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Abbott Appointees Cut Power Reliability Team Before Deadly Storm [1]

"Late last year, as winter approached and power companies prepared for cold weather, Gov. Greg Abbott’s hand-picked utility regulators decided they no longer wanted to work with a nonprofit organization they had hired to monitor and help Texas enforce the state’s electric reliability standards."

Climate Change [2]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Public [8]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [9]
Source: Houston Chronicle [10], 02/22/2021

Grid Data Can Guide Reporting on Power Disasters [11]

The power and water fiasco that followed a deep freeze in Texas was a predictable debacle and, thus, a warning signal to journalists covering disasters and climate-driven weather extremes. To help, the latest Reporter’s Toolbox provides a rundown of data sources about power grids, from local, regional and national entities, and recommends you start tracking the numbers and be prepared.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Reporters Toolbox [12]
Topics on the Beat: 
Climate Change [2]
Consumer [13]
Disasters [14]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Government [6]
Infrastructure [15]
Journalism & Media [16]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Planning & Growth [17]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [18]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [19]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [9]
Visibility: 
Public [8]

"Texas Was Warned a Decade Ago Its Grid Was Unready for Cold" [20]

"Federal regulators warned Texas that its power plants couldn’t be counted on to reliably churn out electricity in bitterly cold conditions a decade ago, when the last deep freeze plunged 4 million people into the dark."

Climate Change [2]
Disasters [14]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Politics [5]
Journalism & Media [16]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Public [8]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [9]
Source: Bloomberg [21], 02/18/2021

"Audit Raises Concerns About Wildfire Risks at US Nuclear Lab" [22]

"One of the nation’s premier nuclear laboratories isn’t taking the necessary precautions to guard against wildfires, according to an audit by the U.S. Energy Department’s inspector general."

Disasters [14]
Forests [23]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [24]
Public [8]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [9]
Source: AP [25], 02/11/2021

"Learning To Live With 'El Lobo:' Mexican Wolves Make A Comeback" [26]

"The Mexican wolf was hunted to the brink of extinction. But as it is reintroduced, conservationists hope to quell the old enmity between 'el lobo' and the farmer. "

Agriculture [27]
Biodiversity [28]
Wildlife [29]
Public [8]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [9]
Mexico [30]
Source: DW [31], 02/09/2021

Top Biden Climate Advisor, Others Preview 2021 Energy and Enviro News [32]

President Biden’s national climate advisor Gina McCarthy joined an outspoken U.S. senator and a roundtable of elite journalists last week to preview dramatic changes possibly ahead in U.S. and international climate policy, environmental justice, clean energy and more. Get the upshot from the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 2021 Guide to Energy & Environment event. Plus, watch video of the full program [33].

SEJ Publication Types: 
SEJ News [34]
Topics on the Beat: 
Climate Change [2]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [6]
Health [35]
Journalism & Media [16]
Laws & Regulations [7]
People & Population [36]
Policy [37]
Science [38]
Water & Oceans [39]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [18]
California [40]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [41]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [42]
Northwest (OR WA) [43]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [9]
International [44]
Europe [45]
Visibility: 
Public [8]

Biden Nominees Foretell Aggressive Action on Climate, Environmental Justice [46]

Key picks for President Biden’s environment and energy team suggest top priorities, among them an aggressive, whole-government climate change agenda. The latest Backgrounder assesses choices to pursue Biden’s international and domestic climate policies, as well as historic selections for EPA and Interior, and more. Plus, dive into SEJournal’s expanding “2021 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment [47]” special report.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Backgrounders [48]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [49]
Climate Change [2]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Policy [37]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [18]
California [40]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [50]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [41]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [19]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [9]
International [44]
Visibility: 
Public [8]

"Navajo Nation, New Mexico Reach Settlements Over Mine Spill" [51]

"The Navajo Nation’s Department of Justice announced Wednesday it has settled with mining companies to resolve claims stemming from a 2015 spill that resulted in rivers in three western states being fouled with a bright-yellow plume of arsenic, lead and other heavy metals."

Chemicals [52]
Disasters [14]
Environmental Health [4]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Pollution [53]
Water & Oceans [39]
Public [8]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [9]
Source: AP [54], 01/14/2021

Texas Eyes Tougher Rules On Chemical Tanks To Prevent Explosions, Spills [55]

"A string of explosions involving little-regulated petroleum and chemical storage tanks have lawmakers and regulators talking about new rules as the Legislature prepares to convene this month."

Chemicals [52]
Disasters [14]
Environmental Health [4]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Public [8]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [9]
Source: Texas Observer [56], 01/12/2021

Covering Your Climate: The South [57]

This Society of Environmental Journalists’ special report — “Covering Your Climate: The South” — is the second in a series [58] designed to help journalists of all kinds cover the impacts of climate change in their region, and to report on actions taken to mitigate its worst effects and preparations for what can’t be stopped. This special report begins with the extensive background overview and in the coming weeks, we’ll publish three tipsheets with a wealth of story ideas for right now and over the coming decade, plus a resource toolbox. 

SEJ Publication Types: 
Special Reports [59]
Topics on the Beat: 
Climate Change [2]
Region: 
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [60]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [9]
Visibility: 
Public [8]

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/abbott-appointees-cut-power-reliability-team-deadly-storm [2] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [8] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [9] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [10] https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/Abbott-appointees-made-astonishing-cuts-to-15963686.php [11] https://www.sej.org/publications/reporters-toolbox/grid-data-can-guide-reporting-power-disasters [12] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/reporter%E2%80%99s-toolbox [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [18] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [19] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northeast [20] https://www.sej.org/headlines/texas-was-warned-decade-ago-its-grid-was-unready-cold [21] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-17/texas-was-warned-a-decade-ago-its-grid-was-unprepared-for-cold [22] https://www.sej.org/headlines/audit-raises-concerns-about-wildfire-risks-us-nuclear-lab [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/nuclear-power/radiation [25] https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-los-alamos-environment-fires-new-mexico-df654c925182c1ef289e2c0f80f7aa56 [26] https://www.sej.org/headlines/learning-live-el-lobo-mexican-wolves-make-comeback [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [30] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/mexico [31] https://www.dw.com/en/learning-to-live-with-el-lobo-mexican-wolves-make-a-comeback/a-56360555 [32] https://www.sej.org/publications/sej-news/top-biden-climate-advisor-others-preview-2021-energy-and-enviro-news [33] https://vimeo.com/503178691 [34] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/sej-news [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [38] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [39] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [40] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [41] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-plains [42] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [43] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northwest [44] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [45] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/europe [46] https://www.sej.org/publications/backgrounders/biden-nominees-foretell-aggressive-action-climate-environmental-justice [47] https://www.sej.org/publications/sej-news/2021-journalists-guide-energy-environment [48] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/backgrounders [49] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [50] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [51] https://www.sej.org/headlines/navajo-nation-new-mexico-reach-settlements-over-mine-spill [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [54] https://apnews.com/article/environment-new-mexico-us-news-wastewater-ca625a277e6a23967e473931d2b7cdf3 [55] https://www.sej.org/headlines/texas-eye-tougher-rules-chemical-tanks-prevent-explosions-spills [56] https://www.texastribune.org/2021/01/05/texas-chemical-tanks-explosions/ [57] https://www.sej.org/publications/special-reports/covering-your-climate-the-south [58] https://www.sej.org/publications/covering-your-climate/emerald-corridor [59] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/special-reports [60] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [61] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest?page=49 [62] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest?page=46 [63] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest?page=47 [64] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest?page=48 [65] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest?page=51 [66] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest?page=52 [67] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest?page=53 [68] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest?page=54 [69] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest?page=133