WatchDog TipSheet

The rawness of the data, which will be analyzed and revised by EPA at a later date, means that, for now, reporters will need to do more of their own ground-truthing in order to use it.

This data tool shows promise, but it currently tracks only non-infectious conditions and not others tied to environmental causes, such as neurological, endocrine, and reproductive disorders.

Journalists were told to leave the room before Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman spoke to a group of lobbyists and private-industry representatives at the June 2009 meeting of the Energy Facility Contractors Group in Washington.

The Project on Government Oversight celebrated Earth Day blogging interesting facts gleaned from its Federal Contractor Misconduct Database.

In one handy spot, you'll find hundreds of rarely visited Web pages published by a vast variety of federal offices and programs doing science on environmental and other topics.

A July 26 McClatchy story about an ammonia spill that killed one in South Carolina is similar to others that could be told in other U.S. states.

An investigation by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee indicates the Tennessee Valley Authority opted not to make changes that could have prevented the massive December 2008 spill.

The Obama administration releases high-resolution photos, taken by US spy satellites over the years, documenting the extent and quality of arctic sea ice.

Sloppy legal draftsmanship resulted in a 1999 law that could put journalists and publishers in jail for doing investigative exposés of animal cruelty.

Reporters interested in following the hazards of dams, refineries, chemical plants, pipelines, and other infrastructure may find story leads in DHS reports.