TipSheet

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

September 15, 2010

Dead Zones Degrade All U.S Coastal Regions

There were just 12 of these hypoxic areas in the 1960s. Now there are more than 300, or nearly half of the 647 waterways investigated by a consortium of federal agencies that released its report on Sept. 3, 2010.

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Fracking Associated with Well Water Toxics; Causation Not Yet Proven

EPA warns Pavillion, WY residents not to drink or cook with their well water, and that the presence of methane (the main ingredient in natural gas) is so high that they should ventilate any room in which a shower is operating, and to not ignite anything in a closed room in which water is running.

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How Green Is Your Cell Phone?

Here are a few tips for examining company "eco-friendly" marketing claims, and exploring how cell phones and their use impact the environment, all of which can serve as a hook for compelling consumer news stories in any media.

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Study: Winter Road Safety Means More Environmental Toxicity

Salt and other substances used to make roads and other paved surfaces safer contaminate water ways with deadly toxicity levels that can even last till summer in some areas, according to a USGS study.

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September 1, 2010

SEJ Offers Resources for Hurricane Coverage

The fifth anniversary of Katrina reminds us that we are indeed at the peak of hurricane season. The resources in the Hurricane Reporting Toolbox can help you do better stories.

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EPA Targets Future Water Cleanups, But You Can Cover Problems Now

Topics of interest to your audience could include agriculture, construction, sewage plant discharges, urban stormwater runoff, industrial sources, concentrated animal feeding operations, hydraulic fracturing used in natural gas extraction, power plant cooling water use, and pesticide infiltration.

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BLM Paper on National Monuments, Other Conservation Units Unveiled

A leaked "internal draft, not for release" discussion paper contains thoughts on a possible shift toward more conservation — and moving away from BLM's historic pattern of generally emphasizing extraction of natural resources and de-emphasizing conservation of those resources.

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USFS Releases Report on Threats to Private Forests

The report includes many lists and maps that allow you to zoom in on specific topical and geographic areas of interest to your audience. Here are some angles to explore, evaluated by watershed.

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Got Gulf Experts? SEJ's Daily Glob Can Help

View and suggest additions to our list of important Gulf-related research institutes, academic programs, and labs working on marine science, gulf ecology, oil spill response and recovery, coastal ecosystems, wetlands, and more.

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August 18, 2010

Pipelines Spill Millions of Toxic Gallons Each Year

A round-up of resources: from the recent Enbridge spill in Michigan to multiple spills over time by Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline; hearings of the US House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials; availability of pipeline maps; Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration info on safety standards, inspections, stakeholder communications; and much more.

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TipSheet

Latest TipSheet Items

September 15, 2010

Dead Zones Degrade All U.S Coastal Regions

Fracking Associated with Well Water Toxics; Causation Not Yet Proven

How Green Is Your Cell Phone?

Study: Winter Road Safety Means More Environmental Toxicity

September 1, 2010

SEJ Offers Resources for Hurricane Coverage

EPA Targets Future Water Cleanups, But You Can Cover Problems Now

BLM Paper on National Monuments, Other Conservation Units Unveiled

USFS Releases Report on Threats to Private Forests

Got Gulf Experts? SEJ's Daily Glob Can Help

August 18, 2010

Pipelines Spill Millions of Toxic Gallons Each Year

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