"When Chesapeake Bay oysters and other shellfish become contaminated with sewage or other pollution, Maryland environmental officials normally alert the public before any are harvested or eaten. But that didn’t happen after a recent sewage spill in Southern Maryland — and at least two dozen people became ill."
"American shad, often called the “founding fish” for their historical and cultural significance, are on the brink of collapse in the James River, according to the latest State of the James report released Tuesday."
"Tangier Island, home to a Virginia fishing town and about 400 people, could be saturated by rising seas and convert to uninhabitable wetlands by 2051, according to an analysis released Monday.
The tiny island, which drew national attention for its residents’ support of former President Donald Trump and skepticism of climate change, is one of many Chesapeake Bay islands sinking because of local sea level rise and subsidence. People have lived on the island since the 18th century, but the residents could soon face displacement.
"Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin said during the campaign that he wouldn’t have signed the law, but support remains in the Senate and at two key regulatory agencies."
Two outstanding features — one on air pollution from a local coke plant in Pennsylvania, another on deaths from a shellfish toxin in Alaska, and both focused on public health, neglected communities and environmental justice — are the subject of the new Inside Story Q&A. Society of Environmental Journalists’ award-winners Nancy Averett and Zoya Teirstein share their reporting insights and advice.
"When residents in Union Hill, Virginia, decried the pipeline as a form of environmental racism, the energy company insisted it wasn’t".
"A new report ranked Baltimore last among five cities studied for recycling rates. But the problem lies with plastic itself: Most of it never gets recycled."
Recent images of flooded-out homes are a potent reminder to environmental reporters that where and how houses are built are major factors in how they will survive increasingly common extreme weather-related flooding. The latest TipSheet takes a look at how construction and zoning codes play a role, with story ideas and resources to cover the issue in your region.
"The centerpiece of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight climate change passed its last regulatory hurdle Wednesday, in a hard-fought bid to make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy."
