Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV)

Topics on the Beat:

Disasters [3]

Natural Resources [5]

Region:

Visibility:

Public [7]

Read more about Media Coalition Wins Overturn of Blankenship Gag Order on Appeal [1]

News Media Coalition Appeals Gag Orders in Blankenship Case [8]

After a judge refused to reverse most of the secrecy ruling around the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine disaster caused by Massey Energy's safety violations, including indictment of the company's former CEO, media outlets appealed. Now a coalition of many more media groups, led by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, have filed a friend-of-the-court brief opposing the secrecy ruling as unconstitutional.

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Disasters [3]

Natural Resources [5]

Region:

Visibility:

Public [7]

Read more about News Media Coalition Appeals Gag Orders in Blankenship Case [8]

Is Your Audience in an Oil Train Blast Zone? [9]

After a February 16, 2015, oil train derailment and explosion in West Virginia, new concerns have arisen over the public's right to know about the dangers oil trains pose to communities. Now trackside communities have some data and maps to help them protect themselves. Image: AP Photo/ Office of the Governor of West Virginia, Steven Wayne Rotsch.

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Disasters [3]

Energy & Fuel [10]

Environmental Politics [11]

People & Population [12]

Region:

National (U.S.) [13]

California [14]

Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [15]

Visibility:

Public [7]

Read more about Is Your Audience in an Oil Train Blast Zone? [9]

"Bald Eagles Are Starting To Flourish Again — But Hold the Confetti" [16]

"Working late in a tiny Arkansas lab, Susan Wilde found herself alone with a killer."

Water & Oceans [17]

Wildlife [18]

Public [7]

Source: Wash Post [19], 02/20/2015

Read more about "Bald Eagles Are Starting To Flourish Again — But Hold the Confetti" [16]

March 18, 2015 to March 22, 2015

Turning Protest Into Policy: Environmental Values and Governance in Changing Societies - Conference of the American Society for Environmental History [20]

The 2015 ASEH annual conference, taking place in Washington, DC near Georgetown, will feature 11 field trips and more than 100 sessions discussing climate change, environmental justice, endangered species, public lands, energy policy, forestry management, natural disasters, and other topics. A large exhibit area will feature the latest research and scholarship in environmental history.

Professional Meetings [21]

Visibility:

Public [7]

Topics on the Beat:

Environmental Studies [22]

Region:

Journalism Groups Oppose Photo Fees and Permits in Va. Local Parks [23]

A coalition of journalism and photography groups, including SEJ, objected to requirements for permits and fees for photography in the public parks of Fairfax County, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. In a February 4, 2015, letter to the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), the 14 groups asked the agency to revise its rules to protect photojournalists' First Amendment rights.

SEJ Publication Types:

Topics on the Beat:

Journalism & Media [24]

Region:

Visibility:

Public [7]

Read more about Journalism Groups Oppose Photo Fees and Permits in Va. Local Parks [23]

West Virginia: "Bills Would Weaken Water Protections" [25]

"CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A year after a toxic leak contaminated drinking water for 300,000 residents, West Virginia lawmakers are considering a series of proposals that would weaken a new chemical tank safety law, remove stronger pollution protections for streams across the state, and protect the coal industry from enforcement actions over violations of water quality standards."

Chemicals [26]

Pollution [27]

Water & Oceans [17]

Public [7]

Source: Charleston Gazette [28], 02/10/2015

Read more about West Virginia: "Bills Would Weaken Water Protections" [25]

"N.Y. Landfills Taking Tons of Pa. Drilling Waste" [29]

"At least 460,000 tons and 23,000 barrels of waste from Pennsylvania drilling operations have been taken in by a handful of New York landfills since 2010, according to a new analysis Thursday."

Energy & Fuel [10]

Environmental Politics [11]

Waste [30]

Public [7]

Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [31]

Source: Ithaca Journal [32], 02/09/2015

Read more about "N.Y. Landfills Taking Tons of Pa. Drilling Waste" [29]

"Chesapeake Bay Recovering But Still Under Stress, Report Finds" [33]

"The ailing Chesapeake Bay is slowly recovering from pollution and overfishing but still has problems that include a drop by half in a key segment of the blue crab population, a report on the largest U.S. estuary said on Tuesday."

Agriculture [34]

Pollution [27]

Water & Oceans [17]

Public [7]

Source: Reuters [35], 02/04/2015

Read more about "Chesapeake Bay Recovering But Still Under Stress, Report Finds" [33]

"Bill Would Exempt Thousands of Tanks From Post-Spill Safety Law" [36]

"Thousands of chemical storage tanks across West Virginia would be exempt from the law passed in the wake of the Freedom Industries spill, under legislation introduced Tuesday in the House of Delegates."

Chemicals [26]

Environmental Health [37]

Environmental Politics [11]

Pollution [27]

Public [7]