Publication Items

Prying Open the Statehouse Doors [1]

Reporting on environmental stories often leads to the state legislature, where key material can be frustratingly hard to access. Whether that’s because the state is deliberately hiding information, has poor systems for sharing it or isn’t even tracking it, there are ways to get what you need. Four seasoned environment reporters offer tips, tricks and commiseration.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [3]
Economy & Business [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Government [6]
Infrastructure [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [10]
Policy [11]
Water & Oceans [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
California [14]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [15]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [16]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
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Disabilities and Disasters — What Questions Should You Be Asking Planners? [19]

As hurricane season ramps up, how are the disaster planners considering those with disabilities in your community? Texas-based journalist Greg Harman shares the story of one group that sued their city over claims it failed to properly prepare. And he extracts some rules of thumb to help determine if emergency planners are taking those with disabilities into consideration where you are.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [20]
Climate Change [21]
Disasters [22]
Diversity [23]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Justice [25]
Environmental Politics [26]
Government [6]
Health [27]
Infrastructure [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
People & Population [28]
Policy [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [16]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Disabilities and Disasters — What Questions Should You Be Asking Planners? [19]
Storm Warning — How To Prepare for Weather Disaster Reporting [29]

Major storms hit hard and fast. Successful on-the-ground coverage requires advance prep and consideration of how to deal with challenges. Seasoned reporter Emily Foxhall has learned a lot from Hurricane Harvey and other disasters — sometimes the hard way. She shares tips for planning, packing and getting colleagues back home to help with logistics, plus some reminders about self-care.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [21]
Disasters [22]
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Storm Warning — How To Prepare for Weather Disaster Reporting [29]
Missouri, Florida Journalism Professors Join Classes on Multistate Fertilizer Investigation [31]

What brought together two teams of student reporters, half a dozen states and 1,000 miles apart? For one, the high environmental cost of chemical fertilizer. For another, a pair of dedicated journalism teachers. Cynthia Barnett and Sara Shipley Hiles share how they took the project from daydream to reality, brought students into the field and got pickup from numerous news outlets, in the latest EJ Academy.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ Academy [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [33]
Chemicals [34]
Economy & Business [4]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Justice [25]
Environmental Studies [35]
Fish & Fisheries [36]
Food [37]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [38]
Water & Oceans [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [39]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Missouri, Florida Journalism Professors Join Classes on Multistate Fertilizer Investigation [31]
The Spread of Harmful Algal Blooms Makes News in Multitude of Locales [40]

As algal blooms (think “red tides” or “dead zones”) grow larger and more frequent, they are emerging not just on the coasts and major estuaries, but in inland lakes and streams. And they cause all kinds of harm, to humans and to the environment. The latest TipSheet has details on how to cover the problem locally, including story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [41]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [33]
Climate Change [21]
Environmental Health [24]
Fish & Fisheries [36]
Health [27]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [38]
Water & Oceans [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [39]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
International [42]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about The Spread of Harmful Algal Blooms Makes News in Multitude of Locales [40]
Watching the Watchers: How Journalistic Teamwork Uncovered Years of Regulatory Failure in Texas [43]

After a massive fire at a Texas petrochemical storage facility, reporters from Public Health Watch and The Texas Tribune worked together to shed light on who was responsible for this disaster and what health threats had been hidden from the public. This behind-the-scenes report from Public Health Watch’s David Leffler and Savanna Strott looks at the challenges the team faced and how they overcame them.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [3]
Chemicals [34]
Disasters [22]
Economy & Business [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Justice [25]
Environmental Politics [26]
Government [6]
Health [27]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Pollution [38]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Watching the Watchers: How Journalistic Teamwork Uncovered Years of Regulatory Failure in Texas [43]
From TV Meteorologists, More Straight Talk About Climate Change [44]

Reporters covering floods, fires and other weather-driven disasters sometimes hesitate to link these extreme events to climate change. But TV meteorologists increasingly see an opportunity — and a responsibility — to help local audiences better understand the connections. Their unique relationship with viewers makes it easier to get past partisan divisions, while innovative tools are providing new ways to communicate information.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [21]
Disasters [22]
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
California [14]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about From TV Meteorologists, More Straight Talk About Climate Change [44]
When Extreme Weather Amplifies Hazardous Waste Threats [45]

Toxic waste is bad enough when it’s in one spot. But it can be even more dangerous when it is made mobile by climate-induced natural disasters. The latest TipSheet looks at just a few of the problems that can arise — or have already arisen. Plus, story ideas and reporting resources to cover this issue in your locale.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [41]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [3]
Chemicals [34]
Climate Change [21]
Disasters [22]
Environmental Health [24]
Health [27]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [28]
Pollution [38]
Waste [46]
Water & Oceans [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about When Extreme Weather Amplifies Hazardous Waste Threats [45]
What Will It Take for Geothermal To Heat Up the Renewable Energy Sector? [47]

Geothermal has long been hyped as the next big thing in renewable energy, but its breakthrough moment hasn’t happened yet. Barriers to expansion include the elusiveness of sites offering the magic trio of heat, water and permeability and concern for unique ecosystems. Contributor Jessica McKenzie on geothermal energy’s possibilities and challenges and the government funding that may finally fire it up.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [48]
Climate Change [21]
Economy & Business [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Government [6]
Natural Resources [10]
Science [49]
Technology [50]
Wildlife [51]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
California [14]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [52]
Northwest (OR WA) [53]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
International [42]
Australia & Oceania [54]
Europe [55]
Middle East [56]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about What Will It Take for Geothermal To Heat Up the Renewable Energy Sector? [47]
Will Thousands of Orphan Wells Be Safely Plugged? [57]

Abandoned oil and gas wells are found in significant numbers in some 27 states. Reporters who want to track their status can dig into several databases, but will need to support their data crunching with lots of shoe-leather and ground-truth reporting. Reporter’s Toolbox has insights into what the databases offer. Plus, a primer on API numbers.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [58]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [3]
Climate Change [21]
Economy & Business [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Politics [26]
Government [6]
Health [27]
Infrastructure [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [10]
Policy [11]
Pollution [38]
Technology [50]
Water & Oceans [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [59]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
International [42]
Canada [60]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Will Thousands of Orphan Wells Be Safely Plugged? [57]

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