Government

"Without Much Straining, Minnesota Reins In Its Utilities’ Carbon Emissions" [1]

"MINNEAPOLIS — When city leaders and state legislators agreed last year to fund roughly half the $1 billion cost of a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings, they attached the usual strings for such projects: It had to be architecturally iconic, employ steel made from Minnesota iron ore and offer at least a few cheap seats."

Climate Change [2]

Energy & Fuel [3]

Government [4]

Public [5]

Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [6]

Source: NY Times [7], 07/18/2014

Read more about "Without Much Straining, Minnesota Reins In Its Utilities’ Carbon Emissions" [1]

SEJ, 37 Journalism Groups Urge Obama to Stop PIO Spin at Fed Agencies [8]

SEJ is hardly alone in complaints about EPA's press office gagging agency employees who might talk to reporters. In a July 8, 2014 letter, 38 journalism groups called on President Obama to stop the political spin of information at many federal agencies. Reminding Obama of his still-unkept promise to run the most transparent administration in history, the groups complained about widespread "politically driven suppression of news and information."

SEJ Publication Types:

WatchDog TipSheet [9]

Topics on the Beat:

Government [4]

Journalism & Media [10]

Visibility:

Public [5]

Read more about SEJ, 37 Journalism Groups Urge Obama to Stop PIO Spin at Fed Agencies [8]

"EPA Union Protests Treatment Of Staff In Light Of Recent Controversies" [11]

The head of the largest union representing Environmental Protection Agency employees says agency leaders are showing a 'failure to manage.' The top of the agency, the union leader said, has a "'country club' mentality" when it comes to dealing with top managers."

Environmental Politics [12]

Government [4]

Public [5]

National (U.S.) [13]

Source: Huffington Post [14], 07/16/2014

Read more about "EPA Union Protests Treatment Of Staff In Light Of Recent Controversies" [11]

"County Payments Eat Hole in Interior-EPA Bill, Possibly Sapping Key Programs" [15]

"A proposal by House appropriators to carve out $442 million of the Interior Department and U.S. EPA budgets to pay for rural county services has raised concerns among lawmakers of both parties that it could sap money from other important agency functions, including land conservation, wildfire prevention and clean water."

Economy & Business [16]

Environmental Politics [12]

Forests [17]

Government [4]

Public [5]

National (U.S.) [13]

Source: E&E Daily [18], 07/16/2014

Read more about "County Payments Eat Hole in Interior-EPA Bill, Possibly Sapping Key Programs" [15]

SEJ Objects to Sportsmen's Act Section Affecting Public Lands Reporting [19]

SEJ and five other journalism groups sent a letter July 8, 2014 objecting to a bill up for debate on the US Senate floor this week that could restrict the ability of journalists to report on stories in National Parks, National Forests and other public lands. Photo: Fern Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Courtesy U.S. NPS.

Topics on the Beat:

Government [4]

Journalism & Media [10]

Laws & Regulations [20]

Natural Resources [21]

Region:

National (U.S.) [13]

Visibility:

Public [5]

Read more about SEJ Objects to Sportsmen's Act Section Affecting Public Lands Reporting [19]

"DOE: Outside Groups Spent Lavishly on Top Officials' Global Travel" [22]

"Top Energy Department officials have been taking some pricey trips lately, thanks to outside groups helping to fund their travel to destinations like Bermuda, Taipei, Tokyo, Brussels and New Delhi."

Government [4]

Public [5]

National (U.S.) [13]

Source: Greenwire [23], 07/08/2014

Read more about "DOE: Outside Groups Spent Lavishly on Top Officials' Global Travel" [22]

Workplace Secrecy Agreements Seem To Violate Federal Whistleblower Laws [24]

"In November 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy asked contract employees at the Hanford plutonium processing plant in Washington state to take an unusual oath."

Disasters [25]

Government [4]

Nuclear Power & Radiation [26]

Public [5]

National (U.S.) [13]

Source: Wash Post [27], 07/01/2014

Read more about Workplace Secrecy Agreements Seem To Violate Federal Whistleblower Laws [24]

Data: 1,401 High-Risk Oil and Gas Wells on Fed Land Go Uninspected [28]

Federal data, though sometimes hard to get, can provide many local stories for environmental journalists. Case in point: AP and Climate Desk journalists got data from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on high-risk oil and gas wells on federal and Indian lands from 2009 to 2012. Some 40 percent of the high-risk wells had not been inspected. BLM says it does not have enough inspectors. See AP's exposé and Climate Desk's map showing the counties with the most uninspected wells.

SEJ Publication Types:

WatchDog TipSheet [9]

Topics on the Beat:

Energy & Fuel [3]

Government [4]

Visibility:

Public [5]

Read more about Data: 1,401 High-Risk Oil and Gas Wells on Fed Land Go Uninspected [28]

October 5, 2014 to October 11, 2014

International Union of Forest Research Organizations - 2014 World Congress [29]

The International Union of Forest Research Organizations is holding its every-5th-year World Congress in Salt Lake City, UT this year. Media professionals are encouraged to attend. All attendees with a media/press pass will have access to the conference plenary, sub-plenary and technical sessions, the media room and press events, and entry to the expo floor.

Professional Meetings [30]

Visibility:

Public [5]

Topics on the Beat:

Activism [31]

Agriculture [32]

Biodiversity [33]

Climate Change [2]

Disasters [25]

Economy & Business [16]

Energy & Fuel [3]

Environmental Health [34]

Fish & Fisheries [35]

Food [36]

Forests [17]

Government [4]

Natural Resources [21]

Policy [37]

Pollution [38]

Science [39]

Water & Oceans [40]

Wildlife [41]

Region:

National (U.S.) [13]

International [42]

"Fight Over Calif. Oyster Company Splits Chefs And Land Defenders" [43]

"Drive just an hour and half north of San Francisco and you're in Drakes Estero, or estuary, named for the first English explorer to lay claim to California."

Environmental Politics [12]

Fish & Fisheries [35]

Government [4]

Laws & Regulations [20]

Natural Resources [21]

Public [5]

National (U.S.) [13]

Source: NPR [44], 06/12/2014

Read more about "Fight Over Calif. Oyster Company Splits Chefs And Land Defenders" [43]

International Union of Forest Research Organizations - 2014 World Congress [29]

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