Publication Items

Farm Bill Stuck in the Mud? [1]

The Farm Bill — omnibus legislation that affects the food supply of millions of Americans, as well as their air, water and soil — is bogged down in hyperpartisan division. But as Backgrounder outlines, environmental journalists would be wise to track how Congress ultimately uses it to address matters like land and water conservation, rural water supply and pollution, pesticides and more.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Food [10]
Government [11]
Laws & Regulations [12]
People & Population [13]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Farm Bill Stuck in the Mud? [1]
Unpacking Puerto Rico’s Water Crisis [19]

Puerto Rico is suffering from months of water rationing. But for journalists to fully cover this many-layered water story requires a real understanding of how the U.S. territory's politics and history have brought it to this crossroads, argues columnist Yessenia Funes. That, plus a capacity to listen to affected communities, report on solutions and consider partnerships with local journalists.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Justice [21]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [11]
Health [22]
Infrastructure [23]
Journalism & Media [24]
Natural Resources [25]
People & Population [13]
Policy [14]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Unpacking Puerto Rico’s Water Crisis [19]
EDGI Spares Soon-Hidden Climate Data [26]

As the Trump EPA prepares to erase critical emissions data gathered for the U.S. greenhouse gas reporting program — abandoned along with international climate change obligations — a group of researchers has made it their business to safeguard the data. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox outlines the preserved dataset and what it can tell journalists about the state of U.S. emissions.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [28]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Politics [9]
Environmental Studies [29]
Government [11]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about EDGI Spares Soon-Hidden Climate Data [26]
‘Trade Secrets’ Keep Journalists, Public in the Dark [30]

So-called confidential business information is a major obstacle to the dissemination of knowledge about environmental threats for the public, cautions WatchDog Opinion. Part of the problem is how federal agencies treat requests for confidentiality, and so is the way environmental laws handle the issue. A look at the worst offenders, and a call for journalists to break through the veil of secrecy.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [31]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Economy & Business [7]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [11]
Health [22]
Journalism & Media [24]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Policy [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about ‘Trade Secrets’ Keep Journalists, Public in the Dark [30]
Taming the Freight Beast [32]

The U.S. freight system delivers significant environmental impacts nationwide, especially in states that host major rail-and-road hubs and seaports. Meanwhile, new federal laws and policies are making it harder to curtail pollution generated by freight trucks, trains and warehouses. Journalist John Lippert looks at how the public, private and nonprofit sectors are rising to this challenge.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [33]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [28]
Air [34]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [35]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [21]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [11]
Health [22]
Infrastructure [23]
Journalism & Media [24]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Technology [36]
Transportation [37]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
California [38]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [39]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Taming the Freight Beast [32]
Reporters Uncover a State Parks Scandal in Florida [40]

Emailed documents and an anonymous memo set two Tampa Bay Times reporters to investigating government development plans for sensitive state lands. Max Chesnes and Emily L. Mahoney followed the fast-moving story for more than a year, approaching it as a drumbeat of scoops. Ultimately, the government reversed course. Read about this award-winning series in the latest Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [41]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [28]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [11]
Journalism & Media [24]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [42]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Reporters Uncover a State Parks Scandal in Florida [40]
Climate Data Site Spiked, Resurrected by Ex-NOAA Employees [43]

An effort by the Trump administration to tank a highly useful data source on climate change trends has met impressive resistance — in the form of a group of fired NOAA staffers who have rebuilt the climate.gov website stripped by the federal government. And as the latest Toolbox notes, it’s a great resource. Reacquaint yourself with it.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [28]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Politics [9]
Environmental Studies [29]
Government [11]
Science [44]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [45]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Climate Data Site Spiked, Resurrected by Ex-NOAA Employees [43]
Gas Prices Still Fuel Local Environmental Stories [46]

The spike in prices at the pump in recent months, thanks largely to the U.S.’s war with Iran, offers energy and environment reporters numerous local reporting angles, writes the latest TipSheet. A quick perspective and backstory, then more than a dozen story ideas to pursue, smart questions to ask and useful reporting resources to tap.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [47]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [6]
Energy & Fuel [35]
Environmental Politics [9]
Journalism & Media [24]
Natural Resources [25]
Policy [14]
Transportation [37]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Gas Prices Still Fuel Local Environmental Stories [46]
Why the Loss of Voting Rights Is a Climate Crisis [48]

When the Supreme Court further hollowed out the Voting Rights Act this spring, it augured a historic loss of civic power for Black communities. And with that comes a further blow — to progress on the environment. For as Voices of Environmental Justice columnist Yessenia Funes explains, key to climate policy are Black voters, and the Black legislators they bring into office.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [28]
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [49]
Environmental Justice [21]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [11]
Journalism & Media [24]
Laws & Regulations [12]
People & Population [13]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [42]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [50]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Why the Loss of Voting Rights Is a Climate Crisis [48]
Great Lakes Steelmaking at a Crossroads [51]

The Great Lakes region is a top steel producer, but its coal-fired steel mills are also a major source of planet-warming emissions and health-harming pollution. Climate advocates, community members and workers have been pushing to clean up these facilities for decades. Now, foreign funding offers new hope for revitalizing and decarbonizing the region’s steel industry. Canary Media’s Maria Gallucci explains.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [33]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [28]
Air [34]
Climate Change [5]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [35]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [11]
Health [22]
Natural Resources [25]
Pollution [15]
Technology [36]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [39]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [42]
International [45]
Asia [52]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Great Lakes Steelmaking at a Crossroads [51]

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