Publication Items

EPA Relents, Releases List of 44 High-Hazard Coal-Ash Ponds [1]

FOIA requests and Congressional pressure got the Obama administration to reverse its decision to withhold key information about dangers to communities from coal-ash ponds operated by electric utilities.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [3]
Disasters [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about EPA Relents, Releases List of 44 High-Hazard Coal-Ash Ponds [1]
Beach Nourishment: Supreme Court To Decide Who Owns the New Sand [8]

When governments or communities pay to replenish beaches along privately owned beachfront property — or create new beaches by trucking in sand — what does that mean for the landowners' waterfront rights and property value?
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat:
Planning & Growth [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Water & Oceans [12]
Military [13]
People & Population [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Beach Nourishment: Supreme Court To Decide Who Owns the New Sand [8]
Feds Continue Compensation for Lost Local Tax Revenue [16]

The fiscal year 2009 allocation of Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) is up about 4% from last year, and is being distributed to about 60% of the nation's counties and other local jurisdictions.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [17]
Government [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Feds Continue Compensation for Lost Local Tax Revenue [16]
US Vulnerability To Heat Waves Varies Substantially by Location [19]

A new analysis of about 40,000 census tracts in the larger US metropolitan areas can help you cover how well your community is preparing for heat-related risk.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [20]
Health [21]
People & Population [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about US Vulnerability To Heat Waves Varies Substantially by Location [19]
North American Toxics Data Released [22]

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation, which is a joint effort of Canada, the US, and Mexico, released on June 10, 2009, its annual report tracking and comparing toxic emissions.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [20]
Air [23]
Chemicals [3]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Pollution [24]
Region:
Canada [25]
National (U.S.) [6]
Mexico [26]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about North American Toxics Data Released [22]
EPA To Announce Proposed NO2 Standard [27]

After several years of preparatory work, EPA is expected to announce by June 26, 2009, its proposed primary standard for one of the six "criteria" air pollutants, nitrogen dioxide.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [23]
Chemicals [3]
Pollution [24]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about EPA To Announce Proposed NO2 Standard [27]
Top-Notch Panel Named For $75,000 Grantham Prize [28]

By MICHAEL MANSUR

A prestigious group of journalists has been named to judge the newly established Grantham Prize, North America's largest journalism prize established to recognize reporting on the environment.

The Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment will provide a $75,000 cash award each year to one journalist or a team of journalists in recognition of exemplary reporting on the environment.
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Top-Notch Panel Named For $75,000 Grantham Prize [28]
Species-Protection Law Overhaul Sits In Senate [30]

By ALLISON A. FREEMAN

Congress is considering a rewrite of the nation's law overseeing the protection of imperiled plants and wildlife – in a move that could make sweeping changes to the Endangered Species Act for the first time since it was put into law over 30 years ago.

The House of Representatives has already passed its overhaul of the act, which would throw out many of the existing mandatory requirements in favor of voluntary measures.
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [31]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Species-Protection Law Overhaul Sits In Senate [30]
Using TRI, Please! [32]

By KEN WARD Jr.

I know that a lot of folks are down on TRI, and I agree that the data is not perfect. But I'm also terribly concerned that we as environmental reporters don't use it frequently enough (or well enough) and particularly frightened about EPA's proposals to cut back on the program. I also know that some of the best stories I do are based in some way on TRI data. It's still simply the best basic set of pollution numbers we have. Here's my latest example of how TRI helped me make a so-so story into a darned good one.
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Using TRI, Please! [32]
Not A Single Armadillo Was Killed [33]

By DAVID HELVARG

Not surprisingly this year's SEJ Conference in Austin, Texas, was overshadowed by a singular but all too predictable disaster, the lack of affordable booze at SEJ events.

Ironically, the last really boozy SEJ conference was in New Orleans where I recall Mark Schleifstein ominously predicting that someday we'd end up meeting in Texas. If only we'd listened to his warnings.
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Not A Single Armadillo Was Killed [33]

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