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 "pollution laws" ...
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Steamrolled
The story documents how Houston residents are being exposed to industrial pollution with no protection from state and local regulators. Because Houston does not have zoning laws, industrial plants can be built in residential neighborhoods.
Tags: pollution; industrial plant; neighborhoods; residents; housing
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Public Works, Hidden Violations
Several construction companies were given "tens of millions in federal stimulus contracts," even though they violated several laws and regulations. Also, a few had been "convicted of defrauding taxpayers on previous projects" and others had previously paid fines for violating regulations. These should have been revealed when filling out the forms to be approved for the stimulus contracts.
Tags: transportation; workplace; safety; pollution; environment; FOIA; Highway Division; officials; federal government; federal funds
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A Quiet Hell
This story didn't focus on one specific chemical plant; instead it focuses on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). After analyzing data for individual pollutants that were emitted during non-routine operations, a number of details were revealed. Some of these details are that "more than 20 million pounds of pollutants were emitted", TCEQ infrequently enforced the laws, some penalties were never finalized, and "the plants with the most violations paid the least percentage of their fines".
Tags: pollution; chemical plants; emissions; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ); Houston Ship Channel; pollutants; oil industry; gas industry; air; politics; atmosphere
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Toxic Waters
With the aid of more than 500 Freedom of Information requests, reporter Charles Duhigg uncovered major problems with the nation's Clean Water Act. He found that out of the many "chemical plants" and "large manufacturers" who broke water pollution laws over the past several years, few were punished or even fined. He also found that millions of U.S. residents "have been exposed" to water that could be damaging to their health.
Tags: Clean Water Act; Safe Drinking Water Act; E.P.A.; toxic waste; atrazine; pollution
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"The Middle Kingdom's Dilemma" and "China's Pollution Revolution"
In this series, the author investigates "the emergence of a grassroots environmental movement in Communist China." In "The Middle Kingdom's Dilemma," the author reveals a plan by the State Council to divert an amount of water that is greater than the total volume of water from the Yangtze River. In "China's Pollution Revolution," Larson writes about a poluuting factory and its negative impact on nearby residents.
Tags: Communist China; grassroots environmental movement; water shortages; pollution; environmental laws; international
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Erasing the rules; (Mostly) White House
This Newsday investigation finds nearly half of the Bush administration appointees come from corporations, law or lobbyists. This put them in a position where they could use the system to pass laws that helped their industries and in turn help their businesses. One of the instances that this story talks about is the regulations regarding pollution have been eased by the Bush administration. The administration turned over the federal environmental agencies to lobbyists that launched an effort to rewrite pollutions rules, ease curbs on the development of natural areas, and allow more drilling.
Tags: George Bush; Bush administration; Bush's lobbyists; corporations linked to George W. Bush; pollution laws; FDA regulations; control of reactive chemicals; walnuts; Boeing Co.; White House; FOIA
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A Changing Landscape
"These stories provide a portrait of the Bush environmental policies and the largely hidden political process that produced them. They also provide a window into the secretive administration's domestic-policymaking and its impact in the West and elsewhere. The reporters penetrated the federal bureaucracy to show how the White House and political appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department manipulated science, circumvented the law and marginalized or steamrolled career employees. These reports detail how, in the process, the administration adopted regulations or policies that benefited its corporate patrons at the expense of public health and the environment." Also included is an update from February, 2005, that relates the results of a study done by Nikki Tinsley, the EPA's inspector general, at the request of seven senators who read the LA Times original series. Tinsley's report confirmed the LA Times findings.
Tags: environment; pollution; mercury; national Forrest; oil drilling; Halliburton; Clean Air Act; Clear Skies initiative; EPA
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Construction workers' safety net full of holes; State tries to stop death in the trenches
This series, which originally sought to identify the most dangerous jobs in Washington state, investigates preventable deaths among construction workers in the state. The investigation also looks at both state and national laws which do very little to punish those responsible with any serious fines. According to the questionnaire, "if you pollute a wetland in Washington State, you are liable for more fines than if you oversee a construction site where someone is likely to fall to their death."
Tags: workplace safety fines; trench deaths; OSHA
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Feds put heat on state ozone polluters
Chemical emissions are on the rise in Massachusetts, and federal officials want to impose tougher laws so polluters will clean up their acts. Currently, state and federal laws do not prohibit CFCs, even though they eat the ozone and let in unfiltered ultraviolet light that can cause skin cancer and alter the global food chain. This article covers how many CFCs are released in Massachusetts, why they are so prevalent, the potential harm that they could cause and possible solutions to the problem.
Tags: environment; industry; EPA. Freon; CFCs
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Industries clean up act -- and OC
The Orange County Register analyzed EPA records for 221 businesses to find an overall decrease in toxic pollution, though emission of one particular suspected carcinogen increased. Lists the newspaper compiled show the biggest toxic sources in California, a ranking of toxic emissions by zip code, and the biggest toxic sources in Orange County. One story in the package discusses the limitations to the federal law that requires businesses that use one of 310 toxic chemicals to report any releases.
Tags: toxic pollution; Toxic release inventory; environment; toxic chemicals; Environmental Protection Agency