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Environment

The Tension Between Humans and Nature

406 stories published since 2009

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

by Rob Davis, ProPublica, and Matthew Kish, The Oregonian/OregonLive,

The Federal Government Just Acknowledged the Harm Its Dams Have Caused Tribes. Here’s What It Left Out.

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

How America’s “Most Powerful Lobby” Is Stifling Efforts to Reform Oil Well Cleanup in State After State

by Mark Olalde,

The Delusion of “Advanced” Plastic Recycling

by Lisa Song, illustrations by Max Guther, special to ProPublica,

A Bottled Water Company in Michigan Is Still Extracting Millions of Gallons of Water for Free

by Anna Clark, photography by Sarahbeth Maney,

Nine Takeaways From Our Investigation Into 3M’s Forever Chemicals

by ProPublica,

Toxic Gaslighting: How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe

by Sharon Lerner, photography by Haruka Sakaguchi, special to ProPublica,

Plastic, Plastic Everywhere — Even at the UN’s “Plastic Free” Conference

by Lisa Song,

Oil Companies Contaminated a Family Farm. The Courts and Regulators Let the Drillers Walk Away.

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Nick Bowlin, Capital & Main,

Ten Years After the Flint Water Crisis, Distrust and Anger Linger

by Anna Clark and Sarahbeth Maney, Photography by Sarahbeth Maney,

EPA Proposes Ban on Pesticide Widely Used on Fruits and Vegetables

by Sharon Lerner,

10 Times as Much of This Toxic Pesticide Could End Up on Your Tomatoes and Celery Under a New EPA Proposal

by Sharon Lerner,

Oil Companies Must Set Aside More Money to Plug Wells, a New Rule Says. But It Won’t Be Enough.

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Nick Bowlin, Capital & Main,

The Big Burnout: Life on the Front Lines of America’s Wildfires

by Connor Goodwin,

EPA Finalizes New Standards for Cancer-Causing Chemicals

by Ava Kofman,

The EPA Has Done Nearly Everything It Can to Clean Up This Town. It Hasn’t Worked.

by Lisa Song,

The Flooding Will Come “No Matter What”

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

Chevron Will Pay Record Fines for Oil Spills in California

by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun,

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

by Rob Davis,

“It Feels Impossible to Stay”: The U.S. Needs Wildland Firefighters More Than Ever, but the Federal Government Is Losing Them

by Abe Streep, illustrations by Hokyoung Kim, special to ProPublica,

New EPA Rule to Slash Cancer-Causing Emissions From Sterilization Facilities

by Alejandra Martinez, The Texas Tribune,

Listen to the “Timber Wars Season 2: Salmon Wars” Podcast

by ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcasting,

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

by Rob Davis,

Washington State Is Leaving Tribal Cultural Resources at the Mercy of Solar Developers

by B. “Toastie” Oaster, High Country News,

In a Major Shift, Northwest Tribes — not U.S. Officials — Will Control Salmon Recovery Funds

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

West Virginians Could Get Stuck Cleaning Up the Coal Industry’s Messes

by Ken Ward Jr., Mountain State Spotlight,

The Future of the Colorado River Hinges on One Young Negotiator

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun,

9 Times the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Miscalculated Badly at the Expense of Taxpayers, Wildlife

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

The 20 Farming Families Who Use More Water From the Colorado River Than Some Western States

by Nat Lash, ProPublica, and Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun,

The Historic Claims That Put a Few California Farming Families First in Line for Colorado River Water

by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun, and Nat Lash, ProPublica,

The EPA Has Found More Than a Dozen Contaminants in Drinking Water but Hasn’t Set Safety Limits on Them

by Agnel Philip,

This Billion-Dollar Plan to Save Salmon Depends on a Giant Fish Vacuum

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

California Oil Companies Face Tougher Enforcement Under New Law

by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun,

Western States Opposed Tribes’ Access to the Colorado River 70 Years Ago. History Is Repeating Itself.

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Anna V. Smith, High Country News,

The Cleanup of Seattle’s Only River Could Cost Boeing and Taxpayers $1 Billion. Talks Over Who Will Pay Most Are Secret.

by Lulu Ramadan, The Seattle Times,

Biden Administration Commits $200 Million to Help Reintroduce Salmon in Columbia River

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

A Black Community in West Virginia Sues the EPA to Spur Action on Toxic Air Pollution

by Sarah Elbeshbishi, Mountain State Spotlight,

Do You Have Experience in or With the Plastics Industry? Tell Us About It.

by Lisa Song and Maya Miller,

United Nations Seems to Boost Plastics Industry Interests, Critics Say

by Lisa Song,

The (Random) Forests for the Trees: How Our Spillover Model Works

by Irena Hwang and Al Shaw,

EPA Approved a Fuel Ingredient Even Though It Could Cause Cancer in Virtually Every Person Exposed Over a Lifetime

by Sharon Lerner,

In Arizona Water Ruling, the Hopi Tribe Sees Limits on Its Future

by Umar Farooq,

The U.S. Banned Farmers From Using a Brain-Harming Pesticide on Food. Why Has It Slowed a Global Ban?

by Sharon Lerner,

The Colorado River Flooded Chemehuevi Land. Decades Later, the Tribe Still Struggles to Take Its Share of Water.

by Mark Olalde and Umar Farooq, ProPublica, and Anna V. Smith, High Country News,

Supreme Court Keeps Navajo Nation Waiting for Water

by Anna V. Smith, High Country News, and Umar Farooq and Mark Olalde, ProPublica,

Out of Balance

by Lisa Song, with additional reporting by Jaime Yaya Barry for ProPublica, photography by Kathleen Flynn, special to ProPublica,

How Arizona Stands Between Tribes and Their Water

by Mark Olalde and Umar Farooq, ProPublica, and Anna V. Smith, High Country News,

Las Vegas Needs to Save Water. It Won’t Find It in Lawns.

by Nat Lash, Mark Olalde and Ash Ngu, and photography by Liz Moughon,

Climate Crisis Is on Track to Push One-Third of Humanity Out of Its Most Livable Environment

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

West Virginia Governor’s Coal Empire Sued by the Federal Government — Again

by Ken Ward Jr., Mountain State Spotlight,

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

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Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

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Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

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