision on listing it under the Endangered Species Act is months overdue. Environmental reporter Mike Smith looks at the causes and potential consequences of the bureaucratic delay and muses on whether this unique bird will go the way of its even more imperiled relative, the Attwater’s prairie-chicken [54].

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [32]
Agriculture [14]
Biodiversity [55]
Economy & Business [17]
Energy & Fuel [35]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [19]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Natural Resources [21]
Policy [24]
Science [52]
Wildlife [56]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [57]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [28]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [46]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [29]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about ESA Inaction Spells Trouble for an Iconic Grassland Bird [53]

Pages