Publication Items

BLM Tweaks Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Policies [1]

The changes affect only new drilling areas and may include greater consideration of environmental impacts, more public review, fewer "categorical exclusions" from environmental review, and more.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Disasters [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Government [6]
Policy [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [9]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [10]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about BLM Tweaks Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Policies [1]
EPA's Hush-Hush Ground Rules Rile Reporters [13]

The EPA press office continues to ask reporters not to name top EPA officials who participate in news teleconferences and brief journalists. The latest incident, remarked on by InvestigateWest's Robert McClure, was a May 4 briefing on EPA's proposed delay in issuing its coal-ash rule.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [6]
Policy [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about EPA's Hush-Hush Ground Rules Rile Reporters [13]
NOAA Is Soliciting Public Comment on Aquaculture Policy [15]

Six public listening sessions in April and May will provide input for the agency's draft national policy on marine aquaculture products.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Fish & Fisheries [16]
Water & Oceans [17]
Government [6]
Policy [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about NOAA Is Soliciting Public Comment on Aquaculture Policy [15]
1 in 7 Wildlife Refuges Has Genetically Engineered Crops [18]

Three organizations file a lawsuit against the USFWS, a new study finds three strains of GE maize likely damaged organs of rats that ate the foods for just three months, pesticide use associated with GE crops may actually be greater than for traditional crops, and GE seed prices skyrocket.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [19]
Natural Resources [20]
Biodiversity [21]
Policy [7]
Technology [22]
Wildlife [23]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about 1 in 7 Wildlife Refuges Has Genetically Engineered Crops [18]
White House May Urge Greater NEPA Transparency [24]

New NEPA policies proposed in February by the Council on Environmental Quality cover climate impacts; findings of no impact and requirements for monitoring; categorical exclusions; and better tools for reporting to the public on NEPA activities.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [25]
Laws & Regulations [26]
Government [6]
Policy [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about White House May Urge Greater NEPA Transparency [24]
Catch Share: Fisheries Management Policy Controversy Heats Up [27]

NOAA's proposal to apply quotas to individual fishing operations, rather than across an entire fishery, lands support from environmental groups, draws opposition from many US fishing operations.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Fish & Fisheries [16]
Policy [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Catch Share: Fisheries Management Policy Controversy Heats Up [27]
Natural Gas Case Sparks Change in Air Pollution Assessments [28]

Dogging the resulting developments of a new EPA policy could lead to many stories that focus on both the specific cases and the underlying principle of cumulative assessments of pollutants.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [29]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Government [6]
Policy [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [10]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Natural Gas Case Sparks Change in Air Pollution Assessments [28]
Health Care Journalists Seek End to Press Office Restrictions at FDA [30]

The Association of Health Care Journalists and other journalism groups have co-signed a letter to the Food and Drug Administration's Transparency Task Force, calling for FDA to "end these harmful practices and restore the free flow of information."
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Health [31]
Policy [7]
Journalism & Media [32]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Health Care Journalists Seek End to Press Office Restrictions at FDA [30]
Government Clinical Trials Database Is Missing Data [33]

The Sunlight Foundation's Real Time Investigations blog explains the problems with a registry containing information on more than 78,000 clinical trials.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Health [31]
Government [6]
Policy [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Government Clinical Trials Database Is Missing Data [33]
EPA's Jackson Calls for More Transparency on Water Quality, Enforcement [34]

Jackson ordered staff to make existing information more accessible and understandable to the public, including posting on the Web state performance reports under the Clean Water Act.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [17]
Government [6]
Policy [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about EPA's Jackson Calls for More Transparency on Water Quality, Enforcement [34]

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