Public

Obama, Chris Christie Get First-Hand Look at Sandy Devastation in NJ [1]

"BRIGANTINE, N.J. — President Barack Obama inspected the devastation from Sandy on Wednesday, flying high over flooded neighborhoods, sand-strewn streets and a burning fire that charred homes along the New Jersey coastline."

Disasters [2]

Environmental Politics [3]

Public [4]

National (U.S.) [5]

Source: AP [6], 11/01/2012

Read more about Obama, Chris Christie Get First-Hand Look at Sandy Devastation in NJ [1]

Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund for SEJ Members [7]

Seven years ago SEJ members came together to help colleagues impacted by Hurricane Katrina to get back on their feet. Hurricane Sandy has created a similar disaster. SEJ has set up a small fund for those who want to help fellow members. Donate or request assistance. [7]

Visibility:

Public [4]

Read more about Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund for SEJ Members [7]

State, Federal Whistleblower Rules a Key Tool for Journalists [8]

Watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility's new guide to state whistleblower laws starts with a map — click on any state to link to its whistleblower law and other related info. Federally, there is currently a bill in play in Congress which would strengthen the notoriously weak federal whistleblower protections.

SEJ Publication Types:

WatchDog TipSheet [9]

Topics on the Beat:

Laws & Regulations [10]

Journalism & Media [11]

Government [12]

Visibility:

Public [4]

Read more about State, Federal Whistleblower Rules a Key Tool for Journalists [8]

Groups Petition EPA To Disclose Fracking Emissions [13]

The gas industry won itself an exemption from disclosure requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2005. But now environmentalists have a new angle, claiming EPA has authority to compel disclosure under a different law (the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act) — and urging EPA to use it.

SEJ Publication Types:

WatchDog TipSheet [9]

Topics on the Beat:

Water & Oceans [14]

Government [12]

Energy & Fuel [15]

Visibility:

Public [4]

Read more about Groups Petition EPA To Disclose Fracking Emissions [13]

Journalists Complain About PIO "Minders" [16]

Gripes about PIO policies are not new. Now an article in the Society of Professional Journalists' Quill magazine takes the complaint to a higher level, arguing PIO restrictions are not aimed at access and accuracy, and urging journalists to resist the PIO requirements in their own work — and to work together nationally to elevate the PIO censorship issue.

SEJ Publication Types:

WatchDog TipSheet [9]

Topics on the Beat:

Journalism & Media [11]

Environmental Politics [3]

Visibility:

Public [4]

Read more about Journalists Complain About PIO "Minders" [16]

Enviros Urge EPA Not To Weaken Drinking Water Reports [17]

Fifteen environmental and public health groups say EPA had not allowed sufficient time for public review, only put relevant information into its docket at the last minute, and emphasized easing a "burden" utilities had lived with for years at the expense of protecting the public.

SEJ Publication Types:

WatchDog TipSheet [9]

Topics on the Beat:

Water & Oceans [14]

Laws & Regulations [10]

Health [18]

Government [12]

Activism [19]

Visibility:

Public [4]

Read more about Enviros Urge EPA Not To Weaken Drinking Water Reports [17]

"Petition Seeks Information on Toxic Fracking Emissions" [20]

"Today, OMB Watch and 16 local, regional, and national organizations filed a petition under the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require the oil and gas industry – including companies engaged in fracking – to report their toxic emissions. Such reporting would provide EPA with more information on the identity, use, and quantity of chemicals used by the oil and gas industry and would help the agency evaluate their health and environmental risks."

Chemicals [21]

Public [4]

National (U.S.) [5]

Source: OMB Watch [22], 10/31/2012

Read more about "Petition Seeks Information on Toxic Fracking Emissions" [20]

"Asia's Mega-Cities Badly Exposed To Superstorms" [23]

"PARIS — The hammer blow dealt to New York by superstorm Sandy should raise the alarm for coastal mega-cities in Asia which are more exposed but less equipped to deal with such threats, experts said on Tuesday."

Disasters [2]

Planning & Growth [24]

Public [4]

International [25]

Source: AFP [26], 10/31/2012

Read more about "Asia's Mega-Cities Badly Exposed To Superstorms" [23]

"Hazardous Release In NM Sickens 200 Near El Paso" [27]

"SANTA TERESA, N.M. -- An unknown hazardous material sickened about 200 people Tuesday just northwest of El Paso, Texas, as some workers in the industrial area where the substance released described feeling a burning sensation on their skin, according to New Mexico authorities."

Chemicals [21]

Disasters [2]

Public [4]

Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [28]

Source: AP [29], 10/31/2012

Read more about "Hazardous Release In NM Sickens 200 Near El Paso" [27]

"Sandy Raises Concerns About Fracking" [30]

"WASHINGTON -- As Sandy lashed the Eastern Seaboard this week, some environmental groups raised concerns that the superstorm’s brute force could overwhelm feeble storage pits adjacent to fracking sites."

Energy & Fuel [15]

Pollution [31]

Public [4]

National (U.S.) [5]

Source: Scripps Howard [32], 10/31/2012

Read more about "Sandy Raises Concerns About Fracking" [30]

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