As hurricane season gets into full swing, a perpetual paradox reemerges — does disaster aid  help or harm? Government financial assistance in a disaster’s wake may seem a boon, but could it just encourage communities to repeat the mistakes of the past? The latest TipSheet explores the question and provides context, reporting resources and story ideas.

Emergency evacuations are hard to plan under normal circumstances. Now the coronavirus pandemic makes them even more complicated and risky. With the summer disaster season upon us, the latest TipSheet explores how environmental journalists can report on emergency planning under COVID-19, with suggested questions to help you dig up stories.

The indoor air in offices was already a potential health risk even before COVID-19. But now amid the pandemic coronavirus, not to mention other ever-present biological threats, indoor environmental hazards make it more likely than ever that offices will look and function differently in coming days. TipSheet takes a look and offers more than a dozen story ideas and resources.

Commuters seeking social distancing want them. City dwellers drawn to nearly car-free streets want them too. But the boom in bikes long pre-dates the COVID-19 outbreak, and their eco-friendly reputation offers environment reporters numerous smart local story angles, per the latest TipSheet. Get context, plus numerous story ideas and resources.

As the United States restarts fitfully following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, one source of controversy — and of numerous local or regional environmental stories — is what to do at the nation’s park system. The latest TipSheet explains why public access to these national treasures is so contentious, then provides numerous story ideas and reporting resources.

For reporters investigating the coronavirus-environment connection, you might look to the untreated sewage that can sometimes overflow municipal systems during wet weather, possibly bringing the novel pathogen to beaches and other places where people can get sick from it. The latest TipSheet takes a look at the reality, plus provides story ideas and reporter resources.

As researchers are finding that soot and other forms of fine particulates in the air may actually make people more vulnerable to the coronavirus, the EPA decided earlier this month against tightening related standards under the Clean Air Act. The latest TipSheet explains why the decision matters, provides deeper context and offers story ideas and resources.

While the COVID-19 outbreak may be absorbing most of the world’s attention, the latest TipSheet advises journalists not to back-burner climate-related energy reporting, as industries and activists continue lobbying for new energy stimulus measures from Congress. On the watch list: tax breaks, airline emission cuts, infrastructure, fossil fuel industry bailouts and more. 

An historic multi-trillion-dollar COVID-19 aid bill is approaching passage in the U.S. Congress, and while details are currently sketchy, it appears to include some key environment and energy asks related to oil reserves, emergency transit funding, cuts in airline carbon emissions, clean energy tax credits, and relief for oil, gas and coal industries. Read on, find out more about the many environment and energy reporting angles to the COVID-19 outbreak [39] and stay tuned to SEJournal online for further developments.

COVID-19 is an unpleasant reminder that when a public health emergency hits, it pays for journalists — including environment reporters — to be prepared. The latest TipSheet offers advice on handling the unknown and gathering an emergency “go bag,” as well as tracking story ideas and numerous federal, state/local and media resources.