Publication Items

What Is the Half-Life of a Nuclear Revival? Part 2 [1]

Is the United States in the midst of a “nuclear renaissance”? This two-part Backgrounder explores the question, with a look at next-gen reactor design, the (lack of) independence of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and what to do with nuclear waste. Plus, see Part 1 [2] on the government role in developing nuclear power and an earlier effort at industry rebirth.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [3]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [8]
Policy [9]
Technology [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about What Is the Half-Life of a Nuclear Revival? Part 2 [1]
What Is the Half-Life of a Nuclear Revival? Part 1 [2]

Is the United States in the midst of a “nuclear renaissance”? This two-part Issue Backgrounder explores that question, beginning in Part 1 with a look at the government’s part in developing nuclear power, including through subsidies, as well as why the new reactors built earlier in the 2000s didn’t really make the case for the industry’s rebirth.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [3]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [8]
Policy [9]
Technology [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about What Is the Half-Life of a Nuclear Revival? Part 1 [2]
#SEJ2026 Live — Coverage of Conference Tours [14]

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 [15], Nathaniel Eisen [16], Nhung Nguyen [17] and Marlowe Starling [18] 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 [14] from our team of early-career freelance journalists, part of SEJournal’s live #SEJ2026 Live conference reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [20]
Agriculture [21]
Air [22]
Biodiversity [23]
Chemicals [24]
Climate Change [25]
Consumer [26]
Economy & Business [27]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [28]
Environmental Justice [29]
Environmental Politics [6]
Environmental Studies [30]
Food [31]
Forests [32]
Government [33]
Health [34]
Infrastructure [35]
Journalism & Media [36]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [37]
People & Population [38]
Planning & Growth [39]
Policy [9]
Pollution [40]
Science [41]
Technology [10]
Transportation [42]
Waste [43]
Water & Oceans [44]
Wildlife [45]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [46]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about #SEJ2026 Live — Coverage of Conference Tours [14]
War and Pizza — #SEJ2026 in Chicago [47]

Nearly as rejuvenating as attending the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual gathering is perusing the après-conference spoof by contributing quipster David Helvarg. While it seemed he was mostly there unabashedly preselling his forthcoming book, he somehow found time to send up SEJ’s earnest sessions, lambast its blown-up tours and rib its beat dinners. Read his Chicago roast.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [21]
Air [22]
Chemicals [24]
Climate Change [25]
Economy & Business [27]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [28]
Environmental Justice [29]
Environmental Politics [6]
Fish & Fisheries [48]
Government [33]
Health [34]
Journalism & Media [36]
Natural Resources [37]
Policy [9]
Pollution [40]
Science [41]
Waste [43]
Water & Oceans [44]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [46]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about War and Pizza — #SEJ2026 in Chicago [47]
Why the Silencing of Protest Matters [49]

As the Trump administration and its allies seek to stifle free speech and paint protest as domestic terrorism, Voices columnist Yessenia Funes argues that environmental journalists must heed the impact on the environmental movement we cover. Start with what happened in Standing Rock, which swept back into the news this spring. Funes explains the connection, and where we may be headed.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [50]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [20]
Climate Change [25]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [28]
Environmental Justice [29]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [33]
Journalism & Media [36]
Natural Resources [37]
People & Population [38]
Policy [9]
Pollution [40]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [51]
Water & Oceans [44]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [46]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [52]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [53]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Why the Silencing of Protest Matters [49]
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 [55]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [26]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [28]
Journalism & Media [36]
Military [56]
Natural Resources [37]
Transportation [42]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [12]
Middle East [57]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- 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 [55]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [26]
Economy & Business [27]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Infrastructure [35]
Journalism & Media [36]
Natural Resources [37]
Planning & Growth [39]
Policy [9]
Technology [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Renewable Job Training Makes the Grade at Community Colleges [58]
Database Details Planetary Asset — Canada’s Forests [59]

They’re a carbon sink, a playground and a major market, but also a source of smoke pollution and pest infestation. Millions of acres of Canadian forest are a big North American story, and the latest Reporter’s Toolbox points you to a central data source that can help quantify, analyze and visualize the numbers and see the proverbial forest for the trees.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [60]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [21]
Air [22]
Climate Change [25]
Economy & Business [27]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [28]
Environmental Politics [6]
Forests [32]
Natural Resources [37]
Policy [9]
Pollution [40]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [12]
Canada [61]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Database Details Planetary Asset — Canada’s Forests [59]
ANWR Well Is Deep and Dark — But Is It Dry? [62]

Journalists love a secret. And WatchDog Opinion delves into a whopper on the environment beat — the hidden data surrounding a singular test well drilled in one of the most contested ecosystems in the United States. Now that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been reopened for oil leasing by the Trump administration, do the findings even matter? More on the saga.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [63]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [28]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [33]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [37]
Policy [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Alaska and Hawaii [64]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about ANWR Well Is Deep and Dark — But Is It Dry? [62]
Geothermal a Valuable, But Overlooked Clean Energy Source? [65]

More heat pumps than ever are going into homes and businesses in the United States these days. But they are just one small-scale use of geothermal energy, a promising utility-scale technology that is growing worldwide — and with a minimal carbon footprint to boot. But there are drawbacks as well. The new Issue Backgrounder explains how it all works.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [3]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [25]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Natural Resources [37]
Technology [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
California [66]
International [12]
Asia [67]
Australia & Oceania [68]
Europe [69]
Middle East [57]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Geothermal a Valuable, But Overlooked Clean Energy Source? [65]

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