Publication Items

Often Misunderstood Estuaries Underpin Environment’s Health [1]

The estuaries that proliferate across the United States can be hard to define — and protect. But their role in a healthy environment makes them a crucial focus of good reporting. The latest Issue Backgrounder explores their importance, the many challenges they face, and how to track the agencies and programs meant to protect them.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Biodiversity [4]
Economy & Business [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Fish & Fisheries [8]
Government [9]
Laws & Regulations [10]
Natural Resources [11]
People & Population [12]
Planning & Growth [13]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [17]
Region:
National (U.S.) [18]
Alaska and Hawaii [19]
California [20]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [21]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [22]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
Northwest (OR WA) [24]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
International [27]
Mexico [28]
Visibility:
Public [29]
- Read more about Often Misunderstood Estuaries Underpin Environment’s Health [1]
Tracking Troubled Waters with ‘Endangered Rivers’ List [30]

A running list of endangered rivers becomes an annual starting point for strong local coverage of critical water issues. This week’s TipSheet spotlights the latest additions to an inventory of trouble spots around the United States, plus key angles and issues for coverage, and a selection of top resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [31]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [32]
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [33]
Consumer [34]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [35]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Fish & Fisheries [8]
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [36]
Laws & Regulations [10]
Natural Resources [11]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [17]
Region:
National (U.S.) [18]
Alaska and Hawaii [19]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [21]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [37]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [38]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Visibility:
Public [29]
- Read more about Tracking Troubled Waters with ‘Endangered Rivers’ List [30]
Are Combined Sewer Overflows Causing Pollution in Your Local Waters? [39]

Decades after the nation’s capital began its historic cleanup, sanitary sewage still occasionally swamps the Potomac River. Are sewage systems also dumping human waste and other pollutants into waterways near you? This week’s TipSheet has the background on the problem of combined sewage overflow, as well as resources for finding out what’s happening near you.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [31]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [6]
Health [40]
Journalism & Media [36]
Planning & Growth [13]
Pollution [15]
Waste [41]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [18]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [21]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [22]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Visibility:
Public [29]
- Read more about Are Combined Sewer Overflows Causing Pollution in Your Local Waters? [39]
EPA Mapping App Helps Find, Deepen Environmental Justice Stories [42]

As new research reminds us that pollution often disproportionately affects poor and minority communities in the United States, a long-standing mapping tool from the EPA can help reporters explore and discover those environmental justice stories nearest them. The latest TipSheet explains the problem, and walks you through the mapping app.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [31]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [32]
Air [43]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Environmental Studies [44]
Government [9]
Health [40]
Journalism & Media [36]
People & Population [12]
Pollution [15]
Technology [45]
Region:
National (U.S.) [18]
California [20]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [21]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [22]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [38]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Visibility:
Public [29]
- Read more about EPA Mapping App Helps Find, Deepen Environmental Justice Stories [42]
“The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea” [46]

A new book on the Gulf of Mexico earns kudos for the balance and passion of its tone, as well as for its historical storytelling about this important ecosystem and the overfishing, oil spills, hurricanes, explosive growth and poor land-use decisions it faces. BookShelf reviews Jack Davis’ “The Gulf.”

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [47]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [4]
Disasters [48]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [35]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Fish & Fisheries [8]
Natural Resources [11]
People & Population [12]
Planning & Growth [13]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Mexico [28]
Central America & the Caribbean [49]
Visibility:
Public [29]
- Read more about “The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea” [46]
After Trump Tariff, Local and Regional Stories Abound on Solar [50]

New White House tariffs on solar imports may put the brakes on the solar installation boom in the United States. That means numerous local and regional stories are waiting to be told. This week's TipSheet has plenty of ideas for coverage, plus resources to track solar activity in your locale.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [31]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [34]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [35]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [36]
Laws & Regulations [10]
Technology [45]
Region:
National (U.S.) [18]
Alaska and Hawaii [19]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [21]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [38]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Asia [51]
Visibility:
Public [29]
- Read more about After Trump Tariff, Local and Regional Stories Abound on Solar [50]
Charting the Year Ahead in Environment, Energy News [52]

This is a decisive time on the energy and environment front, with challenges and confrontation expected over the consummation of the Trump deregulatory agenda. Our second annual issues guide provides a roadmap for covering the big stories. The guide's formal launch took place at an SEJ event in Washington, D.C. [53] on January 26. If you missed it, the webcast is archived here [54].

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [43]
Chemicals [33]
Climate Change [55]
Disasters [48]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [35]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Forests [56]
Government [9]
Health [40]
Journalism & Media [36]
Laws & Regulations [10]
Natural Resources [11]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Science [57]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [18]
Alaska and Hawaii [19]
California [20]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [22]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [38]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
Northwest (OR WA) [24]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Central America & the Caribbean [49]
Visibility:
Public [29]
- Read more about Charting the Year Ahead in Environment, Energy News [52]
For 2018, Predicting Extreme Weather Disasters Not As Hard As You Think [58]

Floods, hurricanes, wildfires and other human-caused disasters made 2017 a hard year to beat. But environmental journalists would do well to be prepared for 2018. This week's TipSheet explains why predicting weather-related disasters may not be as hard you think, and provides resources to get reporters ready.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [31]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [55]
Disasters [48]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [9]
Laws & Regulations [10]
People & Population [12]
Planning & Growth [13]
Policy [14]
Science [57]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [18]
California [20]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Central America & the Caribbean [49]
Visibility:
Public [29]
- Read more about For 2018, Predicting Extreme Weather Disasters Not As Hard As You Think [58]
2018 Elections Could Be Game-Changer for Environment, Energy [59]

The 2018 elections may prove highly consequential for environment and energy policy, possibly slowing or even reversing the Trump-GOP deregulatory agenda. The latest Issue Backgrounder helps reporters frame the choices voters face, including environmental justice and offshore drilling.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [33]
Climate Change [55]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [35]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [9]
People & Population [12]
Policy [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [18]
Alaska and Hawaii [19]
California [20]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [21]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [22]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [38]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
Northwest (OR WA) [24]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Visibility:
Public [29]
- Read more about 2018 Elections Could Be Game-Changer for Environment, Energy [59]
Court Cases with Trump Agencies Will Make News in 2018 [60]

The battle over environment and energy issues may ultimately come down to U.S. courts, where, unlike Congress and White House, the GOP doesn't hold sway ... yet. This week's TipSheet looks at a dozen major legal issues making news in 2018, like wetlands protection, and offers story ideas and resources to cover them.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [31]
Topics on the Beat:
Technology [45]
Transportation [61]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [17]
Region:
National (U.S.) [18]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [21]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [37]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [38]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
Northwest (OR WA) [24]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Visibility:
Public [29]
- Read more about Court Cases with Trump Agencies Will Make News in 2018 [60]

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