Publication Items

Environment Is on the Ballot in Election 2016 [1]

While issues like climate change have gained little traction in the presidential race, environmental topics are playing a clearer role in some congressional contests, as well in statehouse and local elections. At the same time, a number of controversial ballot initiatives are tackling environmental topics ranging from plastic bag bans to solar energy. Get info and resources in our Election 2016 Issue Backgrounder.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Consumer [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [6]
Health [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Natural Resources [9]
Policy [10]
Waste [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Environment Is on the Ballot in Election 2016 [1]
You Aren't Allowed To Know How Much of Your Coal Is Being Sold (Cheap?) [14]

The vast coal seams below federally owned lands in the West are a resource owned by the American people as a whole — and when rights to mine them are sold to coal companies, it is supposed to be on terms that are in the public interest. So you'd think public scrutiny via open information would be a given. The Interior Department says not, recently denying a FOIA request for this information. Image: © Clipart.com [15].

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [17]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about You Aren't Allowed To Know How Much of Your Coal Is Being Sold (Cheap?) [14]
SEJ Objects To Prosecution of Journalists Covering Pipeline Protests [18]

UPDATE: The Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) on Oct 19, 2016 wrote law enforcement officials at the state and federal levels, objecting to prosecution of journalists who have been covering protests against the Dakota Access Pipe Line and other pipelines. The prosecutor who charged Democracy Now's Amy Goodman has responded to SEJ's letter.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [17]
Journalism & Media [19]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about SEJ Objects To Prosecution of Journalists Covering Pipeline Protests [18]
NFOIC Meets Amid New Open-Government Challenges of Digital Revolution [20]

Investigative journalism is hardly about paper documents anymore. The cutting edge today is more likely to be requests for emails, as well as text messages, chats and other electronic communications such as Slack. This big challenge was front and center at the recent meeting of the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [6]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Technology [21]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about NFOIC Meets Amid New Open-Government Challenges of Digital Revolution [20]
Pork Producers Win Appeal in CAFO Disclosure Case [22]

In addition to nuisance smells, confined animal feeding operations (aka CAFOs) can present serious air and water pollution problems. They are weakly regulated. Now a federal appeals court says information on who owns those feedlots can be kept secret. Image: © Clipart.com [23].

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [24]
Government [6]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Pollution [25]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Pork Producers Win Appeal in CAFO Disclosure Case [22]
What Congress Won't Let You Read: Latest CRS Explainers Leaked [26]

The Congressional Research Service produces expert nonpartisan backgrounders on many subjects of interest to environment and energy journalists. But Congress won't release them. Thanks to the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy, you can read them now.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [24]
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [27]
Economy & Business [28]
Energy & Fuel [17]
Health [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Pollution [25]
Transportation [29]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about What Congress Won't Let You Read: Latest CRS Explainers Leaked [26]
Wyoming "Data Trespass" Legal Conflict Settled by Ranchers, Enviros [30]

A lawsuit over Wyoming's controversial "data trespass" law, which made it illegal to document pollution violations on "private open land", was settled in August without really resolving any of the important Constitutional issues behind it — and with both sides claiming victory.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [8]
Pollution [25]
Region:
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [31]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Wyoming "Data Trespass" Legal Conflict Settled by Ranchers, Enviros [30]
FOIA Policy: Many Journos Surveyed Say "Wait" Before "Release to All" [32]

A key issue on the Freedom of Information Act is once a government record is released to a single FOIA requester, should it then be automatically released to any other requester and the general public? "Yes" was the answer from most journalists surveyed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press — but with an important caveat. Image: © Clipart.com. [33]

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [8]
Policy [10]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about FOIA Policy: Many Journos Surveyed Say "Wait" Before "Release to All" [32]
Texting During "Open" Meetings an Area of Concern [34]

Is text messaging compatible with open meetings? Courts have for several years upheld the notion that texts can be public records. The problem, of course, is knowing about them — since they are less visible than meeting minutes. Image: © Clipart.com. [35]

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [6]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Texting During "Open" Meetings an Area of Concern [34]
Despite FDA GRAS Rule, Transparency Debate Over Food Safety Continues [36]

Food industry groups generally liked the new rule, saying that it improved transparency. But consumer groups said it did not go far enough. Image: © Clipart.com. [37]

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [4]
Food [38]
Health [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Despite FDA GRAS Rule, Transparency Debate Over Food Safety Continues [36]

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