Publication Items

BLM Releases Supplement to Draft PEIS for Large-Scale Solar [1]

The agency says the remaining 17 sites covering ~285,000 acres in six states have the best solar gain and energy transmission traits, the fewest conflicts with environmental, cultural, and historic resources, and the best compatibility with each state's efforts. Public meetings commence Nov 30 and a 90-day public comment period ends Jan. 27, 2012. A variance process could be used to approve additional solar development elsewhere.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Planning & Growth [3]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Region:
California [5]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [6]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [7]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about BLM Releases Supplement to Draft PEIS for Large-Scale Solar [1]
Toolbox: Google Ocean Enables a World of Marine Stories [9]

Overcome limited budgets for travel and visuals on ocean stories with Google Earth's new realm. Place your story in the context of many mapped layers of ocean features, as well as a realistic rendition of subsea and above-surface views, and add your own text, photos, images, video, narration, sound clips, and multimedia.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [10]
Technology [11]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Toolbox: Google Ocean Enables a World of Marine Stories [9]
Experts Say Geothermal Can Work in Much of U.S. [12]

Researchers at Southern Methodist University, funded by Google, have estimated relative geothermal potential in the US with a new map based in part on oil and gas drilling data. Google says the newer geothermal technologies that are being explored in the US and other countries suggest there may be decent geothermal prospects in all 50 states.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [4]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Experts Say Geothermal Can Work in Much of U.S. [12]
USFS Fire Retardant EIS May Result in Few Changes [13]

The agency would add slightly more acreage to the lists of sensitive land and water areas where fire retardant could be dropped only in cases where human life or public safety is threatened. There would be no significant changes in the formula of the retardant, or the general strategy used to determine when and where it's appropriate to drop retardant.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Forests [14]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about USFS Fire Retardant EIS May Result in Few Changes [13]
Other Information Access News in Brief [15]

Climate scientist Michael Mann wins bid to join emails lawsuit; BP and other Gulf oil spill CEOs won't testify before House committee; Republican House freshmen disappointed by Supercommittee's secrecy; Obama admin to issue disclosure rules for fracking on federal lands; WRI/Transparency Int'l panel on climate policy corruption, Nov. 3, 2011, in DC; proposed FOIA rule would let gov't deny existence of records; and bill to improve pipeline safety and increase access to info passes Senate.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Policy [17]
Government [18]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Disasters [19]
Climate Change [20]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Other Information Access News in Brief [15]
DocumentCloud: New Tool for Gumshoe Reporting [21]

If you do investigative reporting, you probably rely often on large numbers of documents to make your case. This new, free tool can help you manage the evidence in a way that supports your story and helps you move seamlessly from research to publication.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Technology [11]
Journalism & Media [22]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about DocumentCloud: New Tool for Gumshoe Reporting [21]
Corps Puts Searchable National Levee Database Online [23]

Levees have huge environmental and human impacts, but are often neglected by news media until disaster strikes. The NLD should make reporting both routine and crisis stories a lot easier. The bad news is that after several years of work by the Corps, only a small fraction of all the levees in the US have been entered into the database.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [10]
Disasters [19]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Corps Puts Searchable National Levee Database Online [23]
Erionite, Like Asbestos, Can Cause Cancer [24]

The naturally-occurring erionite causes malignant mesothelioma and evidence suggests it is much more toxic than asbestos. Concern is rising as development that disturbs erionite deposits occurs in 12 western states.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Health [25]
Chemicals [26]
Natural Resources [27]
Region:
California [5]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [28]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [6]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [7]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Erionite, Like Asbestos, Can Cause Cancer [24]
Major Wetland Losses Still Occurring in Forests and Estuaries [29]

Wetland acreage in the US declined during 2004-2009, reversing a slightly positive trend of net wetland gains during 1998-2004, according to the latest assessment from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, released Oct. 6, 2011.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans [10]
Forests [14]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Major Wetland Losses Still Occurring in Forests and Estuaries [29]
Obama Administration Trying To Speed up Transmission Line Approvals [30]

As part of its push to improve the nation's power system, the Obama administration is trying to expedite construction of 7 transmission lines, in various stages of planning and design, spanning 3,100 miles in 12 states.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations [31]
Environmental Politics [32]
Energy & Fuel [4]
Region:
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [33]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [34]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [6]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [35]
Northwest (OR WA) [36]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [7]
Visibility:
Public [8]
- Read more about Obama Administration Trying To Speed up Transmission Line Approvals [30]

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