Publication Items

Farm Bill Stuck in the Mud? [1]

The Farm Bill — omnibus legislation that affects the food supply of millions of Americans, as well as their air, water and soil — is bogged down in hyperpartisan division. But as Backgrounder outlines, environmental journalists would be wise to track how Congress ultimately uses it to address matters like land and water conservation, rural water supply and pollution, pesticides and more.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Food [10]
Government [11]
Laws & Regulations [12]
People & Population [13]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Farm Bill Stuck in the Mud? [1]
Electric Shadyland — the Riddle of Rising Energy Bills [19]

While the Iran war has certainly brought on soaring oil prices, the rise in residential electricity costs may stem as much from the actions of a labyrinthine complex of federal and state utility regulators, writes the latest TipSheet. Start unraveling the factors here, with the backstory, and more than a dozen questions to ask and resources to tap.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [6]
Energy & Fuel [21]
Infrastructure [22]
Journalism & Media [23]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Policy [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Electric Shadyland — the Riddle of Rising Energy Bills [19]
Taming the Freight Beast [24]

The U.S. freight system delivers significant environmental impacts nationwide, especially in states that host major rail-and-road hubs and seaports. Meanwhile, new federal laws and policies are making it harder to curtail pollution generated by freight trucks, trains and warehouses. Journalist John Lippert looks at how the public, private and nonprofit sectors are rising to this challenge.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [25]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [26]
Air [27]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [21]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [28]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [11]
Health [29]
Infrastructure [22]
Journalism & Media [23]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Technology [30]
Transportation [31]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
California [32]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [33]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Taming the Freight Beast [24]
Gas Prices Still Fuel Local Environmental Stories [34]

The spike in prices at the pump in recent months, thanks largely to the U.S.’s war with Iran, offers energy and environment reporters numerous local reporting angles, writes the latest TipSheet. A quick perspective and backstory, then more than a dozen story ideas to pursue, smart questions to ask and useful reporting resources to tap.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [6]
Energy & Fuel [21]
Environmental Politics [9]
Journalism & Media [23]
Natural Resources [35]
Policy [14]
Transportation [31]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Gas Prices Still Fuel Local Environmental Stories [34]
Is Climate Disaster Insurance a Worsening Disaster? [36]

The growing disconnect between climate risk and risk insurance for homeowners is leaving millions on the knife-edge of economic disaster. But the latest TipSheet suggests that reality offers environmental journalists an opportunity to navigate the morass, community by community. Get more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources in the latest column.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Disasters [37]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [11]
Journalism & Media [23]
Laws & Regulations [12]
People & Population [13]
Planning & Growth [38]
Policy [14]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [39]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
California [32]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [40]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Is Climate Disaster Insurance a Worsening Disaster? [36]
#SEJ2026 Live — Coverage of Conference Tours [41]

SEJournal is providing full coverage of all eight of the day-long tours from the annual Society of Environmental Journalists’ conference, April 15-18, in Chicago. In Part 2, contributors Meg Duff [42], Nathaniel Eisen [43], Nhung Nguyen [44] and Marlowe Starling [45] provide detailed reports from tours focused on the transitioning steel industry, microgrids, climate-friendly crop practices and evolving Midwestern agricultural systems.

Also check out the first round of tour coverage and read all the great work [41] from our team of early-career freelance journalists, part of SEJournal’s live #SEJ2026 Live conference reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [46]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [26]
Agriculture [3]
Air [27]
Biodiversity [47]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [21]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [28]
Environmental Politics [9]
Environmental Studies [48]
Food [10]
Forests [49]
Government [11]
Health [29]
Infrastructure [22]
Journalism & Media [23]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Natural Resources [35]
People & Population [13]
Planning & Growth [38]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Science [50]
Technology [30]
Transportation [31]
Waste [51]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [39]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [33]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about #SEJ2026 Live — Coverage of Conference Tours [41]
Report on PFAS Better, With a Better Mapping Tool [52]

If drinking water safety is on your beat, then keeping track of seesawing regulations around PFAS is a challenge. But as Reporter’s Toolbox writes, a powerful government data mapping tool can help you at least locate nearby PFAS facilities at a glance. What it does well and where it sources its underlying data, plus some suggestions on using it for your reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [53]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Consumer [6]
Environmental Health [8]
Health [29]
Journalism & Media [23]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Report on PFAS Better, With a Better Mapping Tool [52]
Gas Prices Are Environment — and Human — Story [54]

As the Iran war effectively turns the Strait of Hormuz into a bottleneck for much of the world’s oil and natural gas, the price of gasoline in the United States has spiked, creating inflationary worries. So it’s a good time for journalists to remind their audiences of the overall environmental impacts of fossil fuels. TipSheet has more, including 10-plus story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [6]
Energy & Fuel [21]
Environmental Health [8]
Journalism & Media [23]
Military [55]
Natural Resources [35]
Transportation [31]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [56]
Middle East [57]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Gas Prices Are Environment — and Human — Story [54]
Renewable Job Training Makes the Grade at Community Colleges [58]

Jobs are relatively plentiful in green energy fields, whether in solar, wind, geothermal, energy efficiency, storage or hydro. To get at the trend, environmental journalists can check in with area community colleges, many of which offer technical training — and local stories. TipSheet has a closer look at the phenomenon, with a dozen story ideas and reporting resources for your coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [21]
Infrastructure [22]
Journalism & Media [23]
Natural Resources [35]
Planning & Growth [38]
Policy [14]
Technology [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Renewable Job Training Makes the Grade at Community Colleges [58]
Ski Patrol — How Snow Helps Tell Local Climate Story [59]

Winter weather can reveal a great deal about global warming's impacts on your locale. So for environmental journalists, an outing to nearby slopes could be a smart reporting trip (with or without the ski boots). The latest TipSheet offers up more than a dozen story angles and snow and weather resources for your next climate story.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Journalism & Media [23]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Ski Patrol — How Snow Helps Tell Local Climate Story [59]

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