The SEJ WatchDog Alert

The WatchDog Alert (formerly WatchDog TipSheet from 2008-2019) was a regular source of story ideas, articles, updates, events and other information with a focus on freedom-of-information issues of concern to environmental journalists in both the United States and Canada.

WatchDog was compiled, edited and written by Joseph A. Davis, who directs the WatchDog Project, an activity of SEJ's Freedom of Information Task Force that reports on secrecy trends and supports reporters' efforts to make better use of FOIA.

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Latest WatchDog Alert Items

July 13, 2011

NOAA Rule Aims To Silence Sea Grant Advocacy

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility petitioned NOAA to reverse its no-advocacy policy, saying it's inconsistent with the agency's official scientific integrity policy and the Obama administration's much-vaunted advocacy of more openness in federal government.

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EPA Vows To Improve IRIS Toxic Effects Database

The more transparent Integrated Risk Information System would have shorter and clearer effects of hazard assessments and use more graphics and tables to present the data.

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June 29, 2011

Did OMB Strangle TRI Rule in Its Crib for Chemical, Wood Treatment Industries?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had gone through an open rulemaking process on the "Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Articles Exemption Clarification Rule" but withdrew a final rule it had sent to President Obama's Office of Management and Budget for approval after OMB met privately with chemical, wood, and other industry lobbyists.

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Don't "Wonder" About U.S. Disease Data — Look It up in CDC's Database

WONDER is a single portal for using a variety of databases related to public health that are maintained by CDC. Many are relevant to the environment beat, such as asthma and allergy prevalence, lung disease, cancer, agricultural safety, pesticides, occupational exposure, chemical hazards, waterborne disease, foodborne disease, and adverse vaccine events.

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USDA Pesticide, Fertilizer Data Now in Online Database

The Agriculture Department under President Obama has partly restored public access to the Agricultural Chemical Usage data by the National Agricultural Statistics Service. President Bush had cancelled the reports in 2008.

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New Environment-Related CRS Reports Available

Congress still forbids the Congressional Research Service to release publicly reports that taxpayers have paid for. Thanks to groups like the Federation of American Scientists, however, taxpayers can read the reports online despite the charade.

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June 15, 2011

EPA Outs 150 Chemicals Claiming Trade Secret Status Under TSCA

The chemicals, the identities of which had been withheld up till now based on companies' "confidential business information" claims, are used in products like oil dispersants, air fresheners, non-stick and stain-resistant materials, fire-resistant materials, nonylphenol compounds, perfluorinated compounds, and lead.

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Plastic Bag Industry Tries To Silence Critics

The New York Times' Felicity Barringer tells the story of Andy Keller, 38, who dresses up in bags as "Bag Monster" to promote his reusable "ChicoBag," invoking the ire of three plastic bag manufacturers in South Carolina.

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Pa. Radio Host Says Criticism of Shale Fracking Got Him Fired

Robert Foltz, host of the "Let's Talk" show on WMBS in Uniontown for 10 years, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he was fired just moments after a local municipal official said on his show that drilling for gas in the Marcellus shale formation had contaminated the local groundwater supply with bromine.

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Watchdog Says Obama Not Protecting Whistleblower Scientists

New documents, released only after a lawsuit, to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility show the White House is telling agencies they can stick with existing practices when it comes to political interference with science — and do just about anything they want.

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The SEJ WatchDog Alert

Latest WatchDog Alert Items

July 13, 2011

NOAA Rule Aims To Silence Sea Grant Advocacy

EPA Vows To Improve IRIS Toxic Effects Database

June 29, 2011

Did OMB Strangle TRI Rule in Its Crib for Chemical, Wood Treatment Industries?

Don't "Wonder" About U.S. Disease Data — Look It up in CDC's Database

USDA Pesticide, Fertilizer Data Now in Online Database

New Environment-Related CRS Reports Available

June 15, 2011

EPA Outs 150 Chemicals Claiming Trade Secret Status Under TSCA

Plastic Bag Industry Tries To Silence Critics

Pa. Radio Host Says Criticism of Shale Fracking Got Him Fired

Watchdog Says Obama Not Protecting Whistleblower Scientists

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