Publication Items

The toxic compounds known as PFAS are causing a crisis in the waste and recycling industry, which faces mounting regulation and litigation over handling its presence in the waste stream. One reporter on the PFAS front lines explains the industry’s dilemma, as well as the challenges of covering the story and how a financial prism led to important insights into industry’s response.

What will a Biden presidency mean for climate and environmental policy if it’s facing the prospect of a GOP-controlled Senate? Quite a bit actually. The latest Backgrounder examines a range of executive actions that the Biden White House could take on energy and the environment. Plus, a look at what’s possible through independent agencies and, yes, bipartisan legislation. But there are a lot of powerful climate actions a Biden administration could take — by executive action alone. Also see headlines on the topic from EJ Today.

With this issue, SEJournal launches its newest column — FEJ StoryLog. The bimonthly feature will bring you the lessons of journalists who have been able to pursue their public service reporting work through the largesse of the Fund for Environmental Journalism. Column editor Carolyn Whetzel tells the story of the grant program and its successes. And watch in coming weeks for our first grantee StoryLog, from reporter Christine Woodside.

A battery of polluting industry spewing toxic pollution and a small town of residents south of Baton Rouge unbowed by their circumstance make for the ingredients of a powerful team investigative project, newly named to the top prize in the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 2020 reporting awards. Inside Story offers a look behind “Polluter’s Paradise” in a Q&A with reporter Tristan Baurick.