Publication Items

Is EV-Driven Demand for Lithium on Collision Course With Environment Concerns? [1]

The push to replace gas-guzzling vehicles with electric-powered alternatives is hitting significant speed bumps. The existing supply of lithium for batteries can’t keep up with demand, and new mining proposals often face opposition from area residents worried about local impacts. Radio reporter David Boraks has been covering one such conflict in North Carolina. He shares his insights and reporting tips.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [4]
Air [5]
Biodiversity [6]
Climate Change [7]
Consumer [8]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [11]
Environmental Politics [12]
Government [13]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Natural Resources [16]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Technology [19]
Transportation [20]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
California [23]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [24]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
International [26]
Asia [27]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Is EV-Driven Demand for Lithium on Collision Course With Environment Concerns? [1]
Finding the Secret Rail Hazmat Routes Near You [29]

Under federal rules, states can decide whether to divulge information about hazardous materials rolling along their railways — and mostly they don’t. Not knowing where and when hazmat trains are traveling or what’s on board creates anxiety and raises the risk for those who live near the tracks. TipSheet offers resources and step-by-step instructions for investigating railway hazmat threats to your community.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [30]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [31]
Disasters [32]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [11]
Government [13]
Health [33]
Infrastructure [34]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Transportation [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [35]
International [26]
Canada [36]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Finding the Secret Rail Hazmat Routes Near You [29]
From Swine Waste, Student Journalist Extracts Prize-Winning Story [37]

Industrial hog farmers tout swine biogas as a clean, green energy source, but others point to its messy side. A young journalist who investigated the underreported stench of environmental racism associated with this technology learned valuable lessons along the way to producing a feature story that won her a Society of Environmental Journalists’ award for outstanding student reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ Academy [38]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [4]
Air [5]
Chemicals [31]
Diversity [39]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [11]
Environmental Justice [40]
Environmental Politics [12]
Food [41]
Government [13]
Health [33]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Pollution [18]
Science [42]
Technology [19]
Waste [43]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about From Swine Waste, Student Journalist Extracts Prize-Winning Story [37]
Will Thousands of Orphan Wells Be Safely Plugged? [44]

Abandoned oil and gas wells are found in significant numbers in some 27 states. Reporters who want to track their status can dig into several databases, but will need to support their data crunching with lots of shoe-leather and ground-truth reporting. Reporter’s Toolbox has insights into what the databases offer. Plus, a primer on API numbers.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [5]
Climate Change [7]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [11]
Environmental Politics [12]
Government [13]
Health [33]
Infrastructure [34]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Natural Resources [16]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Technology [19]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [46]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [47]
International [26]
Canada [36]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Will Thousands of Orphan Wells Be Safely Plugged? [44]
Diving Deeper on the Wetlands Beat Yields Groundbreaking Coverage [48]

Two journalists covering water policy used a wide range of reporting techniques, from FOIA appeals to on-the-ground reporting, to get at the heart of how problems with wetlands and waterways in the United States are tied to climate change concerns. Inside Story spoke with Hannah Northey and Kevin Bogardus of E&E News about their award-winning beat reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [49]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [6]
Climate Change [7]
Disasters [32]
Diversity [39]
Economy & Business [9]
Environmental Health [11]
Environmental Justice [40]
Environmental Politics [12]
Government [13]
Health [33]
Infrastructure [34]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Science [42]
Technology [19]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [35]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Diving Deeper on the Wetlands Beat Yields Groundbreaking Coverage [48]
What’s in the Air in Kids’ Schools? Lessons on Addressing Indoor Pollution [50]

Now that kids are mostly back in school (and perhaps longing for snow days to send them back home), environmental reporters might want to start exploring some of the things that could make them sick. Not viruses, but potential pollutants. TipSheet explores the problem and why current law may do little to address it.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [30]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [5]
Chemicals [31]
Health [33]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about What’s in the Air in Kids’ Schools? Lessons on Addressing Indoor Pollution [50]
SEJ Panel Gauges Issues in the Works in the U.S. West [51]

As part of our 2023 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment special report, we’ve got highlights from last week’s reporter panel on the year ahead, led by #SEJ2023 conference co-chair Tom Michael (pictured, left). The focus was largely on the U.S. West, where challenges abound over issues like equitable siting of renewable energy infrastructure, regulating natural gas, managing wildfires and addressing the health consequences of climate-driven heat waves. Read our account [51], plus check out the full 2023 Guide [52].

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [53]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [4]
Air [5]
Biodiversity [6]
Climate Change [7]
Disasters [32]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [11]
Environmental Justice [40]
Environmental Politics [12]
Fish & Fisheries [54]
Food [41]
Forests [55]
Government [13]
Health [33]
Infrastructure [34]
Journalism & Media [14]
Natural Resources [16]
People & Population [56]
Planning & Growth [57]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Water & Oceans [21]
Wildlife [58]
Region:
California [23]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [24]
Northwest (OR WA) [59]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [47]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about SEJ Panel Gauges Issues in the Works in the U.S. West [51]
Road Salt Spreading a Slippery Slope to Water Pollution [60]

With wintry conditions still present in much of the country, there’s an important local story for environmental reporters to chase. No, not climate change this time. It’s salt. Road salt can end up in bodies of water, damaging the environment and risking human health. TipSheet offers a dash of background and a good dose of questions to ask, plus story ideas and resources to flavor your reporting with.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [30]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [31]
Environmental Health [11]
Health [33]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Pollution [18]
Transportation [20]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Road Salt Spreading a Slippery Slope to Water Pollution [60]
Epic Struggles Ahead in 2023 on Energy Transition, Pollution [61]

In our annual analysis of what’s ahead on the environment beat in 2023, there are some things to count on: worsening climate disasters and continued politicking over energy transitions, but also regulatory action on greenhouse gas emissions (not to mention on “forever chemicals”). Other things are less clear: environmental rulings by a conservative U.S. Supreme Court, energy impacts of war in Europe and the effectiveness of COP28 and treaty talks on plastic pollution. Read the full overview and get more in our “2023 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment [52]” special report.

SEJ Publication Types:
Special Reports [62]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [4]
Air [5]
Biodiversity [6]
Chemicals [31]
Climate Change [7]
Disasters [32]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Justice [40]
Environmental Politics [12]
Fish & Fisheries [54]
Government [13]
Health [33]
Infrastructure [34]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Military [63]
Natural Resources [16]
Planning & Growth [57]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Science [42]
Waste [43]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
International [26]
Europe [64]
Middle East [65]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Epic Struggles Ahead in 2023 on Energy Transition, Pollution [61]
Cascadia Bioregion Rife With Energy, Environment Troubles To Report in 2023 [66]

Iconic critters like salmon, orca and wolves. Climate controversies like natural gas greenwashing and carbon auctions. And wildfire fallout like “smoke-a-geddon.” These are just some of the wide array of stories worth covering as environmental journalists scan Cascadia, the huge area encompassing Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and stretching from Alaska to Utah. This special TipSheet, part of our 2023 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment, outlines top issues in the region, offering insights, resources and story angles.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [30]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [4]
Air [5]
Biodiversity [6]
Climate Change [7]
Consumer [8]
Disasters [32]
Diversity [39]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [11]
Environmental Justice [40]
Environmental Politics [12]
Environmental Studies [67]
Fish & Fisheries [54]
Food [41]
Forests [55]
Government [13]
Health [33]
Infrastructure [34]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Natural Resources [16]
Planning & Growth [57]
Policy [17]
Pollution [18]
Transportation [20]
Waste [43]
Water & Oceans [21]
Wildlife [58]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Alaska and Hawaii [68]
California [23]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [24]
Northwest (OR WA) [59]
International [26]
Canada [36]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Cascadia Bioregion Rife With Energy, Environment Troubles To Report in 2023 [66]

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