Government

Region:

National (U.S.) [8]

NRC Hid Meltdown Threats to Nuke Plants from Dam Failures: Watchdogs [9]

"An un-redacted version of a recently released Nuclear Regulatory Commission report highlights the threat that flooding poses to nuclear power plants located near large dams -- and suggests that the NRC has misled the public for years about the severity of the threat, according to engineers and nuclear safety advocates."

Disasters [10]

Nuclear Power & Radiation [12]

People & Population [13]

Public [3]

National (U.S.) [8]

Source: Huffington Post [14], 10/22/2012

Read more about NRC Hid Meltdown Threats to Nuke Plants from Dam Failures: Watchdogs [9]

Feds Trust Private Contractors To Make Calls on FOIA Secrets [15]

Danielle Ivory reports for Bloomberg: "At least 25 federal agencies are outsourcing parts of the FOIA process. The contractors, sometimes using workers with security clearances, are building FOIA software, corresponding with requesters, redacting documents and recommending what information should be withheld."

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Economy & Business [17]

Visibility:

Public [3]

Read more about Feds Trust Private Contractors To Make Calls on FOIA Secrets [15]

Reporters Committee Offers Guide to FOIA Appeals Process [18]

RCFP's new online guide to appealing federal FOIA decisions, written by smart, experienced media lawyers, "will be particularly useful to independent journalists and those at news organizations who don’t have ready access to legal counsel to help file appeals."

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Visibility:

Public [3]

Read more about Reporters Committee Offers Guide to FOIA Appeals Process [18]

SPJ Publishes Useful Resource List for Access to Information [19]

The list, recently published by the Society of Professional Journalists, includes items ranging from the FOIA letter generator from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to Charles Davis' "The Art of Access" blog.

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Visibility:

Public [3]

Read more about SPJ Publishes Useful Resource List for Access to Information [19]

EPA To Propose Downgrading Access to Annual Drinking Water Quality Reports? [20]

Some utilities want to get rid of the requirement — substituting online notification, even for water customers who lack Internet connections. A legislative effort to ease the notification requirement failed in the Senate in summer 2012. Now EPA is starting procedures which might lead to doing the same thing by rulemaking. Deadline for comments is October 11, 2012.

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Water & Oceans [21]

Visibility:

Public [3]

Read more about EPA To Propose Downgrading Access to Annual Drinking Water Quality Reports? [20]

Polar Bear Scientist Cleared; Interior Dept. Still Under Openness Cloud [22]

Five years after wildlife biologist Charles Monnett's 2006 observations of dead polar bears, believed to have drowned because of disappearing Arctic ice, Interior started an investigation of Monnett's science. The findings — partially published September 28, 2012 — were confused and contained no findings of scientific misconduct.

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Water & Oceans [21]

Science [23]

Climate Change [24]

Wildlife [25]

Region:

Antarctica & Arctic [26]

Visibility:

Public [3]

Read more about Polar Bear Scientist Cleared; Interior Dept. Still Under Openness Cloud [22]

Federal FOIA System Begins Evolving Via New Online Portal [27]

While it still has a long way to go to reach its potential, the new "FOIAonline" web portal benefits environmental reporters now. Submit and track FOIA requests online to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and more.

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Technology [28]

Visibility:

Public [3]

Read more about Federal FOIA System Begins Evolving Via New Online Portal [27]

Earth Journalism Network and SEJ Petition Cambodia To Investigate Journalist's Murder [29]

[29]

The petition presses the Cambodian government for a full investigation into the murder of journalist Hang Serei Oudom, who was killed in Cambodia in September 2012. He had reportedly been covering illegal logging activities currently causing massive deforestation of the Cambodian forest.

Topics on the Beat:

Forests [30]

Disasters [10]

Visibility:

Public [3]

Region:

Asia [31]

Read more about Earth Journalism Network and SEJ Petition Cambodia To Investigate Journalist's Murder [29]

September 19, 2012 to September 25, 2012

Lewis M. Branscomb Science and Democracy Forum-Sept 19th, 25th [32]

Join the Union of Concerned Scientists (USC) Center for Science and Democracy for a forum on barriers to citizen access to governmental scientific information. Attend the symposium via webcast or in person at the Newseum (limited seating) from 8:30 to Noon EDT. The session is free but requires registration.

Other Events [33]

Visibility:

Public [3]

Topics on the Beat:

Science [23]

Policy [34]