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Small-Market Reporter Unmasks Race Gap in Pollution Response [1]

When two towns — one an affluent suburb and the other a poor rural community — faced similar air pollution crises, lopsided government action made clear there was an underlying race and class divide. Reporter Sharon Lerner shares the story behind her award-winning reporting that tells the “Tale of Two Toxic Cities,” in our latest Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Inside Story [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
People & Population [11]
Pollution [12]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [13]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [14]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Visibility: 
Public [16]
  • Read more about Small-Market Reporter Unmasks Race Gap in Pollution Response [1]
July 1, 2020

Extreme Weather and the Climate Connection [17]

Attention Journalists! Join Covering Climate Now at Noon ET for a “Talking Shop” webinar about covering extreme weather events through a climate lens.. The session is by and for journalists; CCNow membership is not required.

Other Events [18]
Visibility: 
Public [16]
Topics on the Beat: 
Climate Change [19]
Disasters [20]
Journalism & Media [10]

"Space Agencies Unveil Site Showing Lockdown Changes To Earth" [21]

"You can now see how coronavirus lockdowns have changed air pollution, hospital lights and even white asparagus harvests."

Disasters [20]
Environmental Health [6]
Health [9]
Science [22]
Technology [23]
Public [16]
International [24]
Source: AP [25], 06/29/2020
  • Read more about "Space Agencies Unveil Site Showing Lockdown Changes To Earth" [21]

Dems’ Infrastructure Bill Has A Special Delivery: Electric Mail Trucks [26]

"Cleaner, quieter, cheaper Postal Service vehicles — if Mitch McConnell allows them"

Climate Change [19]
Energy & Fuel [27]
Laws & Regulations [28]
Transportation [29]
Public [16]
National (U.S.) [13]
Source: Vox [30], 06/29/2020
  • Read more about Dems’ Infrastructure Bill Has A Special Delivery: Electric Mail Trucks [26]

"Trump Taps Pendley for Land Bureau Chief After Year in Role" [31]

"The White House on Friday announced its intention to formally nominate William Perry Pendley to be the director of the Bureau of Land Management, which he has directed in an acting capacity for nearly a year."

Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Laws & Regulations [28]
Natural Resources [32]
Public [16]
National (U.S.) [13]
Source: Bloomberg Environment [33], 06/29/2020
  • Read more about "Trump Taps Pendley for Land Bureau Chief After Year in Role" [31]

"Ernst Sinks Vote on Trump EPA Nominee" [34]

"The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will not take up Douglas Benevento’s nomination for the No. 2 position at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced her opposition."

Agriculture [35]
Energy & Fuel [27]
Environmental Politics [7]
Public [16]
National (U.S.) [13]
Source: The Hill [36], 06/29/2020
  • Read more about "Ernst Sinks Vote on Trump EPA Nominee" [34]

"Satellites Reveal Major New Gas Industry Methane Leaks" [37]

"Last fall, European Space Agency satellites detected huge plumes of the invisible planet-warming gas methane leaking from the Yamal pipeline that carries natural gas from Siberia to Europe."

Climate Change [19]
Energy & Fuel [27]
Environmental Studies [38]
Technology [23]
Public [16]
International [24]
Source: Reuters [39], 06/29/2020
  • Read more about "Satellites Reveal Major New Gas Industry Methane Leaks" [37]

"Chesapeake Energy, Fracking Pioneer, Files For Bankruptcy Owing $9bn" [40]

"Chesapeake Energy, the shale gas drilling pioneer that helped to turn the United States into a global energy powerhouse, has filed for bankruptcy protection." "The Oklahoma City-based company helped turn the US into a global energy powerhouse but ran up huge debts in the process".

 

Climate Change [19]
Disasters [20]
Economy & Business [41]
Energy & Fuel [27]
Environmental Health [6]
Health [9]
Public [16]
National (U.S.) [13]
Source: Guardian [42], 06/29/2020
  • Read more about "Chesapeake Energy, Fracking Pioneer, Files For Bankruptcy Owing $9bn" [40]

Environmental Justice: "St. James Parish Takes on Big Plastic" [43]

"Beneath a searing Louisiana sun, a crowd gathers on a former sugar cane plantation to commemorate Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. Rows of unmarked graves stand nearby—believed to be the resting place of those who’d been enslaved on the plantation. A few people, clad in face masks, hold up a banner: Honoring Our Ancestors. Another sign, staked into the grass, is aimed not at the past, but at the future: FORMOSA: YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE."

Activism [3]
Chemicals [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [44]
Environmental Politics [7]
Laws & Regulations [28]
Pollution [12]
Public [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Source: Hakai [45], 06/29/2020
  • Read more about Environmental Justice: "St. James Parish Takes on Big Plastic" [43]

Florida Scientist Says She Was Fired For Not Manipulating COVID-19 Data [46]

"NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Rebekah Jones, a scientist who was fired from Florida's health department, who is now publishing a coronavirus dashboard of her own to track the state's COVID-19 cases."

Disasters [20]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Public [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Source: NPR [47], 06/29/2020
  • Read more about Florida Scientist Says She Was Fired For Not Manipulating COVID-19 Data [46]

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/inside-story/small-market-reporter-unmasks-race-gap-pollution-response [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/inside-story [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [13] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [14] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [15] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [16] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [17] https://www.sej.org/calendar/extreme-weather-and-climate-connection [18] https://www.sej.org/category/event-type/other-events [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [21] https://www.sej.org/headlines/space-agencies-unveil-site-showing-lockdown-changes-earth [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [24] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [25] https://apnews.com/0737b5f3c346aed25ccf928bd01e2e20 [26] https://www.sej.org/headlines/dems-infrastructure-bill-has-special-delivery-electric-mail-trucks [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation [30] https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2020/6/26/21302742/electric-vehicles-usps-postal-trucks-democrats-infrastructure-bill-electrify-service-mail [31] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-taps-pendley-land-bureau-chief-after-year-role [32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [33] https://bnanews.bna.com/environment-and-energy/trump-taps-pendley-for-land-bureau-chief-after-year-in-role [34] https://www.sej.org/headlines/ernst-sinks-vote-trump-epa-nominee [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [36] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/504698-ernst-sinks-trump-epa-nominee [37] https://www.sej.org/headlines/satellites-reveal-major-new-gas-industry-methane-leaks [38] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [39] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-methane-satellites-insi/satellites-reveal-major-new-gas-industry-methane-leaks-idUSKBN23W3K4 [40] https://www.sej.org/headlines/chesapeake-energy-fracking-pioneer-files-bankruptcy-owing-9bn [41] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [42] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/29/chesapeake-energy-fracking-pioneer-files-for-bankruptcy-owing-9bn [43] https://www.sej.org/headlines/environmental-justice-st-james-parish-takes-big-plastic [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [45] https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/st-james-parish-takes-on-big-plastic/ [46] https://www.sej.org/headlines/florida-scientist-says-she-was-fired-not-manipulating-covid-19-data [47] https://www.npr.org/2020/06/29/884551391/florida-scientist-says-she-was-fired-for-not-manipulating-covid-19-data [48] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81/all/outstanding-feature-story-large-sej-22nd-annual-awards-reporting-environment [49] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81/all/outstanding-feature-story-large-sej-22nd-annual-awards-reporting-environment?page=1550 [50] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81/all/outstanding-feature-story-large-sej-22nd-annual-awards-reporting-environment?page=1547 [51] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81/all/outstanding-feature-story-large-sej-22nd-annual-awards-reporting-environment?page=1548 [52] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81/all/outstanding-feature-story-large-sej-22nd-annual-awards-reporting-environment?page=1549 [53] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81/all/outstanding-feature-story-large-sej-22nd-annual-awards-reporting-environment?page=1552 [54] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81/all/outstanding-feature-story-large-sej-22nd-annual-awards-reporting-environment?page=1553 [55] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81/all/outstanding-feature-story-large-sej-22nd-annual-awards-reporting-environment?page=1554 [56] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81/all/outstanding-feature-story-large-sej-22nd-annual-awards-reporting-environment?page=1555 [57] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81/all/outstanding-feature-story-large-sej-22nd-annual-awards-reporting-environment?page=4693