The estuaries that proliferate across the United States can be hard to define — and protect. But their role in a healthy environment makes them a crucial focus of good reporting. The latest Issue Backgrounder explores their importance, the many challenges they face, and how to track the agencies and programs meant to protect them.
"Organizations suing to eliminate the first national marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean have gotten the OK to proceed with a suit designed to reopen the area to commercial fishing, which environmentalists fear could jeopardize preservation efforts."
Decades after the nation’s capital began its historic cleanup, sanitary sewage still occasionally swamps the Potomac River. Are sewage systems also dumping human waste and other pollutants into waterways near you? This week’s TipSheet has the background on the problem of combined sewage overflow, as well as resources for finding out what’s happening near you.
"Parts of the U.S. northeast brace for a third powerful winter storm in two weeks that could bring high winds, a foot or more of wet snow and power outages Monday night and into Tuesday, officials said."
"An investigation by The Record and NorthJersey.com found that DuPont knew cancer-causing solvents could vaporize into Pompton Lakes homes."
"For decades, an underground plume of toxic chemicals — about eight football fields wide and covering 140 acres — has lurked beneath 400 homes in the shadow of a now-shuttered munitions plant in suburban North Jersey.
"PORTLAND, Maine — Federal fishing regulators on Tuesday approved a compromise they said would expand the amount of coral habitat preserved in the Atlantic Ocean while also protecting fishing interests."
New White House tariffs on solar imports may put the brakes on the solar installation boom in the United States. That means numerous local and regional stories are waiting to be told. This week's TipSheet has plenty of ideas for coverage, plus resources to track solar activity in your locale.
"Gov. Phil Murphy yesterday signed an executive order to have the state rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a step signaling the state is shifting to a much more aggressive stance on fighting climate change."
This is a decisive time on the energy and environment front, with challenges and confrontation expected over the consummation of the Trump deregulatory agenda. Our second annual issues guide provides a roadmap for covering the big stories. The guide's formal launch took place at an SEJ event in Washington, D.C. on January 26. If you missed it, the webcast is archived here.
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