Publication Items

OSHA Sampling Data Still Unavailable [1]

A former Occupational Safety and Health Administration official requested the data under the Freedom of Information Act in 2005, but was denied. He sued, won in 2007, and now has the data, but OSHA has still not released the data to the public.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [3]
Health [4]
Government [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about OSHA Sampling Data Still Unavailable [1]
Forest Service Issues Gag Order to Employees on Talking to Reporters [8]

Monongahela National Forest's public affairs officer recently directed employees there that, if contacted by national reporters on any issue or local reporters regarding national issues, they "cannot talk to the reporter"and suggested that the instructions came from "our Washington office."
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Forests [9]
Government [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Forest Service Issues Gag Order to Employees on Talking to Reporters [8]
Detailed Organic Farm and Ranch Data Available [10]

USDA's first major national survey of U.S. organic farms includes 14,540 farms and ranches that cover 4.1 million acres in 50 states.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [11]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [12]
Government [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Detailed Organic Farm and Ranch Data Available [10]
Agencies Post "Openness" Pages on Web per Obama Order [13]

EPA, Interior, DOE, USDA and others now provide "clearing points" intended to engage the public in their efforts for greater public transparency, participation, and collaboration, and in development of an "Open Government Plan."
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Agencies Post "Openness" Pages on Web per Obama Order [13]
Getting to Disclosure: SPJ Offers FOIA Negotiating Tips [14]

An Online Quill article by David Cuillier offers advice from William Ury, co-founder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation and co-author of “Getting to Yes,” to effectively help reporters move from defeatism to successful disclosure.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Getting to Disclosure: SPJ Offers FOIA Negotiating Tips [14]
EPA Reveals More High-Hazard Coal-Ash Sites [16]

Disclosure of 22 electric-utility plans for handling coal-ash waste is a good start... but EPA also released the identities of some 40 more — previously undisclosed — scary ash impoundments.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [17]
Waste [18]
Government [5]
Environmental Health [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about EPA Reveals More High-Hazard Coal-Ash Sites [16]
Sunshine Week Starts March 14 with Focus on Local Heroes [20]

Journalism groups, including key organizer American Society of News Editors, will honor individuals whose open-government work in 2009 has made their communities better places to live.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Sunshine Week Starts March 14 with Focus on Local Heroes [20]
Feb. 16 Briefing Helps Prep for Release of New US Ocean Policy [21]

RSVP by 4:00 p.m. February 12, 2010, to learn about the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force's proposed marine spatial planning framework for coordinating many ocean and coastal activities by multiple agencies and actors.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [11]
Topics on the Beat:
Planning & Growth [22]
Water & Oceans [23]
Government [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Feb. 16 Briefing Helps Prep for Release of New US Ocean Policy [21]
100s of New Federal Datasets Released, Many Environmental [24]

Environmental reporters who use databases to find and build stories have a fresh windfall, including three new datasets from EPA, plus many others relevant to the EJ beat.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [11]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about 100s of New Federal Datasets Released, Many Environmental [24]
Feds Ready To Designate Bald Eagles As "Recovered" [25]

After intense recovery efforts resulting in an increase from ~400 nesting pairs in 1963 to the current count of >7,000, the bald eagle may soon be removed from the USFWS list of endangered and threatened species, with monitoring ongoing for at least five more years.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [11]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [26]
Government [5]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Feds Ready To Designate Bald Eagles As "Recovered" [25]

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