"Hundreds of thousands of septic systems in Michigan may be worn out, failed or failing, experts say. And research has shown they are polluting waters across the state."
"Illinois elementary schools and day care centers must test drinking water sources for lead and notify parents of the results under legislation signed into law Monday by Gov. Bruce Rauner."
"The Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians in northern Wisconsin voted not to renew an easement for a major oil and gas pipeline that passes through its reservation. In the wake of the successful protest against the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota, this decision is the latest example of Native American tribes using sovereignty rights to oppose fossil fuel projects."
"More than 60 percent of Americans would like to see the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's powers preserved or strengthened under incoming President Donald Trump, and the drilling of oil on public lands to hold steady or drop, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday."
"Biologists were on Monday investigating the death of dozens of false killer whales that became stranded in Florida's Everglades National Park over the weekend, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said."
"The British Antarctic Survey is to pull all staff out of its space-age Halley base in March for safety reasons."
"William K. Reilly, who was head of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George H.W. Bush, is blunt in his assessment of the climate change deniers and anti-regulatory hawks who have been nominated to fill many of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s top environmental posts. Reilly, a Republican, looks with special alarm upon Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, nominated to run the EPA."
"In his successful runs for state senator in Montana and then for Congress, Representative Ryan Zinke has promoted his 23-year career in the Navy SEALs as one of his main credentials, going so far as to put the SEALs’ Trident symbol on his campaign bus."
What makes for an effective science or environment essay? Freelance Files contributor Michelle Nijhuis explores universal qualities of the best work: It begins with a persistent question that sets the essayist off on a journey of discovery. Also, practical tips on how to get published beyond the essay departments of major magazines.
Are you an SEJ member who's authored, co-authored or edited a non-fiction or fiction environmental book (published in 2015) you'd like included on this page? Documentaries are also welcome. Please send the following to web content manager Cindy MacDonald:
