"W.Va. Governor Signs Bill Touted By State’s Coal Industry"
"CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has signed a bill lauded by the struggling coal industry and called dangerous by the miners’ union."
Source: AP, 03/13/2015
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV)
Media Coalition Wins Overturn of Blankenship Gag Order on Appeal
After opposing gag and sealing orders in the trial of former Massey coal CEO Don Blankenship on charges of conspiracy to violate federal mine safety and health standards — and cover-up — a news media coalition led by Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press won access to the trial from a federal appeals court March 5, 2015.
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News Media Coalition Appeals Gag Orders in Blankenship Case
After a judge refused to reverse most of the secrecy ruling around the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine disaster caused by Massey Energy's safety violations, including indictment of the company's former CEO, media outlets appealed. Now a coalition of many more media groups, led by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, have filed a friend-of-the-court brief opposing the secrecy ruling as unconstitutional.
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Is Your Audience in an Oil Train Blast Zone?
After a February 16, 2015, oil train derailment and explosion in West Virginia, new concerns have arisen over the public's right to know about the dangers oil trains pose to communities. Now trackside communities have some data and maps to help them protect themselves. Image: AP Photo/ Office of the Governor of West Virginia, Steven Wayne Rotsch.
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"Bald Eagles Are Starting To Flourish Again — But Hold the Confetti"
"Working late in a tiny Arkansas lab, Susan Wilde found herself alone with a killer."
Source: Wash Post, 02/20/2015
Journalism Groups Oppose Photo Fees and Permits in Va. Local Parks
A coalition of journalism and photography groups, including SEJ, objected to requirements for permits and fees for photography in the public parks of Fairfax County, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. In a February 4, 2015, letter to the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), the 14 groups asked the agency to revise its rules to protect photojournalists' First Amendment rights.
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West Virginia: "Bills Would Weaken Water Protections"
"CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A year after a toxic leak contaminated drinking water for 300,000 residents, West Virginia lawmakers are considering a series of proposals that would weaken a new chemical tank safety law, remove stronger pollution protections for streams across the state, and protect the coal industry from enforcement actions over violations of water quality standards."
Source: Charleston Gazette, 02/10/2015
"N.Y. Landfills Taking Tons of Pa. Drilling Waste"
"At least 460,000 tons and 23,000 barrels of waste from Pennsylvania drilling operations have been taken in by a handful of New York landfills since 2010, according to a new analysis Thursday."
Source: Ithaca Journal, 02/09/2015
"Chesapeake Bay Recovering But Still Under Stress, Report Finds"
"The ailing Chesapeake Bay is slowly recovering from pollution and overfishing but still has problems that include a drop by half in a key segment of the blue crab population, a report on the largest U.S. estuary said on Tuesday."
Source: Reuters, 02/04/2015
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