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Environment

The Tension Between Humans and Nature

363 stories published since 2009

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,

The Scientist and the Bats

by Caroline Chen; Photography by Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica,

It Will Cost Up to $21.5 Billion to Clean Up California’s Oil Sites. The Industry Won’t Make Enough Money to Pay for It.

by Mark Olalde,

Colorado Law Will Require Homes to Be More Wildfire Resistant

by Jennifer Oldham for ProPublica,

Controlled Burns Help Prevent Wildfires, Experts Say. But Regulations Have Made It Nearly Impossible to Do These Burns.

by Jennifer Oldham for ProPublica,

The FCC Is Supposed to Protect the Environment. It Doesn’t.

by Peter Elkind,

How We Measured the Environmental Cost of Bankrupt Mines

by Scott Pham for ProPublica; Ken Ward Jr., Mountain State Spotlight; and Joel Jacobs, ProPublica,

In the Game of Musical Mines, Environmental Damage Takes a Back Seat

by Ken Ward Jr., Mountain State Spotlight, and Alex Mierjeski, ProPublica, with data analysis by Scott Pham for ProPublica,

Blown Away: Fishermen Endangered by Offshore Wind’s Political Power

by Will Sennott and Anastasia Lennon, The New Bedford Light,

Life-Giving but Lethal: The Culprit Behind Dead Zones and the Threat to Our Water Supply

by Anna Clark,

EPA Proposes Major Air Pollution Reforms to Lower Residents’ Cancer Risk Near Industrial Facilities

by Lisa Song, Kiah Collier and Maya Miller,

Thousands of Katrina Survivors Were Freed From Debt to the State. Those Who Already Paid Are Out of Luck.

by Richard A. Webster, Verite News, and David Hammer, WWL-TV,

The EPA Faces Questions About Its Approval of a Plastic-Based Fuel With an Astronomical Cancer Risk

by Sharon Lerner,

Major Chemical Company Changes Tune on Asbestos, No Longer Opposes EPA Ban

by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,

Lawmakers Have Renewed the Effort to Ban Asbestos

by Neil Bedi and Kathleen McGrory,

The Federal Government Is Finally Increasing Funding for Salmon Hatcheries. Tribes Say It’s Not Enough.

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

EPA Asks for More Public Input on Asbestos After ProPublica and Others Reveal New Information

by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,

Mississippi Has Invested Millions of Dollars to Save Its Oysters. They’re Disappearing Anyway.

by Anita Lee, Sun Herald, photography by Hannah Ruhoff, Sun Herald,

How Forest Loss Can Unleash the Next Pandemic

by Al Shaw, Irena Hwang and Caroline Chen,

The Company Testing Air in East Palestine Homes Was Hired by Norfolk Southern. Experts Say That Testing Isn’t Enough.

by Sharon Lerner,

Seeding Hope

by Caroline Chen, photography by Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica,

This “Climate-Friendly” Fuel Comes With an Astronomical Cancer Risk

by Sharon Lerner,

Louisiana to Drop Lawsuits Against Katrina Survivors Over Recovery Grants

by David Hammer, WWL-TV, and Richard A. Webster, Verite News,

What to Know About the Risks of Gas Stoves and Appliances

by Lisa Song,

Wildfires in Colorado Are Growing More Unpredictable. Officials Have Ignored the Warnings.

by Jennifer Oldham for ProPublica, photography by Chet Strange, special to ProPublica,

This Scientist Fled a Deadly Wildfire, Then Returned to Study How It Happened

by Jennifer Oldham for ProPublica,

A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

Salmon People: A Native Fishing Family’s Fight to Preserve a Way of Life

by Katie Campbell, ProPublica, and Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

Toxic Salmon Reporting “Deeply Troubling,” Lawmaker Says, Demanding Changes to Protect Pacific Northwest Tribal Health

by Maya Miller, ProPublica, and Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

Behind the Key Decision That Left Many Poor Homeowners Without Enough Money to Rebuild After Katrina

by David Hammer, WWL-TV,

Wealthy Governor’s Company to Pay Nearly $1 Million for Chronic Air Pollution Violations

by Max Blau,

An Exodus Unlike Any Other: Why Half the People in This Community Moved Away After Hurricane Katrina

by Richard A. Webster and Jeff Adelson, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate, and Sophie Chou, ProPublica,

The Federal Program to Rebuild After Hurricane Katrina Shortchanged the Poor. New Data Proves It.

by Richard A. Webster and Jeff Adelson, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate, David Hammer, WWL-TV, and Sophie Chou, ProPublica,

The Cold War Legacy Lurking in U.S. Groundwater

by Mark Olalde, Mollie Simon and Alex Mierjeski, video by Gerardo del Valle, Liz Moughon and Mauricio Rodríguez Pons,

City Receives Half a Million Dollars for Air Monitoring After Report Reveals Elevated Cancer Risk

by Lisa Song,

The U.S. Promised Tribes They Would Always Have Fish, but the Fish They Have Pose Toxic Risks

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and Maya Miller, ProPublica,

Big Oil Companies Are Selling Their Wells. Some Worry Taxpayers Will Pay to Clean Them Up.

by Mark Olalde,

Barbados Will Be Among the First to Receive Climate Money From New International Monetary Fund Resilience Trust

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

New Air Monitors Among Major Impacts of ProPublica Toxic Air Pollution Reporting

by Lisa Song and Alexandra Zayas,

The Racism, and Resilience, Behind Today’s Salmon Crisis

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

This Hurricane-Ravaged Town Has Waited Years for Long-Term Aid. It Could Happen Again.

by Mike Smith, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate,

The Tragedy of North Birmingham

by Max Blau, graphics by Shane Loeffler,