Publication Items

Chief Tidwell Directs Forest Service: No Permits, Fees for Journos [1]

"News coverage on [National Forest System] lands is protected by the Constitution," wrote U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas L. Tidwell in a November 4, 2014, memo to agency leaders, "and it is our responsibility to safeguard this right on the lands we manage for all Americans. Journalists provide a critical public service, and this agency will ensure their access in the pursuit of that public service."
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Forests [3]
Journalism & Media [4]
Laws & Regulations [5]
Natural Resources [6]
Policy [7]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Chief Tidwell Directs Forest Service: No Permits, Fees for Journos [1]
Living in Harm’s Way: Louisiana’s Struggle Between Land and Sea [9]

After Katrina, Louisiana may have hit the national spotlight for a time, but coastal communities elsewhere around the country will have to find their own answers to the question “Why does anyone still live there in harm’s way?” — even as more and more people move toward the coast and the water moves ever closer to them.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [10]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [11]
Economy & Business [12]
Environmental Health [13]
Fish & Fisheries [14]
People & Population [15]
Planning & Growth [16]
Water & Oceans [17]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Living in Harm’s Way: Louisiana’s Struggle Between Land and Sea [9]
Realities of Coastal Living Often Forgotten, Until the Worst Hits [19]

In the effort to help all coastal communities face with the realities that the Gulf of Mexico is their neighbor and sea level rise is inching up relentlessly, lessons can be learned from Louisiana as it works to adapt and to mitigate flood risk.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [10]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [11]
People & Population [15]
Planning & Growth [16]
Water & Oceans [17]
Region:
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Realities of Coastal Living Often Forgotten, Until the Worst Hits [19]
Why Doesn't Congress Want You To Read These Reports? [20]

For decades, Congress has refused to release taxpayer-funded reports by the Congressional Research Service. Fortunately, the Federation of American Scientists' Government Secrecy Project gets them and releases them. Here are some new explainers that may be of use to environmental journalists.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [21]
Air [22]
Climate Change [23]
Energy & Fuel [24]
Natural Resources [6]
Pollution [25]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Why Doesn't Congress Want You To Read These Reports? [20]
Getting Past Park Service PIO Harder Than 13-Mile Hike [26]

It's true — some public information officers are really paranoid. High Country News reporter Tristan Baurick, trying to report on preservation of a historic chalet in Olympic National Park, found "a bizarre blockade on press freedom, the likes of which I’d never experienced outside a military base or murder scene."

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [27]
Laws & Regulations [5]
Natural Resources [6]
Transportation [28]
Region:
Northwest (OR WA) [29]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Getting Past Park Service PIO Harder Than 13-Mile Hike [26]
Interior IG Releases Few Investigative Reports [30]

Of the 457 investigations closed by the Interior Department's Inspector General's office last year, the office released public reports on only three. Not only were many of the reports withheld or redacted, but even the list of investigations was redacted before it was released.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [27]
Government [31]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Interior IG Releases Few Investigative Reports [30]
Toxics: Find Kids at Risk in Your Congressional District [32]

The Center for Effective Government has compiled an interactive mapping database of some of the most dangerous chemical facilities in the U.S., showing their proximity to schools. The group also mapped which Congressional districts contain the most schoolkids at risk.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [33]
Disasters [11]
People & Population [15]
Technology [34]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Toxics: Find Kids at Risk in Your Congressional District [32]
Chemical Accident Data Won't Be Bottled Up [35]

While the idea that government neglect and public ignorance are the right approach to chemical safety and security has lost some credence, information on chemical accidents is still hard to come by. Here are tips as well as news about the National Response Center's database of oil and chemical spills.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [33]
Disasters [11]
Energy & Fuel [24]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Chemical Accident Data Won't Be Bottled Up [35]
Will Fracking Disclosure Decisions Put Profits Above Health? [36]

Federal agencies are still grinding forward on decisions about disclosure of often-toxic ingredients pumped into the ground during "fracking" to produce gas and oil. Significant decisions may come eventually from the Interior Department, the EPA, and the Obama White House. But don't bet on any courageous decisions until after the November election.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [33]
Economy & Business [12]
Energy & Fuel [24]
Health [37]
Pollution [25]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Will Fracking Disclosure Decisions Put Profits Above Health? [36]
Lame-Duck Congress Could Pass Freedom-of-Information Bill [38]

The coming lame-duck session is the last opportunity for Congress to enact a bipartisan bill that would make modest improvements in the Freedom of Information Act. Will transparency trump gridlock when Congress returns after the November 4, 2014, midterm elections? That remains to be seen.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [31]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Lame-Duck Congress Could Pass Freedom-of-Information Bill [38]

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