Last week, Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, traveled to Sycamore, Pennsylvania and, speaking before the coal miners at Harvey Mine, announced that the EPA would be advancing a “Back-to-Basics” agenda in the new administration. But what does that really mean?

MuckRock’s most recent survey for greater Boston gas leak information has received relevant responses from two-fifths of surveyed municipalities, a marked improvement over responses from two years ago, when many municipalities claimed to have little to no information on the locations and plans for repair of natural gas leaks in their neighborhoods.

In the wake of Boston’s move to clamp down on leaks, MuckRock is re-surveying area towns for their plans to tackle natural gas waste and pollution at home.

The estimated $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline has been a flashpoint at the intersection of concerns environmental, tribal, and corporate. To help bolster this and future conversations, MuckRock would like to remind you of the ways public records can help shed light on pipeline plans near and far.

Pipes set long ago are prone to leaks, and gas companies and government alike are privy to the fact. Talks of new natural gas lines continue, but what of maintaining our existing ones?