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Senate Votes To Give FDA Regulatory Power Over Tobacco [1]

"The tobacco-control movement celebrated another milestone yesterday as the U.S. Senate easily passed a bill giving the government unprecedented power over the making and marketing of tobacco products."
Health [2]
Public [3]
National (U.S.) [4]
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer [5], 06/12/2009

"Top FDA Drug Regulator Plans To Depart Weeks Into Job" [6]

"Richard Pazdur had clashed with Trump officials on the legality and pace of their initiatives. His sudden retirement adds to the recent upheaval at FDA."

Chemicals [7]
Consumer [8]
Environmental Health [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Health [2]
Laws & Regulations [11]
People & Population [12]
Science [13]
Technology [14]
Public [3]
National (U.S.) [4]
Source: Washington Post [15], 12/03/2025

Citizen Pollution Monitors Face Industry Pushback, Legal Threats [16]

A steep decline in the enforcement of environmental laws means the monitoring of pollution by citizens is more important than ever. But as the latest TipSheet notes, some states have passed laws that severely constrain the use of citizen monitoring or the sharing of findings. Get the backstory, along with top reporting angles and resources for finding monitoring in your area.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [17]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [18]
Air [19]
Environmental Health [9]
Environmental Justice [20]
Environmental Politics [10]
Environmental Studies [21]
Government [22]
Health [2]
Journalism & Media [23]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Pollution [24]
Science [13]
Water & Oceans [25]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [4]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [26]
Visibility: 
Public [3]

Orphans and Zombies — Reporting on Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Across the Country [27]

For more than a century, oil and gas companies have been drilling — and abandoning — wells across the country, leaving hundreds of thousands to potentially leak pollutants into the air, water and soil. Climate and environment reporter Martha Pskowski looks at how funding and regulatory issues are impacting efforts to identify and plug these wells, and offers resources for drilling into their story.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [28]
Topics on the Beat: 
Agriculture [29]
Air [19]
Climate Change [30]
Economy & Business [31]
Energy & Fuel [32]
Environmental Health [9]
Government [22]
Health [2]
Journalism & Media [23]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Natural Resources [33]
Policy [34]
Pollution [24]
Technology [14]
Water & Oceans [25]
Wildlife [35]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [4]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [36]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [37]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [38]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [39]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [40]
Visibility: 
Public [3]

La. Health Official Who Halted State Vaccine Campaign Tapped As CDC’s No. 2 [41]

"A Louisiana health official who ordered his health department to stop promoting mass vaccinations this past winter during a surge in influenza cases has been tapped to serve as the new No. 2 leader at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Consumer [8]
Environmental Health [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Health [2]
Laws & Regulations [11]
People & Population [12]
Public [3]
National (U.S.) [4]
Source: Washington Post [42], 11/26/2025

"A Bowhead Whale's DNA Offers Clues To Fight Cancer" [43]

"Scientists searching for novel ways to fight cancer think they may have uncovered a promising new lead tucked away inside the cells of the bowhead whale."

Biodiversity [44]
Fish & Fisheries [45]
Health [2]
Natural Resources [33]
People & Population [12]
Science [13]
Water & Oceans [25]
Wildlife [35]
Public [3]
National (U.S.) [4]
International [46]
Source: NPR [47], 11/25/2025

"Bird Flu Patient Dies, Marking Second U.S. Fatality In 2025" [48]

"A Washington resident who was the first human case of bird flu in the U.S. since February died on Friday, state health officials said. The person was an older adult with underlying conditions and had been hospitalized since early November with a strain that was previously reported in animals but never before in humans."

Agriculture [29]
Biodiversity [44]
Environmental Health [9]
Health [2]
Science [13]
Wildlife [35]
Public [3]
National (U.S.) [4]
International [46]
Source: Washington Post [49], 11/24/2025

CDC Site Now Denies Scientific Conclusion That Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism [50]

"A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has been changed to contradict the longtime scientific conclusion that vaccines do not cause autism, spurring outrage among a number of public health and autism experts."

Consumer [8]
Environmental Health [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Health [2]
Journalism & Media [23]
People & Population [12]
Science [13]
Public [3]
National (U.S.) [4]
Source: AP [51], 11/21/2025

"FDA Names Longtime Cancer Scientist Pazdur To Lead Drug Center" [52]

"The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday named a longtime regulator of cancer medicines to lead the agency’s drug center, replacing the former drug director who was recently ousted after an ethics complaint."

Chemicals [7]
Environmental Health [9]
Health [2]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Science [13]
Technology [14]
Public [3]
National (U.S.) [4]
Source: AP [53], 11/13/2025

"Environment Takeaways From The Spending Deal" [54]

"The Senate approved a three-bill spending package for fiscal 2026. Lawmakers also passed a stopgap for the rest of the government."

Agriculture [29]
Climate Change [30]
Energy & Fuel [32]
Environmental Health [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Health [2]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Water & Oceans [25]
Public [3]
National (U.S.) [4]
Source: E&E News [55], 11/12/2025

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/senate-votes-to-give-fda-regulatory-power-over-tobacco [2] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [3] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [4] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [5] http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20090612_Senate_bill_gives_FDA_power_over_tobacco.html [6] https://www.sej.org/headlines/top-fda-drug-regulator-plans-depart-weeks-job [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [15] https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/12/02/rick-pazdur-fda-resigns/ [16] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/citizen-pollution-monitors-face-industry-pushback-legal-threats [17] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [26] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [27] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/orphans-and-zombies-reporting-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells-across-country [28] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [36] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [37] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-plains [38] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mid-atlantic [39] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [40] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [41] https://www.sej.org/headlines/la-health-official-who-halted-state-vaccine-campaign-tapped-cdc-s-no-2 [42] https://wapo.st/4pvW7C8 [43] https://www.sej.org/headlines/bowhead-whales-dna-offers-clues-fight-cancer [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [45] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries [46] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [47] https://www.npr.org/2025/11/24/nx-s1-5612550/bowhead-whale-cancer-dna-longevity [48] https://www.sej.org/headlines/bird-flu-patient-dies-marking-second-us-fatality-2025 [49] https://wapo.st/4psL8cE [50] https://www.sej.org/headlines/cdc-site-now-denies-scientific-conclusion-vaccines-don-t-cause-autism [51] https://apnews.com/article/cdc-autism-vaccines-7b1890f626dd5921fafd00fdd1e6425a [52] https://www.sej.org/headlines/fda-names-longtime-cancer-scientist-pazdur-lead-drug-center [53] https://apnews.com/article/fda-drug-center-rick-pazdur-tidmarsh-42ab2cae8188990cbb5cec509d595e22 [54] https://www.sej.org/headlines/environment-takeaways-spending-deal [55] https://www.eenews.net/articles/environment-takeaways-from-the-spending-deal/ [56] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=1 [57] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=2 [58] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=3 [59] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=4 [60] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=5 [61] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=6 [62] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=7 [63] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=8 [64] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=125