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When Disaster Strikes, Building Codes May Make Things Worse [1]

They may not be the sexiest topics on the environmental agenda. But building codes and zoning can become a matter of life and death when natural disasters strike. This week’s TipSheet runs down the reporting challenge when floods, earthquakes and wildfires threaten your coverage area.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
People & Population [8]
Planning & Growth [9]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [10]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
California [12]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [13]
Northwest (OR WA) [14]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Visibility: 
Public [16]

"Environmental Groups Sue To Block Road Through Alaska Refuge" [17]

"Nine environmental groups sued the U.S. government Wednesday to block a land trade that could lead to construction of a road through a national wildlife refuge in Alaska that is habitat for migrating waterfowl."

Environmental Politics [18]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [19]
People & Population [8]
Public [16]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
Source: AP [20], 02/01/2018

After Trump Tariff, Local and Regional Stories Abound on Solar [21]

New White House tariffs on solar imports may put the brakes on the solar installation boom in the United States. That means numerous local and regional stories are waiting to be told. This week's TipSheet has plenty of ideas for coverage, plus resources to track solar activity in your locale.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Consumer [22]
Economy & Business [23]
Energy & Fuel [24]
Environmental Politics [18]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Technology [25]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [10]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [26]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [27]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [28]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [29]
Asia [30]
Visibility: 
Public [16]

Murkowski Asks Interior to Close Some Alaska Waters To Offshore Drilling [31]

"Alaska’s Republican senator said on Thursday she will ask Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to remove certain sensitive offshore areas of Alaska from his proposed strategy to increase oil and gas drilling in federal waters."

Energy & Fuel [24]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Public [16]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
Source: Reuters [32], 01/29/2018

In Reversal, EPA Deals Setback To Pebble Mine In Alaska [33]

"Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced late Friday that he will not scrap the agency’s 2014 determination that a large-scale mining operation could irreparably harm Alaska’s Bristol Bay water­shed."

Fish & Fisheries [34]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [19]
Public [16]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
Source: Washington Post [35], 01/29/2018

Charting the Year Ahead in Environment, Energy News [36]

This is a decisive time on the energy and environment front, with challenges and confrontation expected over the consummation of the Trump deregulatory agenda. Our second annual issues guide provides a roadmap for covering the big stories. The guide's formal launch took place at an SEJ event in Washington, D.C. [37] on January 26. If you missed it, the webcast is archived here [38].

SEJ Publication Types: 
Backgrounders [39]
Topics on the Beat: 
Air [40]
Chemicals [41]
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Economy & Business [23]
Energy & Fuel [24]
Environmental Health [42]
Environmental Politics [18]
Forests [43]
Government [5]
Health [44]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [19]
Policy [45]
Pollution [46]
Science [47]
Water & Oceans [48]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [10]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
California [12]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [13]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [27]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [28]
Northwest (OR WA) [14]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [29]
Central America & the Caribbean [49]
Visibility: 
Public [16]

Zinke Signs Land-Swap Deal For Road Through Alaska’s Izembek Wilderness [50]

"Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a land-swap agreement Monday to allow a small, remote Alaska town to construct a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, a vast wilderness area that has been protected for decades."

Environmental Politics [18]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [19]
People & Population [8]
Public [16]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
Source: Washington Post [51], 01/23/2018

"Toxic Thaw Syndrome" [52]

"Melting permafrost carries unknown dangers for Arctic marine life."

Chemicals [41]
Climate Change [3]
Water & Oceans [48]
Public [16]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
Source: Hakai [53], 01/12/2018

2018 Elections Could Be Game-Changer for Environment, Energy [54]

The 2018 elections may prove highly consequential for environment and energy policy, possibly slowing or even reversing the Trump-GOP deregulatory agenda. The latest Issue Backgrounder helps reporters frame the choices voters face, including environmental justice and offshore drilling.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Backgrounders [39]
Topics on the Beat: 
Chemicals [41]
Climate Change [3]
Economy & Business [23]
Energy & Fuel [24]
Environmental Politics [18]
Government [5]
People & Population [8]
Policy [45]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [10]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
California [12]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [26]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [13]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [27]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [28]
Northwest (OR WA) [14]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [29]
Visibility: 
Public [16]

Interior To Swap Land With Alaskan Village For Road Through Refuge [55]

"The Interior Department has approved a land swap deal that will allow a remote Alaskan village to construct a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, according to local officials. The action effectively overrules wilderness protections that have kept the area off limits to vehicles for decades."

Environmental Politics [18]
Health [44]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [19]
Public [16]
Alaska and Hawaii [11]
Source: Washington Post [56], 01/08/2018

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/when-disaster-strikes-building-codes-may-make-things-worse [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [10] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [11] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii [12] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [13] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mid-atlantic [14] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northwest [15] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [16] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [17] https://www.sej.org/headlines/environmental-groups-sue-block-road-through-alaska-refuge [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [20] https://www.apnews.com/682e90031d6544d58f540524db00c0b4/Environmental-groups-sue-to-block-road-through-Alaska-refuge [21] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/after-trump-tariff-local-and-regional-stories-abound-solar [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [26] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [27] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [28] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northeast [29] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [30] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/asia [31] https://www.sej.org/headlines/murkowski-asks-interior-close-some-alaska-waters-offshore-drilling [32] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drilling-offshore-alaska/senator-asks-interior-chief-to-shield-parts-of-alaska-from-offshore-drilling-idUSKBN1FE3BB [33] https://www.sej.org/headlines/reversal-epa-deals-setback-pebble-mine-alaska [34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries [35] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/in-reversal-epa-deals-setback-to-controversial-gold-mining-proposal-in-alaska/2018/01/26/75d73aae-0206-11e8-bb03-722769454f82_story.html [36] https://www.sej.org/publications/backgrounders/charting-year-ahead-environment-energy-news [37] https://www.sej.org/2018-journalists-guide-energy-environment [38] https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/the-2018-journalists-guide-to-energy-and-environment [39] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/backgrounders [40] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [41] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [42] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [43] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [45] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [46] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [47] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [49] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/central-america-caribbean [50] https://www.sej.org/headlines/zinke-signs-land-swap-deal-road-through-alaska%E2%80%99s-izembek-wilderness [51] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/01/22/zinke-to-sign-land-swap-deal-allowing-road-through-alaskas-izembek-wilderness/?utm_term=.afc35d6b6ebd [52] https://www.sej.org/headlines/toxic-thaw-syndrome [53] https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/toxic-thaw-syndrome/?platform=hootsuite [54] https://www.sej.org/publications/backgrounders/2018-elections-could-be-game-changer-environment-energy [55] https://www.sej.org/headlines/interior-swap-land-alaskan-village-road-through-refuge [56] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/01/06/interior-department-strikes-land-swap-deal-with-alaskan-village-for-road-through-national-wildlife-refuge/?utm_term=.b25ecfa26fd7 [57] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii?page=39 [58] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii?page=36 [59] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii?page=37 [60] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii?page=38 [61] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii?page=41 [62] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii?page=42 [63] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii?page=43 [64] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii?page=44 [65] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/alaska-and-hawaii?page=75