Publication Items

Key National Dam Database Gets Major Upgrade [1]

Tens of thousands of dams around the United States provide important functions — but also represent critical environment or public safety risks. Now, one central resource to help environmental journalists cover these structures has been improved in important ways. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox walks you through the main changes to the National Inventory of Dams, and points out some lingering weaknesses.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Fish & Fisheries [3]
Infrastructure [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Natural Resources [6]
Policy [7]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Key National Dam Database Gets Major Upgrade [1]
Lead Pipes To Make News on the Environment Beat in 2022 [11]

A crisis of lead in drinking water affects thousands of U.S. communities, but 2022 will bring new focus to the problem as new Biden administration plans play out following passage of a $15 billion fund to replace lead service lines. TipSheet outlines the problem and the impact of a regulation carried over from the Trump era. Plus, seven reporting approaches to local and state-level stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [13]
Environmental Justice [14]
Environmental Politics [15]
Environmental Studies [16]
Government [17]
Health [18]
Infrastructure [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Policy [7]
Pollution [20]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Lead Pipes To Make News on the Environment Beat in 2022 [11]
Biden Administration To Struggle With Environmental Justice in 2022 [21]

The history of environmental racism is a long one in the United States, far longer than the efforts to address the problem. But reporting on environmental justice continues to tick upwards, and an analysis in the latest Backgrounder points to promising progress, explaining why for journalists the year ahead may yield important stories, whether about future footholds or new missteps.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [22]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [23]
Air [24]
Climate Change [25]
Diversity [26]
Environmental Justice [14]
Environmental Politics [15]
Government [17]
Health [18]
Infrastructure [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [19]
People & Population [27]
Planning & Growth [28]
Policy [7]
Pollution [20]
Waste [29]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [30]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [31]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [32]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [33]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [34]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [35]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Biden Administration To Struggle With Environmental Justice in 2022 [21]
Congressional Infrastructure Bill Loaded With Local Stories [36]

The massive infrastructure measure signed into law last week is a potential mother lode of stories for environmental journalists. If that is, they can figure out where the money is going. The latest TipSheet takes an initial look at the $1.2 trillion plan and offers guidance on how to track down reportable local and regional projects.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [37]
Climate Change [25]
Disasters [38]
Economy & Business [39]
Energy & Fuel [40]
Environmental Politics [15]
Government [17]
Infrastructure [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Policy [7]
Transportation [41]
Water & Oceans [8]
Wildlife [42]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Congressional Infrastructure Bill Loaded With Local Stories [36]
Science Integrity Is About More Than Getting EPA Interviews [43]

Freedom of access to government scientists is just one narrow facet in a worsening crisis in scientific integrity at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The new WatchDog Opinion argues that whether it’s about self-interested industry lobbying over climate change or the regulation of chemicals, there’s an assault on science itself — and the news media has a role to play.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [37]
Climate Change [25]
Economy & Business [39]
Environmental Politics [15]
Government [17]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Policy [7]
Science [45]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Science Integrity Is About More Than Getting EPA Interviews [43]
EPA’s PFAS Plan Likely To Generate News, If Not Fixes, in 2022 [46]

A government plan to address a class of so-called “forever chemicals,” widespread in the environment and implicated in human health effects, will pick up speed in 2022. But whether the effort will solve problems around PFAS remains to be seen. The latest TipSheet outlines the challenge, the EPA plan and smart ways to cover the story in your area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [37]
Consumer [13]
Government [17]
Health [18]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Policy [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about EPA’s PFAS Plan Likely To Generate News, If Not Fixes, in 2022 [46]
U.N. Summit Lays the Table for Environmental Reporting on Food Systems [47]

After an 18-month buildup, a one-day U.N. Food Systems Summit earlier this fall generated hundreds of commitments to end global hunger and a dizzying array of alliances dedicated to the cause. Despite controversies surrounding the summit, this groundbreaking event highlighted opportunities for reporting on food and food systems. Award-winning agriculture journalist Chris Clayton shares his insights.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [48]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [23]
Agriculture [49]
Biodiversity [50]
Chemicals [37]
Climate Change [25]
Consumer [13]
Disasters [38]
Economy & Business [39]
Energy & Fuel [40]
Environmental Health [51]
Environmental Justice [14]
Environmental Politics [15]
Food [52]
Government [17]
Health [18]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Natural Resources [6]
People & Population [27]
Planning & Growth [28]
Policy [7]
Pollution [20]
Science [45]
Technology [53]
Waste [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
California [54]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [31]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [35]
International [55]
Canada [56]
Africa [57]
Europe [58]
Middle East [59]
South America [60]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about U.N. Summit Lays the Table for Environmental Reporting on Food Systems [47]
EPA Data Moves Toward Openness — Again [61]

Public data around environmental issues has been a thing at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for decades, ... except when it hasn’t. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox looks at how data transparency is back in fashion under the Biden EPA, and the many ways that environmental journalists can build on available datasets for their coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [15]
Government [17]
Journalism & Media [5]
Policy [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about EPA Data Moves Toward Openness — Again [61]
Climate Change at Core of Beat Reporters’ Award-Winning Coverage [62]

Beat reporters Hal Bernton and Mark Kaufman both found the dramatic changes wrought by climate change to be at the center of their coverage — as their work was elevated to prize-winning heights. Bernton, covering climate impacts in northwestern Alaska at a large newspaper, and Kaufman, covering CO2 globally for a digital platform, talk about the lessons of their recent beat coverage with SEJournal’s Inside Story.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [63]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [25]
Energy & Fuel [40]
Environmental Health [51]
Fish & Fisheries [3]
Journalism & Media [5]
Natural Resources [6]
Policy [7]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Alaska and Hawaii [64]
International [55]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Climate Change at Core of Beat Reporters’ Award-Winning Coverage [62]
Will 2022 See the Start of Formal Negotiations Toward a Global Plastics Treaty? [65]

Plastic waste, already the subject of preliminary international talks, could be increasingly targeted after UN meetings in early 2022. Meanwhile, this ubiquitous product is polluting land, ocean and air in its various forms, as well as through little-understood microplastic particles. The latest TipSheet has the backstory on efforts to forge an international plastics treaty, as well as ideas for how to cover plastic pollution locally.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [23]
Air [24]
Chemicals [37]
Climate Change [25]
Consumer [13]
Economy & Business [39]
Environmental Health [51]
Environmental Politics [15]
Fish & Fisheries [3]
Food [52]
Government [17]
Health [18]
Journalism & Media [5]
Policy [7]
Pollution [20]
Waste [29]
Water & Oceans [8]
Wildlife [42]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [55]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Will 2022 See the Start of Formal Negotiations Toward a Global Plastics Treaty? [65]

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