National (U.S.)

A rule issued April 16, 2008, ostensibly to keep the public safe from shipments of highly hazardous materials by rail, has been little-understood by the public.

President Barack Obama signalled that open access to information will be a top priority for his administration, issuing two memos to all executive agencies and one executive order at a January 21, 2009, session open to reporters and cabinet members.

EPA has begun a "National Dialogue" about what information the public needs from the agency and how the agency can better provide that information.

In every Congressional district - including yours - there are dozens of "pork barrel" politics stories.

"'If you're going to start taking pictures of me, you're liable to get shot,' the chairman of one of the country's biggest coal mining companies, Don Blankenship of Massey Energy, told an ABC News reporter before grabbing the reporter's camera,"

Under industry pressure, the U.S. Agriculture Department is considering hiding from consumers information about which retailers might be selling the tainted meat recalled because of health and safety risks.

"Attorney General Michael Mukasey and three other top Bush administration officials are weighing in against legislation that would allow reporters to protect the identities of confidential sources..."

Environmental reporters who want to keep track of accidents on their beats may want to know about these useful tools and resources.

The heads of Obama administration Congressional committees and subcommittees will likely be in the spotlight in the coming months. This overview will help you get a feel for who these people are, or who will soon be chosen.

The Southern Environmental Law Center's top 10 places in America's South that face "immediate, potentially irreparable threats in 2009" represent a cross-section of the major environmental issues facing these states.