Publication Items

Central U.S. Is Home to Miscanthus Biomass Crop Projects [1]

The US Dept. of Agriculture is providing financial support for farmers to grow the grass in four project areas in four states. The goal is to substantially increase production of the crop, and USDA estimates about 4,000 jobs will be created.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [3]
Agriculture [4]
Region:
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [5]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [6]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [7]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [8]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Central U.S. Is Home to Miscanthus Biomass Crop Projects [1]
Feds and Private Sector Funding Major Solar Panel Projects [10]

Project Amp, expected to lead to the installation of photovoltaic solar panels on about 750 industrial buildings in 28 states, would feed enough energy to the grid to power 90,000-100,000 homes. Taking a different approach, Google and a company called SolarCity are teaming up to spur installation of solar panels to power individual homes, committing $280 million to the project.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [11]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Economy & Business [12]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Feds and Private Sector Funding Major Solar Panel Projects [10]
Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture Acknowledged by Experts [13]

The American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America position statement addresses food and its security, feed, fuel, fiber, pollination, pest management, water availability, erosion control, greenhouse gas emissions from crop and livestock operations, research and development, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [14]
Agriculture [4]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture Acknowledged by Experts [13]
EPA To Announce Secondary Standard for SOx and NOx [15]

While primary standards are designed to protect human health, secondary standards are established to protect the environment. In the case of NOx and SOx, some of the primary targets include reduced aquatic and terrestrial acidification, and reduced nitrogen deposition on land and water.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Pollution [16]
Laws & Regulations [17]
Environmental Health [18]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about EPA To Announce Secondary Standard for SOx and NOx [15]
New Environment-Related CRS Reports Available [19]

Congress still forbids the Congressional Research Service to release publicly reports that taxpayers have paid for. Thanks to groups like the Federation of American Scientists, however, taxpayers can read the reports online despite the charade.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Transportation [21]
Technology [22]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [23]
Government [11]
Disasters [24]
Climate Change [14]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about New Environment-Related CRS Reports Available [19]
USDA Pesticide, Fertilizer Data Now in Online Database [25]

The Agriculture Department under President Obama has partly restored public access to the Agricultural Chemical Usage data by the National Agricultural Statistics Service. President Bush had cancelled the reports in 2008.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [11]
Chemicals [26]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about USDA Pesticide, Fertilizer Data Now in Online Database [25]
Don't "Wonder" About U.S. Disease Data — Look It up in CDC's Database [27]

WONDER is a single portal for using a variety of databases related to public health that are maintained by CDC. Many are relevant to the environment beat, such as asthma and allergy prevalence, lung disease, cancer, agricultural safety, pesticides, occupational exposure, chemical hazards, waterborne disease, foodborne disease, and adverse vaccine events.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Health [28]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Don't "Wonder" About U.S. Disease Data — Look It up in CDC's Database [27]
Did OMB Strangle TRI Rule in Its Crib for Chemical, Wood Treatment Industries? [29]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had gone through an open rulemaking process on the "Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Articles Exemption Clarification Rule" but withdrew a final rule it had sent to President Obama's Office of Management and Budget for approval after OMB met privately with chemical, wood, and other industry lobbyists.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [11]
Chemicals [26]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Did OMB Strangle TRI Rule in Its Crib for Chemical, Wood Treatment Industries? [29]
New NOAA Fishery Advisers Appointed [30]

Thirteen new members join the ranks; 8 others are reappointed. The shift in members provides an opportunity to explore what each Council has been doing, whether the new people will shift its direction (and NOAA's), and what the fishing industry, the public, and various interest groups think about past decisions and future directions.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [11]
Fish & Fisheries [31]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about New NOAA Fishery Advisers Appointed [30]
Feds Award Millions for Environmental Projects [32]

There is local news in these USDA and USFWS grants. These on-the-ground projects involve specific groups and individuals, offering prime examples of programs you can investigate to see whether federal tax dollars are being effectively and efficiently spent.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [33]
Agriculture [4]
Climate Change [14]
Natural Resources [34]
Wildlife [35]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Feds Award Millions for Environmental Projects [32]

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