Environment

The Tension Between Humans and Nature

Despite Biden’s Promise to Protect Old Forests, His Administration Keeps Approving Plans to Cut Them Down

In Oregon’s Coast Range, mature forests can absorb more carbon per acre than almost any other on the planet. Yet logging here continues at a steady pace, putting the environment at risk.

by April Ehrlich, Oregon Public Broadcasting, McKenzie Funk, ProPublica, and Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Nov. 12, 6 a.m. EST

The Ghosts of John Tanton

Climate change and anti-immigrant hate are colliding, foretelling a volatile future.

by Abrahm Lustgarten, Oct. 19, 5 a.m. EDT

The Long Burn

FEMA Told Victims of New Mexico’s Largest Wildfire It Can’t Pay for Emotional Harm. A Judge Will Likely Rule It Must.

Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire victims sued the agency because it will compensate them only for losses that come with a price tag. Victims say the law allows them to be paid for the stress of fleeing the blaze and the toll of losing their possessions.

by Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico, Oct. 18, 12:30 p.m. EDT

Local Reporting Network

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.

by Miranda Green, Floodlight, Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, and Priyanjana Bengani, Tow Center for Digital Journalism, and photography by Sarahbeth Maney, ProPublica, Oct. 8, 5 a.m. EDT

Featured Reporters

Al Shaw

Impact of Our Reporting

EPA Says It Plans to Withdraw Approval for Chevron’s Plastic-Based Fuels That Are Likely to Cause Cancer

The decision comes after a ProPublica investigation revealed that the EPA had found that one of the fuels had a cancer risk more than 1 million times higher than the agency usually considers acceptable.

by Sharon Lerner, Sept. 30, 5 a.m. EDT

Selling a Mirage

ExxonMobil Accused of “Deceptively” Promoting Chemical Recycling as a Solution for the Plastics Crisis

The California attorney general’s lawsuit, which cites ProPublica reporting, alleges that products made with Exxon’s process contain only a small fraction of the recycled plastic that they claim to have.

by Lisa Song, Sept. 27, 6 a.m. EDT

Selling a Mirage

Biden EPA Rejects Plastics Industry’s Fuzzy Math That Misleads Customers About Recycled Content

The plastics industry uses a controversial accounting method to inflate the recycled content it advertises in products. A new EPA policy won’t allow it for any products it endorses as a “Safer Choice.”

by Lisa Song, Aug. 29, 5 a.m. EDT