Publication Items

Sunshine Events, Standing Rock, FERC and Pruitt [1]

It's Sunshine Week, and open government events are scheduled around the United States. This month's WatchDog TipSheet has a rundown, plus news on SEJ concerns over restrictions to press access at FERC meetings, on a 7,564-page FOIA email dump on EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and more.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Sunshine Events, Standing Rock, FERC and Pruitt [1]
EPA Budget Cuts Threaten a Program Near You [11]

As the Trump administration proposes big cuts at environmental agencies like the U.S. EPA, the latest TipSheet explores how to dig up local angles from the budget action. Examples: Tracking changes at EPA regional offices and labs, at Superfund or at state revolving funds for clean water and safe drinking water programs.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [13]
Environmental Politics [6]
Fish & Fisheries [14]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Natural Resources [16]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [17]
Pollution [18]
Waste [19]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
California [21]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [22]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [23]
Northwest (OR WA) [24]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about EPA Budget Cuts Threaten a Program Near You [11]
Get Wise on Water Rule [26]

Wondering what WOTUS is? Or how the Clean Water Rule relates to the Clean Water Act and to the Section 404 permitting program meant to prevent the destruction of U.S. wetlands? Our Beat Basics column explains the history and background of the rule to help you cover White House, EPA and court action likely ahead.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [28]
Environmental Politics [6]
Fish & Fisheries [14]
Government [7]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Natural Resources [16]
Planning & Growth [29]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Get Wise on Water Rule [26]
Under Pruitt, Watch Enforcement Data [30]

As questions arise about how thoroughly the U.S. EPA's new administrator Scott Pruitt (left) will enforce environmental regulations, reporters can get at the story through EPA’s own exhaustive enforcement database. TipSheet provides a step-by-step on how to use data resources to follow trends and find bad actors.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Under Pruitt, Watch Enforcement Data [30]
As Fight Flares Over Public Lands, Summoning Power of Past Bond [31]

Bobby Magill, in his most recent SEJ President's Report, recalls his time traversing federal wilderness areas that are now increasingly the subject of dispute. How are they to be used? Who is to hold them? Will these vast Western lands remain in the public domain? And what is the role of journalists in covering this story?

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ Presidents Report [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [6]
Forests [33]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Natural Resources [16]
Wildlife [34]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about As Fight Flares Over Public Lands, Summoning Power of Past Bond [31]
Veteran Reporters Say Ignore the Noise, and Localize [35]

Environmental journalists at a day-long event [36] urged colleagues to report on the real, local impacts of policy, more than on the buzz around the policy. On hand at the SEJ-sponsored program were representatives of administrations past and present, including Trump EPA transition team head Myron Ebell (shown).

Videos:

Tracy Mehan lll, American Water Works Association [37]
Myron Ebell, Competitive Enterprise Institute [38]
Ed Maibach, George Mason University [39]
Scott Segal, Policy Resolution Group and Bracewell LLP [40]
Bob Perciasepe, Center for Climate & Energy Solutions [41]
Environmental advocates [42]
Journalists panel [43]

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [13]
Environmental Politics [6]
Environmental Studies [45]
Government [7]
Health [46]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Policy [47]
Pollution [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Veteran Reporters Say Ignore the Noise, and Localize [35]
WatchDog Group Sues for Records as Pruitt Confirmation Vote Nears & More [48]

The latest WatchDog TipSheet details an open-records case against U.S. EPA nominee Scott Pruitt (shown), the scoop on an Agriculture Department animal welfare database that vanished then returned, a reporter busted at Standing Rock, plus items on whistleblowers, coal-ash and more.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [49]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [17]
Policy [47]
Pollution [18]
Waste [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [50]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [51]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about WatchDog Group Sues for Records as Pruitt Confirmation Vote Nears & More [48]
Rogue Twitter Brings Government Leaks to Masses [52]

Dozens of renegade government Twitter accounts have sprung up, with claims they're run anonymously by employees of various agencies whose missions appear threatened by the Trump administration. TipSheet has the story, plus a list of more than 40 accounts of interest to environmental reporters.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Environmental Politics [6]
Forests [33]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [16]
Policy [47]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Rogue Twitter Brings Government Leaks to Masses [52]
Turbulent Prospects on Environment-Energy Beat Likely in Trump Era [53]

While it's too soon to tell what the new Trump administration and 115th Congress will do, our special report suggests we may see a groundswell of environmental deregulation and massive energy development. Backgrounder looks at the top 10 energy-environment issues to watch in the President Trump era.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [54]
Climate Change [4]
Economy & Business [28]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [7]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Natural Resources [16]
Policy [47]
Pollution [18]
Science [55]
Transportation [56]
Waste [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Turbulent Prospects on Environment-Energy Beat Likely in Trump Era [53]
Will 'Drill, Baby, Drill' Be Watchword in Trump Era? [57]

Conflict is brewing over the leasing of oil and gas drilling rights on millions of acres of federal land, now that the pro-oil-and-gas GOP controls Congress and the White House. And one especially big battle to come? The one over opening for drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a dispute that raged for decades.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [7]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Natural Resources [16]
Pollution [18]
Transportation [56]
Wildlife [34]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Alaska and Hawaii [58]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Will 'Drill, Baby, Drill' Be Watchword in Trump Era? [57]

Pages