Mid-pandemic, freelancer Erika Bolstad struck out from Oregon for the boom-bust Bakken oil fields of North Dakota, with cash from a grant, two story assignments and years of book research. She shares her experience on the road, dealing with COVID risks, tricky timing and a stubborn bureaucracy, as well as a generous well-plugger and supportive editors. Read the new FEJ StoryLog.
As the real estate market enters its busiest time of year, it’s also a smart time for environmental journalists to explore and report on all the risks facing prospective property owners — whether lead paint or pipes, radon, flood, wildfire or more. The latest TipSheet explores the beat and offers up more than a dozen story ideas to pursue in your community.
"In recent years, these data centers have been rapidly expanding in the United States. But the gargantuan facilities do more than keep cloud servers running — they also guzzle absurd amounts of water to run cooling systems that protect their components from overheating."
"The nation’s largest public utility is moving ahead with a plan for a new natural gas plant in Tennessee despite warnings that its environmental review of the project doesn’t comply with federal law."
"In communities across the U.S., water contains levels of fluoride some experts say could be harm developing brains."
"As millions of taxpayer dollars flow to livestock companies claiming to raise “low carbon” beef, watchdog groups scrutinize the government’s oversight."
"Donald Trump has pledged to scrap President Biden’s policies on electric vehicles and wind energy, as well as other initiatives opposed by the fossil fuel industry."
"Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown is under fire from Democrats for 2022 remarks in which he expressed support for plans to store federal nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain."
"Rising US demand for electricity is being met almost entirely by renewables, a new federal report has found. The new numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) suggest that the U.S. isn’t moving fast enough to reach the Biden administration’s climate targets."
"The White House has unveiled tighter rules for research on potentially dangerous microbes and toxins, in an effort to stave off laboratory accidents that could unleash a pandemic."
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