The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "ecology" ...
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Fly Ash: Coal-Fired Dilemma
This series of stories showed how a virtually unknown state environmental policy, blessed by the EPA, let developers sculpt an 18-hole golf course with 1.5 million tons of "fly ash," a contaminant-laden residue left from the burning of coal for electricity, posing a threat to the wells of adjacent homeowners. Fly ash contains heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury, which can pose environmental threats through air and water. Although the EPA has been studying the the environmental;ecological impacts of fly ash for decades, it has twice determined that it doesn't warrant classification as "hazardous waste." The result is that there are no national guidelines for fly ash disposal; regulation is left up to the states, resulting in a hodge-podge of policies.
Tags: environment; EPA; contaminant; coal industry; fly ash; testing; site assessment; homeowners
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Lethal and Leaking
In Hanford, WA millions of gallons of nuclear waste have been stored underground. The Department of Energy has been working to clean up the site since the early 1990s. However due to engineering miscalculations, the development of a treatment plant is behind schedule. Errors such as defective equipment and other mistakes that risk the safety of the plant have forced the price of the clean up to triple.
Tags: Department of Energy; environment; nuclear waste; treatment plant; construction; construction delays; Bechtel; ecology; toxic waste
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The Human Factor
16 years after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill efforts to reduce crew work hours, crack down on alcohol use and improve tug escorts are being evaded or undermined. The industry and regulators are relying on new tankers they say are far less susceptible to trouble. But the investigation revealed that spills have gone unreported, alcohol is still being consumed on the ships and risky behavior is still characteristic in the industry.
Tags: oil spills; environmental issues; Alaskan waters; petroleum transportation; oil transportation; Prince William Sound; Department of Ecology
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"Burning Rage"
This story covers the rising threat of eco-terrorists in the U.S. In May, 2005, John Lewis, Deputy Director of the FBI, testified on Capitol Hill that domestic terrorism by radical environmental groups such as the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front were the biggest threat to American security. 60 Minutes set out to either prove or disprove Lewis' testimony and found that, indeed, such groups were responsible for a rising number of arson and bomb attacks.
Tags: Eco-terrorism; domestic terrorism; FBI; ecology; environment; counter-terrorism
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Invaded Waters
Foreign fish and other creatures have invaded the Great Lakes and are killing off native lake life. This investigation found most of these creatures arrived by ship from Europe or Asia and that many of these ships are not inspected as they should be before being allowed passage. Biologists believe these new species will soon dominate the lakes' ecology. Some of these changes may pose risks to humans. Most fishermen have been negatively affected. 'Flying' fish have also proved dangerous.
Tags: great lake; fish; wildlife; ecology; biology; water; coast guard; goby; environmental protection agency
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Our Troubled Sound
The Post-Intelligencer reports on pollution problems in Puget Sound, the nation's second largest estuary and "an ecosystem spinning out of control." The major findings are that scientists have documented decline in keystone species; a state program to control urban runoff is far behind schedule; three out of four businesses are in breach of water-quality regulations or permits; precautions to prevent a possible oil spill in an area where many tankers sail are inadequate; overall, Superfund sites in the area are not being cleaned up. Many of the findings are based on analysis of databases obtained from government agencies.
Tags: environment; ecology; marine organisms; wildlife; endangered species; stormwater; toxic waste; contamination; polychlorinated biphenyls; PCB
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Bitter Harvest
Tri-City Herald investigates "a series of deaths, environmental damage and accidents that were traced back to one Columbia Basin farm -- the largest organic farm in the state." The stories reveal that the managers of the mint farm - the two brothers Mike and Gerald "Spud" Brown -- were ignoring pollution and state laws. Meanwhile, government "agencies failed to take decisive action to prevent deaths and pollution."
Tags: agriculture; environment; public property; illegal dumping; ecology; safety; land
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Feeling the Heat
National Journal looks at the governmental policy in fighting wildfires. "The nation's forests have become unnaturally - and dangerously - overgrown as a result of 100 years of overly aggressive fire suppression," reports the magazine. The story follows the battle between "environmental advocates who want to preserve the ecological values of the forests and timber industry supporters who are pushing for more logging on federal funds." The report includes statistics on the number of fires and the burned forests acreage in the 1990s.
Tags: fire; federal funding; logging industry; ecology; the Wilderness Society; politics; federal government; legislature; Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management
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Hot Property
San Francisco Bay Guardian reports on health hazards posed to prospective residents of a new housing and commercial development planned on the site of a former U.S. Navy base near the city of Alameda. "There's just one problem: it's a toxic disaster area," the story reveals. A major finding is that the Navy may have blasted dangerous levels of radiation into the atmosphere, dumped radium, and spilt uranium and mercury on the base. The article looks at a mysterious case of missing tons of toxins at the base.
Tags: environment; Navy; housing; seabirds; radiation; toxins; safety; cancer; hazardous waste; ecology; pollution; carcinogens
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What Monsanto Knew
The Nation investigates Monsanto's efforts to conceal the ongoing contamination in Anniston, Alabama, during the 60s and the 70s. The story reveals that the ecological system in the region has been damaged by contamination from polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). "The neighborhood around the plant [of Monsanto] is populated with by people with cancer, young women with damaged ovaries, children who are learning-impaired and people whose ailments have been diagnosed as acute toxic syndrome," reports the Nation. The article cites Monsanto's internal memos showing that the company's management has been aware of the problem for decades.
Tags: environment; public health; cancer; the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry; toxic substances; landfills; Alabama Department of Environmental Management; Environmental Protection Agency; litigation