Publication Items

State of the Air Report Spotlights Persistent Pollution Problems [1]

Happen to have any air breathers in your audience? Then the latest State of the Air Report will give you fodder to cover the persistent pollution problems that plague the skies. This week’s TipSheet has the backstory on the fight against air pollution and five smart ways to tell the story from a local-regional context.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [3]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Government [6]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [10]
Pollution [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [13]
International [14]
Asia [15]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about State of the Air Report Spotlights Persistent Pollution Problems [1]
Protecting Journalists from Attack, Info Row at Interior, PIO Standards and More [17]

Do we need a bill to criminalize attacks against those who report the news? Some Dems in Congress think so. And the Interior Department is at the center of a conflicts over freedom of information involving lobbying contacts with the newly confirmed secretary. The latest WatchDog has those developments, plus more.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [19]
Environmental Health [20]
Environmental Politics [21]
Environmental Studies [22]
Government [6]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [10]
Policy [23]
Science [24]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Alaska and Hawaii [25]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Protecting Journalists from Attack, Info Row at Interior, PIO Standards and More [17]
Use EPA TRI Database To Find Toxic Threats [26]

The Toxics Release Inventory database, refreshed annually, has long been the foundation of many a good environmental news story. The latest release is now out, and this week’s TipSheet reminds journalists why the searchable online TRI can be such a valuable reporting tool in tracking toxic dangers.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [27]
Air [3]
Chemicals [4]
Disasters [28]
Environmental Health [20]
Government [6]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Pollution [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [14]
Asia [15]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Use EPA TRI Database To Find Toxic Threats [26]
Styrofoam Facts — Why You May Want To Bring Your Own Cup [29]

What makes styrofoam good — like its insulating, shock-absorbing qualities that make it suitable for hot coffee cups, coolers, helmets and packing material — is also what makes it bad … for the environment, that is. This month’s Backgrounder looks at the technical and environmental aspects of this long-troubling plastic pollution source.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [30]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Consumer [31]
Environmental Health [20]
Environmental Politics [21]
Food [32]
Government [6]
Health [7]
Pollution [11]
Science [24]
Waste [33]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [14]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Styrofoam Facts — Why You May Want To Bring Your Own Cup [29]
“Bombs Away: Militarization, Conservation, and Ecological Restoration” [34]

Does the military use ecological restoration as a means to “green” over the complex relationship between nature and culture, undermining the impacts of history and warfare? Our latest BookShelf review of the new volume, “Bombs Away: Militarization, Conservation, and Ecological Restoration,” explores one author’s argument that it does.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [35]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [21]
Government [6]
Military [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
California [37]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [38]
International [14]
Asia [15]
Europe [39]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about “Bombs Away: Militarization, Conservation, and Ecological Restoration” [34]
SEJ Joins Lawsuits; Press Freedom Tracker Gets Update; Docs on ANWR Drilling Concealed, and More [40]

The Society of Environmental Journalists is backing right-to-know lawsuits brought by journalism groups, and a collaborative press freedom tracker gets new funding. Meanwhile, at the Interior Department, one watchdog group angles for environmental impact statements on ANWR drilling, while others track possible conflicts of interest by the acting secretary. That and more in the latest WatchDog roundup.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [27]
Biodiversity [41]
Energy & Fuel [19]
Environmental Health [20]
Environmental Politics [21]
Environmental Studies [22]
Fish & Fisheries [42]
Food [32]
Forests [43]
Government [6]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Military [36]
Natural Resources [10]
Policy [23]
Pollution [11]
Wildlife [44]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Alaska and Hawaii [25]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about SEJ Joins Lawsuits; Press Freedom Tracker Gets Update; Docs on ANWR Drilling Concealed, and More [40]
Can States Divvy Up the Shrinking Colorado River Water Supply? [45]

The vast Colorado River, recently in the news over a troubled drought deal, is at the heart of numerous environmental problems in the American West, where water is scarce and the legal complexities of water rights voluminous. The latest Issue Backgrounder offers an explainer on the story, which involves at least seven states, the federal government, Native American tribes, a hornet’s nest of irrigation districts and even Mexico.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [30]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [46]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [31]
Environmental Health [20]
Environmental Politics [21]
Government [6]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [10]
Water & Oceans [47]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
California [37]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [48]
International [14]
Mexico [49]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Can States Divvy Up the Shrinking Colorado River Water Supply? [45]
Where Does All That Recycling Go? [50]

Where do all those recyclables actually go? This week’s TipSheet dives into the trash to find a story worth telling — of troubling overseas dumping, problematic local incineration and a fraying patchwork of U.S. regulation. Plus, several dozen questions you might want to ask, a pair of pro tips and a dozen resources to track the story in your area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [27]
Air [3]
Consumer [31]
Economy & Business [51]
Government [6]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Policy [23]
Pollution [11]
Waste [33]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [14]
Asia [15]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Where Does All That Recycling Go? [50]
Border Wall a Way into Environmental Stories [52]

The fierce contest over the Trump border wall has critical environmental implications, both local and regional, per the latest TipSheet. A key suit against the Trump emergency declaration was filed by environmental groups and plans for a border barrier may harm significant wildlife habitat, as well as numerous migrating species, including some that are endangered. Get the back story and why it matters, along with story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [27]
Biodiversity [41]
Environmental Politics [21]
Government [6]
Wildlife [44]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
California [37]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [53]
International [14]
Mexico [49]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Border Wall a Way into Environmental Stories [52]
Climate Scientist Canned, SCOTUS To Rule on Chemical ‘Secrets’ and Army Corps Sued Over Permit Info [54]

A scientist contracted to report on climate impacts for the National Park Service was caught up in a fracas over attempted censorship of her findings. Now she’s been fired. That, plus a FOIA case before the Supreme Court and an enviro group sues the Army Corps of Engineers over info on a permit for a new plastics plant in Louisiana. Read the latest on freedom-of-information issues in this month’s WatchDog TipSheet.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [27]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [20]
Environmental Politics [21]
Environmental Studies [22]
Government [6]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Pollution [11]
Science [24]
Water & Oceans [47]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [48]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [55]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Climate Scientist Canned, SCOTUS To Rule on Chemical ‘Secrets’ and Army Corps Sued Over Permit Info [54]

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