Concerns about the greater impact of pollution on poor people and ethnic minorities are not new. But now, environmental reporters have more tools than ever for finding and telling these stories. The latest TipSheet spotlights a useful EPA app and numerous other sources to track this ongoing story.
"California generates an average of 1.7 million tons of hazardous waste each year. That ranges from industrial pollution to discarded household products. It includes liquids, solid, or gases that science has determined pose a threat to human or other life."
"DEPUE, Ill. — Mayor Eric Bryant was leading his usual tour the other day, driving visitors past the poisoned lake, around the abandoned bungalows, and over dusty ball fields until he reached a glittering metal mountain known here as the 'Pile of Black Death.'"
"U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry pushed for opening Nevada's Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site in a meeting with the state's governor on Monday, but the local leader said he remains staunchly opposed to the project."
"No agency in the federal government fared worse under Thursday’s proposed budget than the Environmental Protection Agency."
As the Trump administration proposes big cuts at environmental agencies like the U.S. EPA, the latest TipSheet explores how to dig up local angles from the budget action. Examples: Tracking changes at EPA regional offices and labs, at Superfund or at state revolving funds for clean water and safe drinking water programs.
The Toxics Release Inventory has long been a vital reporting tool, and now there's a new edition of the database, issued last month by the outgoing Obama administration. Reporter's Toolbox walks you through how to smartly mine TRI for stories, whether you're a newbie or a veteran. Plus, TRI caveats.
"The governor of North Dakota ordered protesters on Wednesday to evacuate a demonstration camp near the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline in the latest move to clear the area that has served as a base for opposition to the multibillion dollar project."
For the first time, Sundance Film Festival spotlighted a single theme, and it was climate change. Documentaries highlighting the issue including a sequel to Al Gore's blockbuster, as well as more than a dozen other films dealing with issues like coral reefs, recyling, changing landscapes and rainforest destruction.
The latest WatchDog TipSheet details an open-records case against U.S. EPA nominee Scott Pruitt (shown), the scoop on an Agriculture Department animal welfare database that vanished then returned, a reporter busted at Standing Rock, plus items on whistleblowers, coal-ash and more.
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