TipSheet

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. 

Here's a roundup of recent developments and resources that can help you cover how local stormwater management fits into the regional and national picture, including the Natural Resources Defense Council's 20th annual beach report and the proposed Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2010.

While not a stand-alone climate change-fighting measure, converting roofs and pavements in tropical and temperate cities of one million or more people to light-colored materials would provide the equivalent one-time benefit of eliminating two years' worth of global CO2 emissions, or eliminating the emissions of 300 million vehicles for 20 years.

Data for the 2009 Toxics Release Inventory, released July 28, 2010, includes only about 80% of the total expected submissions so it's not possible to look at category totals, trends, and other aspects that require 100% of the data until later this year. However, you can report immediately on many local emitters, including evaluations of their totals and trends.

Sandia National Laboratories and the Natural Resources Defense Council independently publish similar conclusions based on a range of scenarios developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report, in conjunction with various economic models.

As the number of US farmers markets has tripled in the past 15 years, numerous food sellers who lie about who they are or what they are selling are worming their way into this niche. You can determine if farmers market swindles are an issue for your audience with a moderate amount of digging.

This growing trend can yield a crop of homegrown food stories with strong environmental angles. Here's a roundup of recent and upcoming urban agriculture issues, as well as some background and resources, to whet your appetite.

Journalism about farm and food is often a key part of the environment beat. To help reporters quickly find sources and resources that can help them cover farm and food, SEJ has compiled on its website a list of some of the best.

From GIS software company ESRI, this free tool lets users enter places where they lived for more than two years at a time, and the site provides you with a personalized "place history" pdf report and shareable maps detailing local heart attack rate and nearby toxic chemicals for each location.

NOAA's "State of the Coast" contains both quick facts and detailed information regarding this 95,000-mile-long zone and all the players involved. It generally addresses longer-term issues, such as environmental degradation, climate, hazards, economics, and demographics.