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Flood Insurance Reform Remains Key Congressional Task [1]

With flooding from hurricanes and other climate disasters becoming the new normal, badly needed flood insurance reform continues to founder in the halls of Congress. The National Flood Insurance Program is billions of dollars in debt, and aid packages are doing little to get people out of flood-prone areas. Congress watchers will keep an eye on new House leadership for insurance solutions, although politically unpalatable rate hikes swamped the big reform. This week’s TipSheet has more on the story, with leads on what to watch in 2019.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Climate Change [3]
Consumer [4]
Disasters [5]
Economy & Business [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
People & Population [10]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [11]
California [12]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [13]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [14]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Visibility: 
Public [16]

Pruitt’s EPA Rollbacks Stumbled in Court. Wheeler Is More Thorough. [17]

"Before resigning as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency this year, Scott Pruitt delighted President Trump with his zeal for proclaiming sweeping regulatory rollbacks, even though he left behind a trail of courtroom setbacks."

Environmental Health [18]
Environmental Politics [7]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Public [16]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: NY Times [19], 11/26/2018

Hog Waste Agreement Lacked Teeth; Some North Carolinians Left to Suffer [20]

"Today, many farmers continue to store the waste in open pits despite the millions of dollars in private investment spent and years of research and political promises. The practice grows more hazardous with each hurricane that pounds the state."

Agriculture [21]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Pollution [22]
Water & Oceans [23]
Public [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Source: ProPublica [24], 11/26/2018

"House Dems Demand Records On Trump’s Climate Rollbacks" [25]

"Leading House Democrats, weeks away from taking over the majority in the lower chamber, are demanding records and information from the Trump administration’s rollbacks of numerous climate change policies at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)."

Climate Change [3]
Energy & Fuel [26]
Environmental Health [18]
Environmental Politics [7]
Journalism & Media [27]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Public [16]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: The Hill [28], 11/21/2018

US Judge Selects First Case In Federal Monsanto Weed-Killer Litigation [29]

"A U.S. judge overseeing the federal litigation against Bayer AG’s Monsanto unit over glyphosate-based weed-killers allegedly causing cancer on Tuesday selected the first case to be tried in federal court in February 2019."

Agriculture [21]
Chemicals [30]
Environmental Health [18]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Public [16]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: Reuters [31], 11/21/2018

"Romaine Lettuce Is Not Safe To Eat, CDC Warns U.S. Consumers" [32]

"Romaine lettuce is unsafe to eat in any form, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday in a food safety alert in response to a new outbreak of illnesses caused by a particularly dangerous type of E. coli bacteria.

The CDC told consumers to throw away any romaine lettuce they may already have purchased. Restaurants should not serve it, stores should not sell it, and people should not buy it, no matter where or when the lettuce was grown. It doesn’t matter if it is chopped, whole head or part of a mix.

Agriculture [21]
Environmental Health [18]
Food [33]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Public [16]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: Washington Post [34], 11/21/2018

Bear Stories Should Go Beyond Bare Facts [35]

Bears, particularly the plentiful black bears that are the source of much human-bear conflict, can serve as a opening to larger environmental stories, such as habitat destruction and the challenges of the “wildland-urban interface.” This week’s TipSheet has some of the good news/bad news on bears, with story ideas and resources for your reporting.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Climate Change [3]
Environmental Health [18]
Forests [36]
Journalism & Media [27]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [37]
People & Population [10]
Wildlife [38]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [11]
Alaska and Hawaii [39]
California [12]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [40]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [41]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [42]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [14]
Northwest (OR WA) [43]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
International [44]
Canada [45]
Antarctica & Arctic [46]
Visibility: 
Public [16]

Chinese-Owned Pork Firm Pulls Out Of Trump Farm Bailout Amid Backlash [47]

"The Agriculture Department has canceled a contract that would have awarded federal bailout money to a Chinese-owned pork producer after the company asked for the contract to be terminated amid a political backlash."

Agriculture [21]
Economy & Business [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Public [16]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: Washington Post [48], 11/20/2018

"EPA Regional Boss Resigns" [49]

"Trey Glenn, the administrator of EPA's Southeast branch who has been indicted on ethics charges, has stepped down."

Government [8]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Public [16]
National (U.S.) [11]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Source: E&E News PM [50], 11/20/2018

Dem Lawmakers Join Suit Against Trump's Rollback Of National Monuments [51]

"Over 110 Democratic lawmakers filed court documents on Monday to join environmentalists' lawsuits opposing President Trump's rollback of the Obama administration's expansion of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah."

Environmental Politics [7]
Laws & Regulations [9]
Natural Resources [37]
Public [16]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: Washington Examiner [52], 11/20/2018

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/flood-insurance-reform-remains-key-congressional-task [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [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/environmental-politics [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [11] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [12] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [13] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mid-atlantic [14] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northeast [15] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [16] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [17] https://www.sej.org/headlines/pruitt%E2%80%99s-epa-rollbacks-stumbled-court-wheeler-more-thorough [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [19] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/climate/andrew-wheeler-epa.html [20] https://www.sej.org/headlines/hog-waste-agreement-lacked-teeth-some-north-carolinians-left-suffer [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [24] https://www.propublica.org/article/a-hog-waste-agreement-lacked-teeth-and-some-north-carolinians-say-left-to-suffer [25] https://www.sej.org/headlines/house-dems-demand-records-trump%E2%80%99s-climate-rollbacks [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [28] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/417615-house-dems-probe-trumps-climate-rollbacks [29] https://www.sej.org/headlines/us-judge-selects-first-case-federal-monsanto-weed-killer-litigation [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [31] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bayer-glyphosate-lawsuit/u-s-judge-selects-first-case-in-federal-monsanto-weed-killer-litigation-idUSKCN1NP2HZ [32] https://www.sej.org/headlines/romaine-lettuce-not-safe-eat-cdc-warns-us-consumers [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/food [34] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/romaine-lettuce-is-not-safe-to-eat-cdc-warns-us-consumers/2018/11/20/726d0ae6-ece9-11e8-96d4-0d23f2aaad09_story.html?utm_term=.2198844838c7 [35] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/bear-stories-should-go-beyond-bare-facts [36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [38] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [39] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii [40] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [41] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-plains [42] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [43] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northwest [44] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [45] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/canada [46] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/antarctica-arctic [47] https://www.sej.org/headlines/chinese-owned-pork-firm-pulls-out-trump-farm-bailout-amid-backlash [48] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/11/17/chinese-owned-pork-producer-pulls-out-president-trumps-farm-bailout-amid-backlash/?utm_term=.7bd871632459 [49] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-regional-boss-resigns [50] https://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1060106669 [51] https://www.sej.org/headlines/dem-lawmakers-join-suit-against-trumps-rollback-national-monuments [52] https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/democratic-lawmakers-join-court-fight-against-trumps-rollback-of-national-monuments [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws?page=946 [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws?page=943 [55] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws?page=944 [56] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws?page=945 [57] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws?page=948 [58] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws?page=949 [59] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws?page=950 [60] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws?page=951 [61] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws?page=1323