Region 7 Media

On this page:

• Looking for the Latest Region 7 News?
• Tips for Beat Reporters
• Reporting on an Environmental Emergency Response
• Examples of Our Work with Local Media
• Laws and Regulations
• Include Us in the Conversation!
• Editorial Calendar

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Looking for the Latest Region 7 News?

Are you:

• A reporter covering an environmental beat or working at an environmental outlet?
• Covering a breaking environmental response story?
• Looking for an environmental story with a shelf life?

EPA Region 7's public affairs team has pooled our decades of collective media experience to bring you our tips and advice for reporting accurate, timely, and meaningful environmental news in the Heartland.

We want to connect you with the right people to complete your story. Reach out to our public affairs team for in-depth information on local environmental topics.

Tips for Beat Reporters

1. Subscribe to EPA Region 7 news releases. (Be sure to check the box for "Midwest Region." While you're there, be sure to sign up for relevant news releases from EPA Headquarters.)
2. Bookmark EPA Region 7's homepage.
3. Direct policy questions to press@epa.gov.
4. Follow EPA Region 7 social media accounts: Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube
5. Download our latest EPA Region 7 Press Kit (pdf) (605.28 KB) .

Taking a deep dive into an environmental topic for a reporting series? Our team can connect you to subject matter experts that can offer background information to help scope your story.

Reporting on an Environmental Emergency Response

Members of our team undergo public information office training through FEMA's Emergency Management Institute. Here's what you need to know about our role in environmental emergency responses:

1. Connection to on-the-ground work: EPA's Emergency Response Program responds to oil spills; chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents; and large-scale national emergencies. EPA on-scene coordinators organize all federal efforts with local, state, and regional response communities and provide them with support and information. Our public information officers work with the on-scene coordinators to provide timely and accurate information on response activities.
2. Providing points of contact: EPA is not always the lead agency on an emergency response. When applicable, our public information officer can often provide contact information for local, state, or regional responders.
3. Information avenues: EPA public information officers provide information through media inquiries, desk statements, and social media.
4. FOIA requests: When necessary, our public information officers may direct you to request documents through the Freedom of Information Act. EPA has a FOIA Reading Room where you can access previously released documents.

Examples of Our Work with Local Media

• EPA officials gather on floating classroom to highlight Mississippi River issues – St. Louis Public Radio, Aug. 21, 2024 (related social media video)
• Net-zero project in Lincoln highlights EPA's Solar for All program – Lincoln Journal-Star, July 23, 2024
• St. Louis' toxic sites need faster cleanup, lawmakers and residents say – Fox News, April 26, 2024
• The EPA is transforming communities throughout the Kansas City region. Here’s how – EPA Regional Administrator op-ed, Kansas City Star, April 22, 2024
• Jefferson County dealing with elevated lead contamination in its water supply – KMOX 98.7 (St. Louis), Aug. 1, 2023
• Two months after the Keystone's biggest oil spill, residents of a Kansas county wonder what's next – Kansas Public Radio, Feb. 2, 2023
• EPA says ozone levels in the St. Louis area remain too high – St. Louis Public Radio, Sept. 28, 2022

Laws and Regulations

EPA is a regulatory agency, meaning it is authorized to write regulations that explain the technical, operational, and legal details necessary to implement laws. See the following list of laws, statues, and executive orders regulated by EPA:

• CERCLA (Superfund)
• Clean Air Act
• Clean Water Act
• Endangered Species Act
• Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
• Toxic Substances Control Act

View the complete list of regulations.

Include Us in the Conversation!

EPA Region 7 strives to build lasting connections to our regional media outlets. We've been part of multiple engagements designed to increase understanding between our office and members of the media. Some recent examples include:

• Hosting an annual booth at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Trade Talk.
• Touring KMBC 9 Studios in Kansas City.
• Joining a media training panel for the Mississippi River Basin Ag and Water Desk.
• Attending a panel on lead (Pb) hosted by the NPR Midwest Newsroom.
• Joining a media networking opportunity at the Society of Environmental Journalists Annual Conference in Houston.