Publication Items

Lejeune Secrecy May Have Caused Dead Marines [1]

CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has been investigating a Navy cover-up of cancer-causing drinking water at its Lejeune, NC, base. Now, Project on Government Oversight has released a January 5, 2012, letter from Marine Major General J.A. Kessler asking ATSDR to redact its report in the name of "force protection."
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Pollution [3]
People & Population [4]
Military [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Disasters [7]
Chemicals [8]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Lejeune Secrecy May Have Caused Dead Marines [1]
Feds Try To Nudge 100 "Great Outdoors" Projects Toward Completion [11]

The chosen include 24 improving recreational access to rivers and waterways; 23 to construct new trails or improve recreation sites; 20 to create and enhance urban parks; 13 to conserve significant landscapes; and 11 to establish new national wildlife refuges; national park units, etc.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Planning & Growth [13]
People & Population [4]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Feds Try To Nudge 100 "Great Outdoors" Projects Toward Completion [11]
2010 Bicycle Commuting Stats Available for 375 U.S. Cities [14]

Commuters who travel to work via bicycle put a dent in petroleum consumption and air pollution, and likely have a leg up on not becoming part of the obesity epidemic. Davis, CA, residents are at the head of the pack of the 375 largest US cities surveyed, with 22.1% of the city's residents commuting by bike, according to US Census Bureau statistics compiled by the League of American Bicyclists.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Transportation [15]
People & Population [4]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about 2010 Bicycle Commuting Stats Available for 375 U.S. Cities [14]
Many Are Claiming Health Problems Caused by Smart Meters [16]

Numerous allegations of health damage from people in the US and around the globe, the common threads in the descriptions of health damage (often appearing to involve the neurological, immune, and/or endocrine systems), and the evidence from thousands of published studies that address a wide range of electrical, magnetic field, and radio-frequency impacts suggest this could be a major public health issue that warrants coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [17]
Health [18]
People & Population [4]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Many Are Claiming Health Problems Caused by Smart Meters [16]
Groups Recommend Measures for "Environmental Right-to-Know" [19]

More access was urged for records on oil and gas leasing, government-issued permits and leases related to metal mining, grazing livestock on public lands, harvesting ocean fish, operating chemical plants, drilling for oil, logging, building roads or strip malls, coal mining, filling wetlands, and more.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
People & Population [4]
Environmental Health [20]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Groups Recommend Measures for "Environmental Right-to-Know" [19]
Try, Try Again: Whistleblower Protection Bill Reintroduced [21]

Last year, legislation to put new teeth in federal whistleblower protections failed when a single senator put a secret hold on it late in the session. The good news is Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) has introduced the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2011 to restart the legislative effort.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
People & Population [4]
Government [22]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Try, Try Again: Whistleblower Protection Bill Reintroduced [21]
50 Communities Win Fed Money To Tackle Climate Change [23]

Last year's grant winners have efforts under way, so reporting can focus on progress that is being made, or not. Reporting on the new winners, announced in mid-April 2011, can inform the community about what is in the works, who is in charge, and what future benchmarks can be used to see if the money is being well spent.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
People & Population [4]
Climate Change [24]
Planning & Growth [13]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about 50 Communities Win Fed Money To Tackle Climate Change [23]
"Japan Meltdown: Could It Happen Here?" [25]

The aging fleet of US nuclear power reactors have some technological similarities to the reactors failing in Japan. Could similar loss-of-cooling events happen at some US reactors — whether caused by earthquake, tsunami, terrorist attack, electrical outage, flooding, equipment failure, or some other problem?
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
People & Population [4]
Energy & Fuel [17]
Disasters [7]
Region:
Asia [26]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about "Japan Meltdown: Could It Happen Here?" [25]
Feds Unveil New Rural Atlas [27]

USDA's atlas provides data, at the county level, on scores of agricultural, demographic, and economic topics. Or on the national map, pick any given category and get an initial feel for national patterns, then click on individual counties for more detail. All data can be downloaded so you can work with it any way you want, and maps can be downloaded for your use.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
People & Population [4]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Feds Unveil New Rural Atlas [27]
Meetings Set for Getting Public Feedback on Solar Sites [28]

The federal government has released its draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for identifying and evaluating the best areas on public lands for building utility-scale solar plants. A 90-day public comment period ends March 17, 2011, preceded by 14 meetings in 6 Western states and Washington, D.C.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
People & Population [4]
Energy & Fuel [17]
Region:
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [29]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [30]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [31]
California [32]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Meetings Set for Getting Public Feedback on Solar Sites [28]

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