Publication Items

State, Federal Whistleblower Rules a Key Tool for Journalists [1]

Watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility's new guide to state whistleblower laws starts with a map — click on any state to link to its whistleblower law and other related info. Federally, there is currently a bill in play in Congress which would strengthen the notoriously weak federal whistleblower protections.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [3]
Journalism & Media [4]
Government [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about State, Federal Whistleblower Rules a Key Tool for Journalists [1]
Enviros Urge EPA Not To Weaken Drinking Water Reports [7]

Fifteen environmental and public health groups say EPA had not allowed sufficient time for public review, only put relevant information into its docket at the last minute, and emphasized easing a "burden" utilities had lived with for years at the expense of protecting the public.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [8]
Laws & Regulations [3]
Health [9]
Government [5]
Activism [10]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Enviros Urge EPA Not To Weaken Drinking Water Reports [7]
Proposal Could Restrict Public Access to NOAA Fisheries Data [11]

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service is considering a rule which could restrict public access to important data on commercial fishing — and overfishing. This data includes federally required public records paid for by taxpayers. The watchdog group OMB Watch criticized the proposed rule's handling of confidential information

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [3]
Fish & Fisheries [12]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Proposal Could Restrict Public Access to NOAA Fisheries Data [11]
EPA To Propose Downgrading Access to Annual Drinking Water Quality Reports? [13]

Some utilities want to get rid of the requirement — substituting online notification, even for water customers who lack Internet connections. A legislative effort to ease the notification requirement failed in the Senate in summer 2012. Now EPA is starting procedures which might lead to doing the same thing by rulemaking. Deadline for comments is October 11, 2012.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [8]
Laws & Regulations [3]
Government [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about EPA To Propose Downgrading Access to Annual Drinking Water Quality Reports? [13]
Beef Company Sues ABC for Defamation Over 'Pink Slime' [14]

Beef Products Inc. filed suit for defamation over stories about its 'finely textured beef' product, known to headline writers as 'pink slime.' Legal experts say the company will have a hard time winning the case, which harkens back to the famous hamburger libel case of the late 1990s, in which Oprah Winfrey won the right to dislike beef in public.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Food [15]
Agriculture [16]
Laws & Regulations [3]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Beef Company Sues ABC for Defamation Over 'Pink Slime' [14]
Database on Environmental Treaties an Aid for Reporters on Environmental Stories [17]

There are well over a thousand binational or multinational environmental agreements, usually technical and obscure. However, environmental reporters would do well to know about them — to shed light on local stories and to find national or international news. Here's help.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Technology [18]
Laws & Regulations [3]
Government [5]
Environmental Health [19]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Database on Environmental Treaties an Aid for Reporters on Environmental Stories [17]
Some Unpublished CRS Reports on Environmental Topics: Published [20]

Topics of the latest reports, published by the Federation of American Scientists, include Arctic changes, mountaintop mining controversies, pollution control law enforcement, climate change, midnight rulemaking, scientific papers/security risks, oil sands enviro issues, and fracking/drinking water.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [8]
Pollution [21]
Natural Resources [22]
Laws & Regulations [3]
Energy & Fuel [23]
Climate Change [24]
Chemicals [25]
Region:
Antarctica & Arctic [26]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Some Unpublished CRS Reports on Environmental Topics: Published [20]
Got Corruption? Data on State Lawmaker Conflicts Hard To Get [27]

A large and diverse array of businesses have an interest in the environmental and energy laws that state legislatures consider: including coal, oil, plastics, chemicals, mining, forest products, and others. The possible financial stake lawmakers may have in the bills before them is fertile ground for investigation. Here's help in finding story ideas.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Natural Resources [22]
Laws & Regulations [3]
Government [5]
Forests [28]
Energy & Fuel [23]
Chemicals [25]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Got Corruption? Data on State Lawmaker Conflicts Hard To Get [27]
PEER Sues FDA for Documents on Livestock Antibiotics [29]

Under FOIA, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility requested FDA documents justifying its use of categorical exclusions to avoid assessing the environmental impact of not regulating livestock antibiotics. After FDA failed to provide any, PEER filed a lawsuit in federal district court.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Policy [30]
Laws & Regulations [3]
Chemicals [25]
Agriculture [16]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about PEER Sues FDA for Documents on Livestock Antibiotics [29]
State Fracking Disclosure Rules Don't Protect Public: Report [31]

A new OMB Watch report calls full advance disclosure of fracking fluid ingredients "the necessary first step" to protecting people's drinking water and concluded "no state has yet established all of the elements of a chemical disclosure policy strong enough to ensure the quality of the water and the health of communities near gas wells."

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [8]
Policy [30]
People & Population [32]
Laws & Regulations [3]
Energy & Fuel [23]
Chemicals [25]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about State Fracking Disclosure Rules Don't Protect Public: Report [31]

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