The best public database of the risk management plans for many major hazardous sites has now been restored. The latest TipSheet has the backstory on government tracking of hazardous chemical facilities, an example of how the database was mined for some stellar reporting, and ideas for smart use of this powerful tool.
"WASHINGTON — On the fourth floor of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the staff of the White House chief technology officer has been virtually deleted, down from 24 members before the election to, by Friday, only one."
"The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a new, more detailed plan for laying off 25 percent of its employees and scrapping 56 programs including pesticide safety, water runoff control, and environmental cooperation with Mexico and Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement."
Rewinding the Clean Power Plan and its planned cuts in U.S. carbon emissions may not have the effect intended, reports this week's TipSheet. Why changes now underway in the electric power industry may have less to do with regulations than with the energy market itself. Plus, covering developments state by state.
Has President Donald Trump really unraveled Obama-era auto mileage standards and the climate policy they supported? Far from it, explains our latest Backgrounder. Here's why true change on auto emissions will take much more than a presidential fiat. And get angles and sources to report the ongoing issue.
"White House political appointees are clashing with U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Staffers installed on the Trump administration's 'beachhead team' at EPA have been at odds with the agency's new chief since Pruitt and his aides arrived at headquarters last month."
In this President's Report, SEJ's Bobby Magill outlines plans for the organization amid political tumult. In the works: a rebranding, a website revamp and a new strategic vision under the guidance of Executive Director Melisa Klem. Find out more, plus how you can share your perspective, such as at SEJ's member-led meetups.
Proposed budget reductions for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could undermine the work of agencies as varied as National Weather Service and Sea Grant, as well as a satellite network informing much climate research. The latest TipSheet outlines NOAA stories that may emerge ... or vanish.
"The Trump administration plans to take a sledgehammer to the Environmental Protection Agency. Thursday’s proposal by the White House would slash the EPA’s budget by 31 percent — nearly one third — from its current level of $8.1 billion to $5.7 billion. It would cut 3,200 positions, or more than 20 percent of the agency’s current workforce of about 15,000."
As SEJournal's part during Sunshine Week, we've put together a step-by-step for filing your own Freedom of Information Act requests. Find out about best practices for waiving fees, expediting requests, pushing back on exemptions, appealing FOIA denials and using state open-records laws. [Image: © Clipart.com]
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