Lisa Song
I report on the EPA and related agencies that oversee the environment, climate change and science.
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What I Cover
I cover how environmental regulations (or the lack thereof) affect communities, human health and the natural world.
My Background
I joined ProPublica in 2017 to cover environmental health and the fossil fuel industry. I’ve written about false solutions related to plastic recycling, carbon credits and biodiversity offsets. I’ve chronicled conflicts of interest in scientific research and regulators’ inability to curb major polluters. I’m currently focused on how the Trump administration is changing environmental protections. My reporting has led to regulatory change and has been cited in lawsuits.
Prior to ProPublica, I worked at Inside Climate News, where I was part of the reporting team that revealed Exxon’s shift from conducting global warming research to supporting climate denial. I co-wrote “The Dilbit Disaster,” which won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. I have degrees in earth science and science writing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
How Harvey Hurt Houston, in 10 Maps
The city got two “100-year” storms in the two years before Harvey made landfall. All three storms flooded thousands of houses, many outside of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood plains.
Sudden Shift at a Public Health Journal Leaves Scientists Feeling Censored
Claiming overreach by a new publisher, the journal’s editorial board asks for disciplinary action from the National Library of Medicine.
Buyouts Won’t Be the Answer for Many Frequent Flooding Victims
Even after Hurricane Harvey, the best efforts by Harris County officials to purchase the most flood-prone homes won’t make a dent in the larger problem — worsening flooding, and a buyout program that can’t keep up.
Independent Monitors Found Benzene Levels After Harvey Six Times Higher Than Guidelines
After an oil tank in Houston’s Manchester neighborhood caved in, private monitors found levels that far exceeded California’s health guideline
Where the Government Spends to Keep People in Flood-Prone Houston Neighborhoods
The government has shelled out $265 million for flood claims on 1,155 severe repetitive loss properties in the flood insurance program in Harris County.
Houston’s Dams Won’t Fail. But Many Homes Will Have to Be Flooded to Save Them
The water that goes around the spillways is going to have to leave the reservoir somehow — and enter areas surrounding it.
Trump Administration Says It Isn’t Anti-Science As It Seeks to Slash EPA Science Office
The Office of Research and Development has been at frontlines of virtually every environmental crisis. Trump wants to cut its funding in half.
As Seas Around Mar-a-Lago Rise, Trump’s Cuts Could Damage Local Climate Work
The president’s budget calls for ending an environmental program that had supported climate efforts in his and several Cabinet members’ backyards.
As Trump Slashes EPA, Worry Over the Fate of an Agency Doing Similar Work
Will the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ work on the effects of pesticides, chemicals and cancer-causing compounds be undamaged by the new administration?