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Oregon’s Largest Natural Gas Company Said It Was Going Green. It Sells as Much Fossil Fuel as Before.

NW Natural told Oregonians it had a new source of clean energy: renewable natural gas. Industry documents obtained by ProPublica reveal how the company has, for years, perpetuated its core fossil fuel business while painting a picture of going green.

Reporting From the Northwest

Our Northwest hub covers Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Oregon. The six-person reporting team includes three Local Reporting Network Distinguished Fellows and is committed to partnering with local media.

Nike Shareholders Want to Force Actions on Environmental and Worker Protections. They Face Long Odds.

At their annual meeting, Nike investors will decide on proposals about the company’s approach to climate change, gender equity and labor rights. If history is any guide, none of them will pass.

After Nike Leaders Promised Climate Action, Their Corporate Jets Kept Flying — and Polluting

Nike has staked a claim as a corporate leader on sustainability. Yet company disclosures show that its jets emitted almost 20% more carbon dioxide last year than in 2015. It’s one small factor in Nike’s failure to slash emissions as promised.

Inside Shrub Oak

Neglect at Boarding School for Autistic Youth Left a Student With Vision Loss, Lawsuit Alleges

Washington education officials have told public districts in the state not to send new students to Shrub Oak International School in New York, citing ProPublica’s reporting and a visit to the campus.

Northwest News Staff

Northwest Editor
Steve Suo
Reporters
Rob Davis, Audrey Dutton and McKenzie Funk
Local Reporting Network Distinguished Fellows
Kyle Hopkins, Lulu Ramadan and Tony Schick
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Local Reporting Network Partners

ProPublica is supporting local and regional newsrooms as they work on important investigative projects affecting their communities. Some of our past and present partners in the region:

Anchorage Daily News
Anchorage, Alaska
High Country News
Multi-state
Idaho Statesman
Boise, Idaho
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Portland, Oregon
The Seattle Times
Seattle, Washington

We Reported on Nike’s Extensive Use of Private Jets. The Company Just Made It Harder to Track Them.

Since our story, the company has added its planes to a popular Federal Aviation Administration program that makes it harder to see where they’re going.

We Enlisted a Community to Help Us Report on One State’s Crumbling Schools. Here’s How You Can Do the Same.

Do you want to document problems with school facilities around your state? Reporters from ProPublica and The Idaho Statesman offer some tips.

At Indigenous Sacred Sites, Seeing Things I’m Not Supposed to See

Western journalism tends to value transparency as a public good. But as an Indigenous reporter, I face a unique set of challenges: Include too-specific cultural details, and I risk endangering my community.

The Department of Energy Promised This Tribal Nation a $32 Million Solar Grant. It’s Nearly Impossible to Access.

Washington’s Yakama Nation received both the grant and a $100 million federal loan. Held up by a series of bureaucratic hurdles, the funding could expire before the government lets the tribal nation touch a dime.

Washington State Solar Project Paused Amid Concern About Native Cultural Sites

The decision comes after an investigation by High Country News and ProPublica found that a land survey funded by the developer omitted more than a dozen sites of archaeological or cultural significance.

How a Washington Tax Break for Data Centers Snowballed Into One of the State’s Biggest Corporate Giveaways

Companies have saved $474 million since 2018, with most of the windfall going to Washington-based tech giant Microsoft. Lawmakers repeatedly expanded who qualifies, and they lowered the number of jobs expected in return.

Data Centers Demand a Massive Amount of Energy. Here’s How Some States Are Tackling the Industry’s Impact.

As the draw on the grid from these computer warehouses undergoes explosive growth, states that offer tax exemptions to support the industry are considering whether their approach still makes sense.

Washington Is Giving Tax Breaks to Data Centers That Threaten the State’s Green Energy Push

In 2019, Washington adopted legislation requiring electric utilities to go carbon-neutral in a decade. Yet lawmakers continued to promote the growth of energy-guzzling data centers with generous tax incentives.

Nike Pledged to Shrink Its Carbon Footprint. It Just Slashed the Staff Charged With Making That Happen.

Since December, Nike has lost about 30% of employees who worked primarily on sustainability initiatives, due to layoffs, voluntary departures or transfers to other duties. Already, the company was missing its targets for reducing emissions.

In a Push for Green Energy, One Federal Agency Made Tribes an Offer They Had to Refuse

The Yakama Nation wanted to consult on the development of a project on sacred land. But when the tribal nation refused to disclose confidential information, the agency moved forward without tribal input.

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.

Three States Have Warned Against Sending Students to an Unregulated Boarding School for Youth With Autism

After visiting Shrub Oak International School, officials from Connecticut, Washington and Massachusetts have advised districts of troubling conditions at the school where a ProPublica investigation uncovered reports of abuse and neglect.

What a Leading State Auditor Says About Fraud, Government Misspending and Building Public Trust

We spoke to a leading state auditor about how remote work and artificial intelligence are ushering in new kinds of fraud in state and local governments.

What Idaho’s Republican Primary Tells Us About America’s Culture Wars

The heavily Republican state booted 15 incumbents across the party’s ideological spectrum. While the election led to net gains for hard-line members of the right, it also underscores how divided Idaho’s party remains.

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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    Fossil Fuel Interests Are Working to Kill Solar in One Ohio County. The Hometown Newspaper Is Helping.

    A retired gas industry executive, a shadowy “grassroots” group and a controversial media company are spreading misinformation while turning residents against a proposed solar farm — and each other.

    A Pair of Billionaire Preachers Built the Most Powerful Political Machine in Texas. That’s Just the Start.

    Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks are poised to take their Christian nationalist agenda nationwide.

    Life of the Mother

    Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable.

    At least two women in Georgia died after they couldn’t access legal abortions and timely medical care in their state, ProPublica has found. This is one of their stories.

    A Closer Look

    Trump Built a National Debt So Big That It’ll Weigh Down the Economy for Years

    The “King of Debt” promised to reduce the national debt — then his tax cuts made it surge. Add in the pandemic, and he oversaw the third-biggest deficit increase of any president.

    Inside the State Department’s Weapons Pipeline to Israel

    Leaked cables and emails show how the agency’s top officers dismissed internal evidence of Israelis misusing American-made bombs and worked around the clock to rush more out while the Gaza death toll mounted.