More Impact
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Washington Governor Orders Team to Study Data Centers’ Impact on Energy Use, Job Creation and Tax Revenue
Last year, The Seattle Times and ProPublica reported on how the state created a massive tax break for data centers, encouraging the growth of an industry whose energy use conflicts with a goal for utilities to go carbon neutral by 2030.
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Hydroelectric Dams on Oregon’s Willamette River Kill Salmon. Congress Says It’s Time to Consider Shutting Them Down.
The newly signed legislation follows reporting from Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica that underscored the risks and costs associated with a plan to migrate salmon past hydroelectric dams using a giant fish collector and tanker trucks.
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El DMV y los principales legisladores de Connecticut prometen revisar las leyes de remolque
Los planes para reformar las leyes de remolque en la sesión legislativa de este año siguen a una investigación de The Connecticut Mirror y ProPublica que descubrió que los remolcadores pueden vender los autos tan solo 15 días después de recogerlos.
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Connecticut DMV and Top Lawmakers Vow to Review Towing Laws
The plans to reform towing laws in this year’s legislative session follow a Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica investigation that found people’s cars can be sold just 15 days after they’re towed.
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As the Olympics Approach, Los Angeles Considers Crackdown on Illegal Vacation Rentals
City officials are proposing stricter enforcement, higher fines and new technology in part to prevent rent-controlled apartments from being listed on Airbnb and Booking.com, the subject of a Capital & Main and ProPublica investigation.
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Maine Proposes Major Staffing Increases for Assisted Living and Residential Care Facilities
The proposed regulations come after an 18-month investigation by The Maine Monitor and ProPublica found dozens of violations at the state’s largest facilities.
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After Mass Dismissals in Anchorage, Alaska Officials Step in to Help Prosecute Crimes
The state offered to send up to 10 prosecutors to Anchorage days after the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica reported that hundreds of misdemeanor cases had been dropped since May because the city couldn’t hit court deadlines for speedy trials.
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The Federal Government Just Acknowledged the Harm Its Dams Have Caused Tribes. Here’s What It Left Out.
The Biden administration said officials historically gave “little, if any, consideration” to impacts on tribal fishing.
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After Decades, Voters Finally OK Replacement for Crumbling Idaho School
The vote follows a yearlong investigation by the Idaho Statesman and ProPublica into how the state’s restrictive funding policies left students studying in deteriorating buildings across the state.
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Mississippi Lawmakers Move to Limit the Jail Detentions of People Awaiting Mental Health Treatment
Supporters say the measure is a step forward in curbing the number of people jailed during civil commitment. But some local officials say the impact will be limited unless the state makes other changes, including adding psychiatric beds.
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Chevron Will Pay Record Fines for Oil Spills in California
The penalties come after an investigation by The Desert Sun and ProPublica found that companies were profiting from illegal spills and California’s oversight of the industry was lax.
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Idaho Legislature Approves $2 Billion for Schools to Repair and Replace Aging Buildings
The funding was pledged by Gov. Brad Little after an Idaho Statesman and ProPublica investigation showed students learning in poor conditions. Educators say it’s only a start to fixing decades-old problems.
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Virginia Lawmakers Approve Commission to Examine Universities’ Displacement of Black Communities
The groundbreaking commission, which was proposed in response to our “Uprooted” series, would consider compensation for dislodged property owners and their descendants. Whether Gov. Glenn Youngkin will sign the bill is unclear.
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Lawmakers Could Limit When County Officials in Mississippi Can Jail People Awaiting Psychiatric Treatment
The legislation follows reporting by Mississippi Today and ProPublica showing that hundreds of people in the state are jailed every year while awaiting court-ordered treatment simply because public mental health facilities are full or too far away.
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Idaho Legislature Takes Up Bill to Help School Districts Repair and Replace Buildings
The bill would provide $1.5 billion in new funding in a state where communities have struggled to pass bonds even as some students learn in freezing and overcrowded classrooms with leaky ceilings and discolored drinking water.
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Task Force to Consider “Restorative Justice” for Black Families Uprooted by Virginia University’s Expansion
Spurred by our “Uprooted” series, a task force created by the city of Newport News and Christopher Newport University will reexamine decades of city and university records shedding light on a Black neighborhood’s destruction.
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FEMA Leader Overseeing $4 Billion Fund to Pay Victims of New Mexico Wildfire Steps Down
Longtime agency official Angela Gladwell has overseen the fund to pay victims of a wildfire accidentally started by the federal government. Her departure comes amid criticism of FEMA’s handling of payments for damages.
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Idaho Governor Proposes $2 Billion in Funding for School Buildings Over Next 10 Years
Gov. Brad Little cited reporting by the Idaho Statesman and ProPublica as he laid out his plan for a massive infrastructure investment in the state’s public schools during Monday’s State of the State address.
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DTE Energy Facing Oversight of “Hardship-Inducing” Debt Collection Practices
The large utility must turn over details of its sales of customer debt, which previously were kept in the dark, but has fought off a ban on the practice.
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In a Major Shift, Northwest Tribes — not U.S. Officials — Will Control Salmon Recovery Funds
The Biden administration punted on key demands from Indigenous leaders to tear down hydroelectric dams hindering salmon. But tribes won control over $1 billion for other salmon efforts.
