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Watching the Watchers: How Journalistic Teamwork Uncovered Years of Regulatory Failure in Texas [1]

After a massive fire at a Texas petrochemical storage facility, reporters from Public Health Watch and The Texas Tribune worked together to shed light on who was responsible for this disaster and what health threats had been hidden from the public. This behind-the-scenes report from Public Health Watch’s David Leffler and Savanna Strott looks at the challenges the team faced and how they overcame them.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Air [3]
Chemicals [4]
Disasters [5]
Economy & Business [6]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Government [11]
Health [12]
Journalism & Media [13]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Pollution [15]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [16]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
Visibility: 
Public [18]

Shell Chemical Plant Had Many Violations Before Recent Fire, Paid Few Fines [19]

"Residents, lawyers, and environmental groups point to aging facilities and reluctant state regulators as reasons for the continued string of industrial fires."

Air [3]
Chemicals [4]
Disasters [5]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [9]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Pollution [15]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [16]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [17]
Source: Houston Public Media [20], 06/16/2023

U.S. Proposes Deep Fee Reductions For Wind, Solar On Federal Land [21]

"A new regulation will formalize a roughly 80% cut in project fees for wind and solar energy developments on federal lands under a proposal by the Biden administration on Thursday as part of a strategy to boost renewable energy to fight climate change."

Climate Change [22]
Economy & Business [6]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Infrastructure [23]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [16]
Source: Reuters [24], 06/16/2023

Once-Shuttered California Mine Trying To Transform Rare Earth Industry [25]

"A U.S.-based rare earth supply chain could boost clean energy and electric vehicles — and military weapons."

Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [22]
Economy & Business [6]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Infrastructure [23]
Military [26]
Natural Resources [27]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [16]
Source: Grist [28], 06/16/2023

"US Government Toughens Rules On Chemicals Used To Break Up Oil Slicks" [29]

"The Environmental Protection Agency has announced more stringent rules governing offshore oil spill response, amid continuing concerns about the effects on public health and wildlife from chemical disasters, including BP’s Deepwater Horizon explosion in 2010."

Biodiversity [30]
Chemicals [4]
Disasters [5]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [9]
Fish & Fisheries [31]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Natural Resources [27]
Water & Oceans [32]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [16]
Source: Guardian [33], 06/16/2023

Power Firms Quietly Pushed $215m Into US Politics Via Dark Money Groups [34]

"US power companies have made political donations of at least $215m to dark money groups in recent years, according to a new analysis of 25 for-profit utilities, amid growing concerns around how they wield influence." "Donations have helped utilities increase electricity prices, hinder solar schemes and helped elect sympathetic legislators".

Climate Change [22]
Economy & Business [6]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Politics [10]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [16]
Source: Floodlight [35], 06/16/2023

"UN Chief To Fossil Fuel Firms: Stop Trying To 'Knee-Cap' Climate Progress" [36]

"U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that countries must start phasing out oil, coal and gas - not just emissions - and demanded fossil fuel companies "cease and desist" measures that aim to "knee-cap" climate progress."

Climate Change [22]
Disasters [5]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Politics [10]
Public [18]
International [37]
Source: Reuters [38], 06/16/2023

"US Cities Risk Losing Out On Clean-Energy Incentives, Jobs" [39]

"In a church on Chicago's West Side near where he grew up, Marques Jones Jr. is hoping to earn more money and help his family by learning how to install and maintain the solar panels he now sees everywhere he goes."

Climate Change [22]
Economy & Business [6]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Justice [9]
Infrastructure [23]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [16]
Source: Thomson Reuters Fdn. [40], 06/15/2023

PacifiCorp Could Owe Billions After Verdict In Devastating Oregon Wildfires [41]

"A jury on Wednesday ordered the electric utility PacifiCorp to pay punitive damages for causing devastating wildfires in Oregon in 2020 — on top of an earlier verdict already expected to amount to billions of dollars."

Climate Change [22]
Disasters [5]
Economy & Business [6]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Politics [10]
Forests [42]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Public [18]
Northwest (OR WA) [43]
Source: AP [44], 06/15/2023

House Votes To Block Biden Efficiency Proposal For Gas, Electric Stoves [45]

"The House voted Wednesday to bar the Energy Department from moving forward with a proposed rule governing efficiency requirements for both gas and electric cooking appliances."

Climate Change [22]
Consumer [46]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Politics [10]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Public [18]
National (U.S.) [16]
Source: The Hill [47], 06/15/2023

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/watching-watchers-how-journalistic-teamwork-uncovered-years-regulatory-failure [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [16] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [17] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [18] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [19] https://www.sej.org/headlines/shell-chemical-plant-had-many-violations-recent-fire-paid-few-fines [20] https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/in-depth/2023/06/14/454375/shells-deer-park-chemical-plant-had-received-thousands-of-violations-prior-to-recent-fire/ [21] https://www.sej.org/headlines/us-proposes-deep-fee-reductions-wind-solar-federal-land [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [24] https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/us-proposes-formalize-deep-fee-reductions-wind-solar-federal-land-2023-06-15/ [25] https://www.sej.org/headlines/once-shuttered-california-mine-trying-transform-rare-earth-industry [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/military [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [28] https://grist.org/energy/a-once-shuttered-california-mine-is-trying-to-transform-the-rare-earth-industry/ [29] https://www.sej.org/headlines/us-government-toughens-rules-chemicals-used-break-oil-slicks [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries [32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [33] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/14/epa-chemical-regulation-oil-spill-cleanup-exxon-valdez-bp [34] https://www.sej.org/headlines/power-firms-quietly-pushed-215m-us-politics-dark-money-groups [35] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/15/us-power-companies-political-lobbying-donations-nonprofit [36] https://www.sej.org/headlines/un-chief-fossil-fuel-firms-stop-trying-knee-cap-climate-progress [37] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [38] https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/un-chief-fossil-fuel-firms-stop-trying-knee-cap-climate-progress-2023-06-15/ [39] https://www.sej.org/headlines/us-cities-risk-losing-out-clean-energy-incentives-jobs [40] https://www.context.news/just-transition/us-cities-risk-losing-out-on-clean-energy-incentives-jobs [41] https://www.sej.org/headlines/pacificorp-could-owe-billions-after-verdict-devastating-oregon-wildfires [42] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [43] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northwest [44] https://apnews.com/article/oregon-wildfires-pacificorp-lawsuit-damages-b525debb59e83f3fd623c74f3329e80e [45] https://www.sej.org/headlines/house-votes-block-biden-efficiency-proposal-gas-electric-stoves [46] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [47] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4049730-house-votes-to-block-biden-efficiency-proposal-for-gas-and-electric-stoves/ [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy?page=200 [49] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy?page=197 [50] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy?page=198 [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy?page=199 [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy?page=202 [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy?page=203 [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy?page=204 [55] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy?page=205 [56] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy?page=1108