Publication Items

State Clean Water Fund Means Local Projects, Local News [1]

An EPA program that helps pay for municipal water infrastructure is facing Congressional appropriations scrutiny. But with the program looking like it may escape big cuts, it remains a reservoir of reportable local projects. Find out more in the latest TipSheet, plus get state-by-state resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [3]
Government [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [6]
Water & Oceans [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Alaska and Hawaii [9]
California [10]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [11]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [12]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [13]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [14]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [15]
Northwest (OR WA) [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [18]
Visibility:
Public [19]
- Read more about State Clean Water Fund Means Local Projects, Local News [1]
Amid the Fog of Policy, Reporting on Pesticide Regulation [20]

Pesticides are a big environmental story. And under Trump, they are much in the news. But pesticide regulation, and its political, environmental and public health fallout, is an older and more complex tale. The Backgrounder explains how the rules work (and don't), and provides leads and resources for your reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [21]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [22]
Chemicals [23]
Economy & Business [24]
Environmental Health [25]
Environmental Politics [26]
Food [27]
Government [4]
Health [28]
Laws & Regulations [6]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [12]
Visibility:
Public [19]
- Read more about Amid the Fog of Policy, Reporting on Pesticide Regulation [20]
Mining Road Salt Stories for Snow Season [29]

With ice and snow ahead, it's time to start thinking about road salt — its use may make driving safer, but can also cause real harm to the environment. This week's TipSheet clears the road for your reporting on this potential hazard, detailing its risks, outlining its alternatives and offering story ideas.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [23]
Environmental Health [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [11]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [14]
Visibility:
Public [19]
- Read more about Mining Road Salt Stories for Snow Season [29]
Why Reporters Should Go to Bat for Bats [30]

Halloween may remind many of the spookier side of bats. But these unique flying mammals provide important ecosystem services — and that's just one of the many reasons why environmental reporters might want to write about them. This week's TipSheet looks at covering bats, the habitat loss that's leaving many species threatened and the growing fungal plague that's wiping out many colonies. Resources and more.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [31]
Wildlife [32]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [13]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [15]
International [33]
Visibility:
Public [19]
- Read more about Why Reporters Should Go to Bat for Bats [30]
SEJ Objects Over EPA Response to AP Story; plus, Suits & Rulings Involving Interior, EPA, NOAA [34]

The SEJ has written the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to object to its criticism of an Associated Press story about Superfund sites following Hurricane Harvey floods. That, plus a judge rules against EPA for withholding records on the pesticide Enlist Duo, and more, in this month's WatchDog.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [35]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [36]
Chemicals [23]
Climate Change [37]
Energy & Fuel [38]
Environmental Health [25]
Environmental Politics [26]
Government [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [6]
Policy [39]
Pollution [40]
Science [41]
Water & Oceans [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [19]
- Read more about SEJ Objects Over EPA Response to AP Story; plus, Suits & Rulings Involving Interior, EPA, NOAA [34]
Wildland-Urban Interface — How Disastrous Wildfires Get Into Your Neighborhood [42]

As this month's fatal California fires demonstrated, the risk of wildfire at the wildland-urban interface rises as development moves into fire-prone zones. The latest TipSheet explains this complex phenomenon, and provides story ideas and a wide range of resources to help you get ahead of the problem.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [43]
People & Population [44]
Planning & Growth [45]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
California [10]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Canada [46]
Visibility:
Public [19]
- Read more about Wildland-Urban Interface — How Disastrous Wildfires Get Into Your Neighborhood [42]
Finding Local Stories Via State Safe Drinking Water Fund [47]

Reporters looking to cover local safe drinking water stories can start smartly by looking at federal and state funding. That's the advice of this week's TipSheet, which simplifies your research with a 50-state directory of Safe Drinking Water Revolving Fund programs. Get your state info here. [47]

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [19]
- Read more about Finding Local Stories Via State Safe Drinking Water Fund [47]
Dam Safety Issues at Forefront Following Hurricane Flooding [48]

The threat of failing dams can prompt worries over lost lives and property, as witness hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. But dam failure is a problem environmental journalists can get ahead of, and the latest TipSheet helps you get ready — with questions to ask, sources to pursue and resources to bone up on. Plus, more hurricane coverage resources [49].

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [43]
Natural Resources [50]
Water & Oceans [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
California [10]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [18]
Central America & the Caribbean [51]
Visibility:
Public [19]
- Read more about Dam Safety Issues at Forefront Following Hurricane Flooding [48]
As Power Goes Out, Time To Design a More Resilient Grid? [52]

Hurricane Irma left millions of Floridians in the dark, while Maria stripped Puerto Ricans of power, potentially for months. Can the electric grid be made less vulnerable? Our Backgrounder has a dozen-plus angles to jump-start your power reporting, from stronger poles to microgrids. Plus, hurricane coverage resources. [53]

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [21]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [43]
Energy & Fuel [38]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [54]
Planning & Growth [45]
Technology [55]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [14]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [15]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Canada [46]
Visibility:
Public [19]
- Read more about As Power Goes Out, Time To Design a More Resilient Grid? [52]
Is There a Post-Flood “Toxic Stew” Near You? [56]

Flooding disasters can unleash some nasty substances into the environment, whether from Superfund sites, sewage plants or petrochemical and other industrial facilities handling toxic and hazardous materials.This week's TipSheet identifies some of the biggest risks, and offers starting points for your local reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [23]
Disasters [43]
Energy & Fuel [38]
Environmental Health [25]
Health [28]
Journalism & Media [5]
People & Population [44]
Pollution [40]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [18]
Visibility:
Public [19]
- Read more about Is There a Post-Flood “Toxic Stew” Near You? [56]

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