Water & Oceans

Beach Nourishment Offers Challenging Local Environmental Stories

It’s peak beach season around much of the United States, with its timeless traditions of sunbathing, beach reads, swimming and beachcombing. But nature has its own ideas about shorelines, stripping some beaches and growing others. Humans, too, have their own beach engineering enterprises, with their own environmental impacts. The latest TipSheet helps you cover your local beach scene, with questions to ask, story ideas and reporting resources.

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EPA Faults Miss. State Communications On Water Risks Before Jackson Crisis

"Mississippi’s state health department did not adequately enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act in Jackson, contributing to the 2022 crisis that left 150,000 residents without drinking water, according to a report released Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG)."

Source: The Hill, 08/16/2024

When Is “Recyclable” Not Really Recyclable? Don't Ask the Plastics Industry

"Companies whose futures depend on plastic production are trying to persuade the federal government to allow them to put the label “recyclable” on plastic shopping bags and other items virtually guaranteed to end up in landfills and incinerators."

Source: ProPublica, 08/16/2024

"Plastic Pellets Known As “Nurdles” Are Accumulating Along Texas Coasts"

"On a humid summer afternoon in July, about 40 minutes from Houston, children are running up and down the Texas coastline of Sylvan Beach. Families make camps for the day with coolers filled with drinks and snacks. It doesn’t take more than a few steps near the shore to realize plastics have overtaken the beach."

Source: EHN, 08/16/2024

Protecting Ecologically Rich Alabama Delta From Development, Climate Change

"The Mobile-Tensaw Delta — a lush, vibrant and surprisingly intact over 400-square-mile (1,036-square-kilometer) expanse of cypress swamps, oxbow lakes, marshland, hardwood stands and rivers — is teeming with more aquatic species than almost anywhere in North America."

Source: AP, 08/15/2024

Nearly $10B In Hurricane Debby Damage Was In Areas Without Flood Insurance

"Hurricane Debby left billions of dollars of damage in its wake as it moved across the southeastern U.S. last week — losses made all the more devastating because so many of them may have been uninsured."

Source: The Hill, 08/15/2024

"Hurricane Ernesto Leaves Half Of Puerto Rican Customers Without Power"

"About half of all homes and businesses on Puerto Rico were without power on Wednesday as Hurricane Ernesto churned north into the warm waters of the Atlantic after dumping torrential rain on the U.S. territory."

Source: Reuters, 08/15/2024

In Shift, US Backs Global Target To Reduce Plastic Production, Source Says

"The United States, one of the world's biggest plastic makers, will support a global treaty calling for a reduction in how much new plastic is produced each year in a major policy shift, a source close to U.S. negotiators told Reuters on Wednesday."

Source: Reuters, 08/15/2024

"Trump On Climate Change: ‘You’ll Have More Oceanfront Property’"

"Former President Trump on Monday night said climate change is not “the biggest threat” and claimed it would create “more oceanfront property.”

Source: The Hill, 08/14/2024

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