Rob Davis

Reporter

Photo of Rob Davis

Rob Davis is a reporter covering the Pacific Northwest for ProPublica.

Before joining ProPublica, Davis worked as an investigative reporter covering the environment for The Oregonian. His 2021 investigation into how industrial logging hollowed out Oregon communities, “The Cutting,” a partnership between The Oregonian, ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcasting, received the 2021 John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Reporting.

His 2019 investigation “Polluted by Money” revealed how unlimited political giving had undermined environmental protections in Oregon. The work helped bring about a long-stalled constitutional amendment that cleared the way for campaign donation limits. The project received numerous awards, including the John B. Oakes Award, the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability and the Scripps Howard Award for Environmental Reporting.

A native of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Davis got his start in journalism at the Hanover (Virginia) Herald-Progress.

He is based in Portland, Oregon.

An Oregon Bill to Cut Millions in Timber Taxes Is Dead, Despite Backing by the Industry, the Governor and a Top Lawmaker

The legislation aimed to reformulate how Oregon funds the rising costs of fighting wildfires. It sparked debate within the Democratic-controlled Legislature about who should pay: taxpayers or big timber owners, who won steep tax cuts in the 1990s.

The Oregon Timber Industry Won Huge Tax Cuts in the 1990s. Now It May Get Another Break Thanks to a Top Lawmaker.

As the cost of fighting wildfires increases, state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner has proposed a bill — developed in consultation with the logging industry — that would shift millions in expenses away from the biggest landowners and onto taxpayers.

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