Publication Items

Are Fed Energy Grants to Farmers Pork, Or Money Well Spent? [1]

The US Dept. of Agriculture will award more than 900 grants worth a total of about $11.6 million to individuals and companies around the country for projects such as installing photovoltaic solar panels for a barn, improving energy efficiency of greenhouses, and installing a geothermal system for an agricultural building.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [3]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Are Fed Energy Grants to Farmers Pork, Or Money Well Spent? [1]
Feds Provide Conservation Funds, But Won't Disclose Recipients [6]

USDA spokeswoman Isabel Benemelis declined to release the names or locations of the landowners who are likely to be participating in two new SAFE (State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement) efforts, saying journalists have to make such requests via FOIA.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Natural Resources [7]
Government [8]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Feds Provide Conservation Funds, But Won't Disclose Recipients [6]
Special Edition: Natural Disasters Toolbox [9]

When covering each type of natural disaster, you'll need to dig into a wide range of human, weather/climate, and geography issues to describe accurately to your audience what the trends are, how prevention and emergency responses might be improved, etc. Here are resources for hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, heat waves, drought, blizzards, and more.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [10]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Special Edition: Natural Disasters Toolbox [9]
New Data Site Maps "Dirty Energy Money" [11]

Oil Change International invites you to look up campaign donations from energy companies to members of Congress with data sourced from the Center for Responsive Politics and the Federal Elections Commission.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [8]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Economy & Business [13]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about New Data Site Maps "Dirty Energy Money" [11]
EPA Begins Collecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data [14]

The system, proposed during the first months of the Obama administration, was delayed when it faced heavy opposition from industry groups and Republicans. In response, EPA reduced the number of businesses that need to report their emissions.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Pollution [15]
Climate Change [16]
Air [17]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about EPA Begins Collecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data [14]
NASA Takes a Pass on Scientific Integrity Policy Improvement [18]

An Aug. 5, 2011, NASA memo says the agency's existing policies are so good they don't need improving — yet the policies do not offer any clear guarantee that reporters can talk to NASA scientists without permission and supervision from the public affairs office.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Science [19]
Policy [20]
Government [8]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about NASA Takes a Pass on Scientific Integrity Policy Improvement [18]
SEJ Comments On NOAA Science Policy; Seeks More Openness [21]

In formal comments, SEJ stated that the section of NOAA guidance policy requiring advance public affairs approval of media interviews — and minders sitting in on those interviews — thwarts open communication between scientists and reporters, which is "unacceptable in a free society."
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Science [19]
Policy [20]
Government [8]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about SEJ Comments On NOAA Science Policy; Seeks More Openness [21]
Voluntary Sage-Grouse Protection Efforts Awarded $71 Million [22]

Greater sage-grouse are at just 3% of their historical numbers, and warrant protection, according to the Bureau of Land Management. But since other species are in even more dire straits, the birds haven't been declared a threatened or endangered species. The US Dept. of Agriculture money is a work-around aimed at saving the birds and their habitat.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Wildlife [23]
Biodiversity [24]
Region:
Northwest (OR WA) [25]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [26]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [27]
California [28]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Voluntary Sage-Grouse Protection Efforts Awarded $71 Million [22]
Projects in 6 States Selected To Help Pioneer 3 Biofuels [29]

USDA continues to expand its Biomass Crop Assistance Program that provides financial incentives for producers of various biomass products with the latest selected project areas for growing camelina in CA, OR, WA, and MT, poplar trees in OR, and switchgrass in KS and OK.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [4]
Region:
California [28]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [27]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [26]
Northwest (OR WA) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [30]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Projects in 6 States Selected To Help Pioneer 3 Biofuels [29]
Contamination by Genetically Modified Rice Is Costly to Bayer [31]

Bayer CropScience has agreed to pay up to $750 million to about 11,000 farmers to compensate for contaminating two varieties of long-grain rice. The settlement requires participation of farmers who planted at least 85% of the average 2.2 million acres of long-grain rice grown each year from 2006 to 2009.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Pollution [15]
Agriculture [32]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Contamination by Genetically Modified Rice Is Costly to Bayer [31]

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