Environmental journalists can use the authoritative, nonpartisan explainers written by experts at the Congressional Research Service. Congress, however, does not want the public to read these key facts. Thanks to the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy, both journalists and public can read them. Here is a selection of recent CRS reports relevant to environment and energy.

• "Oil and Natural Gas Industry Tax Issues in the FY2014 Budget Proposal," [2] Congressional Research Service (R42374), October 30, 2013, by Robert Pirog.
• "Chemical Regulation in the European Union (EU): Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals," [3] Congressional Research Service (RS22673), October 23, 2013, by Jerry H. Yen.
• "Proposed Reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in the 113th Congress: S. 1009 Compared with S. 696 and Current Law," [4] Congressional Research Service (R43136), October 23, 2013, by Jerry H. Yen.
• "Army Corps of Engineers: Water Resource Authorizations, Appropriations, and Activities," [5] Congressional Research Service (R41243), October 18, 2013, by Nicole T. Carter and Charles V. Stern.
• "Hydraulic Fracturing: Selected Legal Issues," [6] Congressional Research Service (R43152), October 22, 2013, by Adam Vann, Brandon J. Murrill, and Mary Tiemann.
• "Carbon Capture: A Technology Assessment," [7] Congressional Research Service (R41325), October 21, 2013, by Peter Folger.
• "The 2013 Farm Bill: A Comparison of the Senate-Passed (S. 954) and House-Passed (H.R. 2642, H.R. 3102) Bills with Current Law," [8] Congressional Research Service (R43076), October 18, 2013, by Ralph M. Chite.
• "Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Incentives: A Summary of Federal Programs," [9] Congressional Research Service (R40913), October 18, 2013, by Lynn J. Cunningham and Beth A. Roberts.
• "Oil and Chemical Spills: Federal Emergency Response Framework," [10] Congressional Research Service (R43251), October 10, 2013, by David M. Bearden and Jonathan L. Ramseur.