"The Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill to expand the public's access to government records, after a year of delay."

"The Senate backers of legislation to strengthen the government's open records laws are hoping to pass their bill on the floor in the coming week."

As the Flint water crisis was being discovered, Michigan environmental officials tried to manipulate exemptions in the state's freedom of information law to keep secret emails that should have been subject to disclosure.

"Last Thursday, the Center for Biological Diversity made an announcement: The Fish and Wildlife Service was proposing to delist the Yellowstone grizzly. But FWS didn't release the proposal for another half-hour. CBD had scooped the agency on its own news, criticizing the delisting proposal before FWS had a chance to defend it."

"Last summer, investigative journalist Curt Guyette found himself knocking on doors of families in Flint, Michigan, carrying not only a pen and notebook, but water-testing kits."

"Top aides at U.S. EPA's headquarters were discussing their options on the Flint, Mich., drinking water disaster long before the agency elevated its response in January this year."

"We lost a strong, colorful voice for environmental journalism this week. Photographer Gary Braasch, who spent his life chronicling the beauty and injustices of our changing planet, died while snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef Sunday. He was 70 years old.

I met Gary through the Society of Environmental Journalists and had the honor of working with him on several projects while I was editor of The Daily Climate. He was a man of 1,000 ideas, constantly on the move.