While print journalism is becoming an endangered species, quality reporting on environmental issues still abounds. Four finalists have been chosen for the Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment, which recognizes works of individuals and teams. The journalists have taken new approaches to battle mounting environmental issues and policy.

The Grantham Prize is in its fourth year and awards $75,000, with runners-up receiving $5,000 Awards of Special Merit. Recognized was a television series, a book on oil development and two newspaper series.

Tad Fettig, Karena Albers and Veronique Bernard of kontentreal received attention for their six-part television series, "e2: Transport." The New York-based documentary filmmaking company released the series last year, which is narrated by actor Brad Pitt and covers green initiatives in London (a href="http://www.pbs.org/video/video/1145396186/program/1089098738">video), Paris, Seoul and Portland.

Grantham Prize jurors considered Andrew Nikiforuk's book to be "excellent reading." His work, Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent, covers the Florida-sized tar sands oil development in Alberta and argues that the project is not only a local Canadian problem, but global.

Blake Morrison and Brad Heath of USA Today were recognized for their series, "The Smokestack Effect: Toxic Air in America's Schools," which took "evidence-based journalism to a new level," per the jurors. The two journalists collaborated with academic researchers to determine air quality near American schools—an act that inspired EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to move to deploy regulators to check air quality around schools.

Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel were also recognized for their series "Chemical Fallout." After months of research, the two determined that the EPA allows companies to keep hazardous chemical information secret in a style that the jurors considered "straightforward" and "no-hype."

The winner from this pool will be announced on July 6th, and the winners and the Award of Special Merit recipients will be formally recognized in Washington, D.C. on October 5th.