TipSheet

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Summaries of marine diversity in eight settings around the globe have been published, with another 17 scheduled to be added in coming weeks. One of the discoveries was that the Gulf of Mexico is the fifth most diverse marine setting in the world for known species.

EPA and the Dept. of Energy have collaborated to develop an improved monitoring package that utilizes inline sensors in the water network and software called CANARY.

While thoroughly bureaucratic, the 55-page guidance document, as well as EPA's Environmental Justice Strategic Enforcement Assessment Tool, can be useful resources for reporters who seek to understand and highlight potential environmental justice issues unfolding at the national, regional, or state level.