Could U.S. infrastructure go from being a saver of lives to a bringer of disaster? Yes, warns our latest Issue Backgrounder, which looks at vulnerabilities for our drinking water supply, sewage systems, flood control, power grids, pipelines, refineries and even hospitals. Are environmental reporters paying enough attention? Here’s why they should, with suggestions on how to go about it.
A call to confront anti-press sentiment with a crusade for the value of journalism, plus a welcome for the new executive director for the Society of Environmental Journalists, and important housekeeping on voting rights for SEJ’s academic and associate members — all in the new report from SEJ President Bobby Magill.
"The young golden eagle on the operating table showed no outward signs of trauma. An X-ray had revealed no fractures."
"Lyle St. Goddard, 56, is running along a dirt trail on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. ... Being a hotshot is a young man's game and St. Goddard believes he's one of the oldest hotshot crew members in the country."
"The Trump administration cleared the Dakota Access oil pipeline on Friday, saying that further environmental review didn’t bring up any new concerns."
"Fishing gear that is responsible for the unintentional deaths of dozens of marine mammals every year will be phased out under a new bill passed by the state Legislature and awaiting the governor’s signature."
"Sea surface temperatures in the vast Gulf of Maine hit a near-record high of 68.93 degrees Fahrenheit on Aug. 8, part of what scientists called a month-long “marine heat wave” in the normally chilly waters that are home to everything from lobsters to whales."
"Against an infernal backdrop of widespread wildfires, the Administration announced its plan to roll back rules limiting greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants."
"The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) internal watchdog is auditing how the agency deals with issues of scientific integrity."
" Governments are not on track to meet a goal of the 2015 Paris agreement of capping temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) before the end of the century, a United Nations official said on Sunday ahead of climate-change talks in Bangkok this week."
