"The Justice Department filed a major civil suit Friday against Norfolk Southern Railway after one of its trains carrying toxic chemicals derailed near the Ohio town of East Palestine on Feb. 3 and burst into flames."
"The Biden administration cleared the way Friday for California’s plan to phase out a wide range of diesel-powered trucks, part of the state’s efforts to drastically cut planet-warming emissions and improve air quality in heavy-traffic areas like ports along the coast."
"The Biden administration hopes its guidelines for up to $7,500 in tax credits will encourage automakers to reduce their reliance on China for batteries and raw materials."
"The death toll from a violent storm that whipped up tornadoes in the southern and midwestern regions of the United States rose to at least 32 over the weekend, according to officials and media reports."
If the government is already struggling to protect iconic creatures like the endangered red wolf from extinction in the wild, how will it manage with other threatened species? That concern is at the core of an Inside Story Q&A with journalist Jimmy Tobias, whose award-winning feature turned stacks of dry documents into the story of one wolf’s death and helped turn things around. Watch a brief video summary from Tobias of what drove the collapse of the reintroduction program.
For journalists of all stripes, the central pillar of libel law protecting them from damaging defamation suits is Times v. Sullivan. And while at least a couple of Supreme Court justices have indicated an openness to reevaluating the decades-old decision, WatchDog Opinion warns that the real risk to defamation protections may come in the form of legislation, such as from states like Florida.
When it comes to a core data set that just keeps giving for environmental journalists, Reporter’s Toolbox points you to the Toxics Release Inventory. A new year of data has just been released, with much insight to be extracted. And the TRI now also includes PFAS chemicals for the first time. Here’s how to use it for your local stories.
March 31, 2023 — The Society of Environmental Journalists is holding its annual conference in Boise, Idaho this April. In light of concerns raised by members, the SEJ Board of Directors issued a statement in recognition of how participants may be affected by recent Idaho state legislation seeking to restrict reproductive health care and LGBTQ+ rights.
"A new analysis of horse bones gathered from museums across the Great Plains and northern Rockies has revealed that horses were present in the grasslands by the early 1600s, earlier than many written histories suggest."
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