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TipSheet is a biweekly source for story ideas, background, interview leads and reporting tools for journalists who cover news of the environment.

For questions and comments, or to suggest future TipSheets, email the TipSheet Editor Joseph A. Davis at sejournaleditor@sej.org.

Journalists can receive TipSheet free by subscribing to the SEJournal Online, the digital news magazine of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Subscribe to the e-newsletter here. TipSheet is also available through the searchable archive below and via RSS feed.

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Latest TipSheet Items

May 17, 2023

  • When Extreme Weather Amplifies Hazardous Waste Threats

    Toxic waste is bad enough when it’s in one spot. But it can be even more dangerous when it is made mobile by climate-induced natural disasters. The latest TipSheet looks at just a few of the problems that can arise — or have already arisen. Plus, story ideas and reporting resources to cover this issue in your locale.

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May 3, 2023

  • Funding Initiative May Help Surface Overlooked Environmental Justice Stories

    A new government-organized network of environmental justice assistance centers may not only assist the community groups applying for billions in federal funds but could also help point environmental journalists toward undercovered stories on the beat. The latest TipSheet explains how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initiative will work and how to locate the centers for your reporting.

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April 26, 2023

  • Reporters Can Address Uncertainty Over Local Risk of Rising Seas

    U.S. coastal counties are home to 127 million people, making the risk to life and property of flooding from sea level rise a serious one. But how great that risk is varies widely from place to place. So the latest TipSheet makes the case for environmental journalists to explain the local reality to their audiences. Get context, story ideas and resources to do just that.

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April 12, 2023

  • Seasonal Fishing Stories Reflect a Changing Environment

    As fishing season begins in many parts of the United States, climate change and pollution can make the sport a, well, can of worms. For the latest TipSheet, though, that means insights and stories for environmental journalists. A thumbnail on key issues, with story ideas and reporting resources. Plus, for those going to #SEJ2023 Boise, famed fishing spots.

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March 29, 2023

  • Bring Home Cyber Risks to Water Supply, in Wake of EPA Tightening

    With the federal government now requiring that states pay closer attention to cybersecurity risks in their regular audits of public drinking water systems, environmental journalists should be doing the same, suggests the latest TipSheet. Here’s how to gauge the cyber risk and to understand the current safe drinking water regulatory regime, plus story ideas and resources to bolster your local reporting.

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March 15, 2023

  • Finding the Secret Rail Hazmat Routes Near You

    Under federal rules, states can decide whether to divulge information about hazardous materials rolling along their railways — and mostly they don’t. Not knowing where and when hazmat trains are traveling or what’s on board creates anxiety and raises the risk for those who live near the tracks. TipSheet offers resources and step-by-step instructions for investigating railway hazmat threats to your community.

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March 1, 2023

February 8, 2023

  • Road Salt Spreading a Slippery Slope to Water Pollution

    With wintry conditions still present in much of the country, there’s an important local story for environmental reporters to chase. No, not climate change this time. It’s salt. Road salt can end up in bodies of water, damaging the environment and risking human health. TipSheet offers a dash of background and a good dose of questions to ask, plus story ideas and resources to flavor your reporting with.

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February 1, 2023

  • Cascadia Bioregion Rife With Energy, Environment Troubles To Report in 2023

    Iconic critters like salmon, orca and wolves. Climate controversies like natural gas greenwashing and carbon auctions. And wildfire fallout like “smoke-a-geddon.” These are just some of the wide array of stories worth covering as environmental journalists scan Cascadia, the huge area encompassing Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and stretching from Alaska to Utah. This special TipSheet, part of our 2023 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment, outlines top issues in the region, offering insights, resources and story angles.

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January 18, 2023

  • Particulate Air Pollution — An Old Story Made Newer, and More Local, in 2023

    Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set in motion a long-overdue requirement to update a key Clean Air Act rule involving fine particulate air pollution, or PM 2.5. The latest TipSheet reviews PM 2.5’s health harms and its checkered regulatory history, while offering story ideas and key resources on how to tell the story locally.

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SEJournal Online is the digital news magazine of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Learn more about SEJournal Online, including submission, subscription and advertising information.