Published on SEJ (https://www.sej.org)

Home > Government

Why the South Lags on Staving Off Crisis [1]

Most Southern state leaders are doing the least to fight the climate crisis, despite having the most to lose environmentally and economically. When will that begin to change? The latest entry in our “Covering Your Climate: The South [2]” special report looks at the politics of the climate crisis, the dominance of utilities, and the transportation and forestry sectors, along with the few climate breakthroughs. 

SEJ Publication Types: 
Special Reports [3]
Topics on the Beat: 
Air [4]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Natural Resources [14]
Planning & Growth [15]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Transportation [18]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [19]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [20]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [21]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [22]
Visibility: 
Public [23]

Is the South Confronting Its Climate Threats? [24]

The South is ground zero for the climate crisis in the United States, yet little is being done to prevent impacts or protect communities. Will the South tap its potential to be part of the solution? Our special report, “Covering Your Climate: The South,” helps reporters cover the region, starting with a backgrounder on climate concerns from Texas to Virginia.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Special Reports [3]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [25]
Agriculture [26]
Air [4]
Biodiversity [27]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Disasters [28]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Environmental Health [29]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Natural Resources [14]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [30]
People & Population [31]
Planning & Growth [15]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Science [32]
Technology [33]
Transportation [18]
Water & Oceans [34]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [19]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [20]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [21]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [22]
Visibility: 
Public [23]

Opinion: "The Midnight Regulation to End Regulations" [35]

"In a blunt deregulatory maneuver, the Trump Administration in its waning days is attempting to adopt a regulation that, if finalized, would have a cataclysmic effect on the public health and consumer protection regulatory landscape."

Environmental Health [29]
Environmental Justice [36]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Public [23]
National (U.S.) [19]
Source: Regulatory Review [37], 12/22/2020

Washington Monument Closed After Bernhardt Tests Positive For Virus [38]

"Officials have taken the extraordinary step of closing the Washington Monument starting Friday as a precaution after Interior Secretary David Bernhardt — who gave a private, nighttime tour to other Trump appointees this week — tested positive for the coronavirus."

Environmental Health [29]
Government [10]
Natural Resources [14]
Public [23]
National (U.S.) [19]
Source: Washington Post [39], 12/21/2020

"'This Is Bad.' Hacking Chaos Engulfs FERC, DOE, Microsoft" [40]

"The Department of Energy's nuclear weapons office and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are the latest agencies swept up in a staggering hack of global computer networks."

Disasters [28]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Government [10]
Technology [33]
Public [23]
National (U.S.) [19]
Source: E&E News [41], 12/21/2020

"Biden Picks Deb Haaland. Now Comes The Hard Part" [42]

"Rep. Deb Haaland's selection to lead the Interior Department has energized the progressive base, mobilized tribal communities and thrilled politicos who want to see President-elect Joe Biden make history with his first round of Cabinet picks. In Congress, however, the New Mexico Democrat is about to run the gantlet of a confirmation process in a Republican-led Senate."

"

Energy & Fuel [8]
Environmental Justice [36]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Public [23]
National (U.S.) [19]
Source: E&E News [43], 12/21/2020

"Environmental Justice Groups See Ally in Biden's EPA Nominee" [44]

"Environmental justice advocates now have an empowered voice with the incoming administration and a potential new ally in Michael Regan, President-elect Joe Biden's pick for EPA administrator."

Environmental Justice [36]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Public [23]
National (U.S.) [19]
Source: E&E News [45], 12/21/2020

"'Folks, We're In Crisis': Joe Biden Introduces Environmental Advisers" [46]

"President-elect Joe Biden announced a racially diverse slate of environmental advisers on Saturday, to help his administration confront what he called “the existential threat of our time, climate change”.

Climate Change [5]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Public [23]
National (U.S.) [19]
Source: Guardian [47], 12/21/2020

Feds Reduce Vaccine Shipments, As Pfizer Says It Has ‘Millions’ Of Doses [48]

"Officials in multiple states said they were alerted late Wednesday that their second shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine had been drastically cut for next week, sparking widespread confusion and conflicting statements from Pfizer and federal officials about who was at fault."

Disasters [28]
Environmental Health [29]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Public [23]
National (U.S.) [19]
Source: Washington Post [49], 12/18/2020

Opinion: "Biden Should Restore the Role of Science in the U.S. Government" [50]

"Four ways the new administration can elevate evidence and build up the science ranks".

Environmental Health [29]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Science [32]
Public [23]
National (U.S.) [19]
Source: Scientific American [51], 12/18/2020

Pages

The Society of Environmental Journalists
1629 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone: (202) 558-2055
Email: sej@sej.org
© 2026 The Society of Environmental Journalists. All Rights Reserved.
All graphics © SEJ, unless otherwise stated.
Source URL:https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=101

Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/special-reports/covering-your-climate/south-us/why-south-lags-staving-crisis [2] https://www.sej.org/publications/special-reports/covering-your-climate-the-south [3] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/special-reports [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation [19] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [20] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mid-atlantic [21] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [22] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [23] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [24] https://www.sej.org/publications/special-reports/covering-your-climate/south-us/is-the-south-confronting-climate-threats [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/nuclear-power/radiation [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [35] https://www.sej.org/headlines/opinion-midnight-regulation-end-regulations [36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [37] https://www.theregreview.org/2020/12/21/cabello-midnight-regulation-end-regulations/ [38] https://www.sej.org/headlines/washington-monument-closed-after-bernhardt-tests-positive-virus [39] https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/18/washington-monument-david-bernhardt-covid/ [40] https://www.sej.org/headlines/bad-hacking-chaos-engulfs-ferc-doe-microsoft [41] https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063721065 [42] https://www.sej.org/headlines/biden-picks-deb-haaland-now-comes-hard-part [43] https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063721053 [44] https://www.sej.org/headlines/environmental-justice-groups-see-ally-bidens-epa-nominee [45] https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063721111 [46] https://www.sej.org/headlines/folks-were-crisis-joe-biden-introduces-environmental-advisers [47] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/19/folks-crisis-joe-biden-environmental-advisers-haaland-kerry-granholm [48] https://www.sej.org/headlines/feds-reduce-vaccine-shipments-pfizer-says-it-has-millions-doses [49] https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/12/17/pfizer-vaccine-supply-states/ [50] https://www.sej.org/headlines/opinion-biden-should-restore-role-science-us-government [51] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/biden-should-restore-the-role-of-science-in-the-u-s-government/ [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=100 [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=97 [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=98 [55] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=99 [56] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=102 [57] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=103 [58] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=104 [59] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=105 [60] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=281