Climate change may have made an unexpected appearance at the raucous 2020 presidential debate last night, but it's equally important to quiz state and local candidates on the topic too. The latest TipSheet offers environment and energy journalists a list of 10 key climate change questions to ask in reporting elections in your coverage area.
"An order by the chief judge of the Montana federal court on Friday not only ousted William Perry Pendley as the top official at the Bureau of Land Management but might also invalidate a wide range of decisions he took to open up vast parts of the American west to oil and gas drilling."
More revelations of Trump administration duplicity on the science front, per the new WatchDog opinion column, which reports on a scoop about political appointees trying to warp weekly public health data to ensure they don’t undercut Trump’s political messaging. Oh, and Bob Woodward’s new book affirming the president knew of COVID-19’s dangers early on, but deliberately played them down.
Although the realities of the pandemic may mean fewer state and local ballot measures in the upcoming election — and the presidential contest is drawing much of the spotlight — they can still be potentially fruitful stories for reporters willing to seek them out. Here are eight top ways to track this year’s environment and energy ballot measures, from the latest Reporter’s Toolbox.
"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will postpone training on environmental inequity faced by communities of color and low-income communities following a White House order calling for agencies to stop training involving what it described as 'anti-American propaganda.'"
"The Federal Emergency Management Agency fails to help tens of thousands of people whose homes have repeatedly flooded, according to a report by the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security."
"Justin Silvera came off the fire lines in Northern California after a grueling 36 straight days battling wildfires and evacuating residents ahead of the flames. Before that, he and his crew had worked for 20 days, followed by a three-day break."
"Democrats are asking the National Park Service (NPS) to account for its involvement in the Republican National Convention after the agency agreed to host a fireworks display following President Trump’s acceptance speech."
"The EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention is significantly reorganizing at the end of the month to respond to the department’s changing work, agency leaders said Tuesday."
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