The Southern Environmental Law Center's top 10 places in America's South that face "immediate, potentially irreparable threats in 2009" represent a cross-section of the major environmental issues facing these states.

A US House Oversight Committee report released in January 2009 found that federal agencies frequently ignore the findings and recommendations of their inspectors general.

In one of many last-minute actions, the Bush administration delayed a decision on a drinking water standard for the contaminant perchlorate (used in rocket fuel, explosives, fireworks, and many other industrial products, and also occurs naturally), but issued a temporary advisory recommendation. This has immediate implications for at least 31 large US utilities, and perhaps hundreds more.

The December 2008 coal-ash spill at a Tennessee power plant has been making headlines for two weeks — but few journalists realize there are coal-ash stories to be unearthed in many communities. Here are some clues for finding them.

Concerns over emissions from formaldehyde in pressed-wood products have been building for many years. California's new rules addressing the problem went into effect Jan. 1, 2009. Now EPA is looking at following suit.

If you need information on land use changes over time, or on current land uses and character, you may want to check out decades-worth of globe-spanning satellite images that USGS has made freely available to the public.

On February 17, 2009, all full-power broadcast US television stations will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begin broadcasting only in digital. So, many old TVs are now creating e-waste challenges as they're relegated to landfills and recycling centers.

Environmental policy, legislation, and regulation are likely to be different under the Obama administration than the Bush administration. It's difficult to know yet what the priorities will be, or what shifts will occur. This is the first half of potential topics for journalists to keep an eye on.

Environmental policy, legislation, and regulation are likely to be different under the Obama administration than the Bush administration. It's difficult to know yet what the priorities will be, or what shifts will occur. This is the second half of potential topics for journalists to keep an eye on.

The Obama administration is taking shape with many key environmental appointments to the cabinet and elsewhere. This is the first half of our guide to the new players, their backgrounds and agendas.