Publication Items

Mining Industry Threatens Journals To Keep Diesel Exposure Data Secret

The Patton Boggs lobbying firm, which represents the mining industry, has sent letters threatening unspecified legal action against four scientific journals if they publish results of a study about the exposure of miners to diesel emissions, according to Science magazine.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Natural Resources
Energy & Fuel
Economy & Business
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Mining Industry Threatens Journals To Keep Diesel Exposure Data Secret
Read the Secret Backgrounder on the Secret 2012 Farm Bill

This year's Farm Bill deliberations have been less transparent than ever before. In that spirit, SEJ's WatchDog shares a backgrounder, published by the Federation of American Scientists, on the 2012 Farm Bill done by the Congressional Research Service — which keeps their taxpayer-funded reports secret from the public.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Laws & Regulations
Environmental Politics
Agriculture
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Read the Secret Backgrounder on the Secret 2012 Farm Bill
Reporters, Researchers at AAAS Say Canada Muzzles Climate Scientists

The complaints came out at the Vancouver meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) this month — the main multidisciplinary science conference held yearly on the continent. Also during the meeting, a letter from six journalism and science groups called on Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to end the muzzling-scientists policy was released.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Science
Climate Change
Region:
Canada
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Reporters, Researchers at AAAS Say Canada Muzzles Climate Scientists
SacBee Wins Access to Forest-Fire Documents

A federal judge ruled that once the documents — depositions of US Forest Service employees about a 2007 forest fire in California that burned tens of thousands of acres — had been entered into court records as part of the evidence discovery process, they were presumptively public records and had to remain that way.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Forests
Disasters
Region:
California
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about SacBee Wins Access to Forest-Fire Documents
Memos Confirm BP Hid Early Spill Estimates

Internal BP corporate memos dating back to the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout show that the company was concerned about a spill rate much higher than what it publicly estimated at the time. The memos were released as part of federal court proceedings.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Memos Confirm BP Hid Early Spill Estimates
SEJ Urges EPA Press Office To Open up Agency Info to News Media

On January 27, 2012, SEJ wrote to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, after unreturned phone calls and ignored emails, in an attempt to get the agency to resume quarterly conference calls to discuss access issues and the run-around SEJ members endure when trying to do their jobs.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media
Government
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about SEJ Urges EPA Press Office To Open up Agency Info to News Media
SEJ Condemns House Science Panel Arrest of Journalist

Read SEJ's February 6, 2012, letter to Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chair Harris condemning ejection of Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox from the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology's subcommittee hearing on EPA's policies and enforcement of water quality issues surrounding natural gas drilling or "fracking."
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Science
Journalism & Media
Energy & Fuel
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about SEJ Condemns House Science Panel Arrest of Journalist
Some Secret CRS Reports You May Want To Read

Here, courtesy of the Federation of American Scientists, are some recent Congressional Research Service backgrounders that may be useful to environment/energy reporters, on chemical facility security, nuclear power plant design and seismic safety considerations, and proposed Keystone XL pipeline legal issues.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Nuclear Power & Radiation
Government
Energy & Fuel
Chemicals
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Some Secret CRS Reports You May Want To Read
Obama Vows Disclosure of Toxic Fracking Secrets on Federal Land

Most current fracking operations happen on non-federal lands. But on federal lands, things are different — Obama intends to require disclosure of fluids as a condition of new leases for fracking on federal lands. If it takes place, this could push the ingredient lists further into the open.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans
Pollution
Health
Environmental Politics
Energy & Fuel
Chemicals
Region:
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX)
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN)
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY)
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV)
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Obama Vows Disclosure of Toxic Fracking Secrets on Federal Land
E-Mail: White House Ordered Scientists To Lowball BP Spill Rate Estimate

The e-mail pressuring agency scientists was written by USGS Director Marcia McNutt, and was never meant to be made public. Against strong agency resistance, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility forced disclosure of the e-mail with a Freedom-of-Information-Act lawsuit.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Water & Oceans
Government
Environmental Politics
Energy & Fuel
Disasters
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about E-Mail: White House Ordered Scientists To Lowball BP Spill Rate Estimate

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