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New OMB Open Government Directive Offers FOI Opportunities [1]

While there are plenty of EPA databases already on line, not all of them are in a form that can be quickly downloaded in their entirety and imported into standard database software. That's a key criterion specified, and one that will ease computer-assisted reporting for journalists.

SEJ Publication Types: 
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Laws & Regulations [3]
Government [4]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility: 
Public [6]

Regulations.gov Sharpens Info Tools Useful to Reporters [7]

Now it's easier than ever to find and read documents submitted for the record at most federal regulatory agencies. Sign up for Federal Register email or RSS-feed notifications.

SEJ Publication Types: 
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Government [4]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility: 
Public [6]

Construction Water Pollution: New EPA Rule [8]

Stormwater runoff from construction sites is a significant source of soil and sediment runoff. The new rule addresses building construction, as well as heavy and civil engineering construction

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat: 
Pollution [10]
Water & Oceans [11]
Government [4]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility: 
Public [6]

"US: $3B To End Royalty Dispute With Indian Tribes" [12]

"The Obama administration on Tuesday proposed spending more than $3 billion to settle claims dating back more than a century that American Indian tribes were swindled out of royalties for oil, gas, grazing and other leases."

Government [4]
Public [6]
National (U.S.) [5]
Source: AP [13], 12/09/2009

"Poor Oversight Threatens Ill. Weatherization Program, Says DOE IG Audit" [14]

"Federal stimulus funding has provided $242 million to Illinois to weatherize more than 25,000 homes, but poor oversight of that work puts the funding at risk and in some cases puts the residents of poorly weatherized homes in danger, an audit report warns."

Government [4]
Public [6]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [15]
Source: Greenwire [16], 12/08/2009

"New Policy on Lobbyists Could Spur Shake-Up for EPA Advisory Panel" [17]

"A sweeping new White House policy aimed at ousting special interests from federal advisory panels might sweep registered lobbyists off some U.S. EPA advisory panels."
Government [4]
Public [6]
National (U.S.) [5]
Source: Greenwire [18], 12/07/2009

Fossil Fuel Basics: Two Good, Current Primers From CRS [19]

The Federation of American Scientists has posted these reports online: "Fossil Fuel Resources: Terminology, Reporting, and Summary" and "Unconventional Gas Shales: Development, Technology, and Policy Issues."

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat: 
Energy & Fuel [20]
Government [4]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility: 
Public [6]

EPA Develops "Green Home" Site [21]

This new tool is broken out by space type (e.g., kitchen, bathroom, garage, yard), and covers a wide range of indoor and outdoor energy, toxicity, consumption, and environmental impact issues — even topics such as finding a greener mortgage.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat: 
Planning & Growth [22]
Government [4]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility: 
Public [6]

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports [23]

[23]

Investigating issues that involve federal legislation or policy? Congressional Research Service reports, publicly funded but not easily available to the public, are posted online by open-government advocates.

Reporting Tools [24]
Visibility: 
Public [6]
National (U.S.) [5]
Government [4]

Toolbox: Zippy Access to EPA Data on Sites in Your Community [25]

Environmental journalists working for local news media outlets may want to check out the EPA ZIP code lookup tool for discovering potential stories in their areas.

SEJ Publication Types: 
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Government [4]
Journalism & Media [26]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [5]
Visibility: 
Public [6]

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/new-omb-open-government-directive-offers-foi-opportunities [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/watchdog-tipsheet [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [5] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [6] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [7] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/regulationsgov-sharpens-info-tools-useful-reporters [8] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/construction-water-pollution-new-epa-rule [9] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [12] https://www.sej.org/headlines/us-3b-to-end-royalty-dispute-with-indian-tribes [13] http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gnXHnIwaejo2RTMaMLmw0MY1tL2QD9CFFB400 [14] https://www.sej.org/headlines/poor-oversight-threatens-ill-weatherization-program-says-doe-ig-audit [15] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [16] http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/12/07/07greenwire-poor-oversight-threatens-ill-weatherization-pr-24829.html [17] https://www.sej.org/headlines/new-policy-lobbyists-could-spur-shake-up-epa-advisory-panel [18] http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/12/04/04greenwire-new-policy-on-lobbyists-could-spur-shake-up-fo-42663.html [19] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/fossil-fuel-basics-two-good-current-primers-from-crs [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [21] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/epa-develops-green-home-site [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [23] https://www.sej.org/library/government/congressional-research-service-reports [24] https://www.sej.org/category/library/reporting-tools [25] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/toolbox-zippy-access-epa-data-sites-your-community [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=283 [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=280 [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=281 [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=282 [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=285 [32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=286 [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=287 [34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=288 [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=307