Marian Wang
Marian Wang was a reporter for ProPublica, covering education and college debt.
Marian Wang was a reporter for ProPublica, covering education and college debt. She joined ProPublica in 2010, first blogging about a variety of accountability issues. Her later stories focused on how rising college costs and the complexity of the student loan system affect students and their families. Prior to coming to ProPublica, she worked at Mother Jones magazine in San Francisco and freelanced for a number of Chicago-based publications, including The Chicago Reporter, an investigative magazine focused on issues of race and poverty.
Mixed Messages as the Oil Continues to Spew
As oil continues to spew into the Gulf of Mexico, BP, cleanup crews and the EPA differ on the health risks for workers there. One EPA official likened the situation to the World Trade Center cleanup.
by Marian Wang,
Did BP's Acts to Save Time and Money Set the Stage for the Gulf Disaster?
BP made decisions to save time and money with the Deepwater Horizon well that may have contributed to the accident, including its choice of design for the well and its preparation, testing and finishing methods, news reports say.
by Marian Wang,
Director of Offshore Drilling Regulatory Agency Fired
Reports say that Elizabeth Birnbaum has been fired as director of the Minerals Management Service after less than a year in the job. The agency, which regulates offshore drilling, has come under criticism during the Gulf oil disaster.
by Marian Wang,
After Removing Mud Before Accident, BP's "Top Kill" Injects Mud to Stop Oil
BP's "top kill" maneuver to try to plug its ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico uses mud to stop oil from surging up. But after arguments with the rig owner Transocean just before the explosion, BP decided to remove mud from the well.
by Marian Wang,
More Reports of Illness Emerge Among Gulf Cleanup Workers
Fishermen hired by BP to help with the oil cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico are coming down sick after working long hours in oil- and dispersant-contaminated waters. Some cleanup workers said they were not given protective equipment.
by Marian Wang,
Read Congressional Memo That Confirms Warning Signs Before Rig Explosion
Findings released by a House committee look at problems leading up to the Gulf oil disaster. A memo from the committee describes signs of danger that have been mentioned in several hearings.
by Marian Wang,
Gov't Subsidizes Deep-Water Drilling With Big Tax Breaks
Federal incentives for expanding deep-water drilling have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. But the tax breaks and other subsidies, which began when oil prices were low, have outlived their purpose.
by Marian Wang,
Read the Govt's Report Blasting Drilling Regulators on Ethics, Drugs and Porn
A new inspector general's report cites ethical violations and other problems at a Minerals Management Service office on the Gulf Coast. The agency, part of the Interior Department, regulates offshore drilling.
by Marian Wang,
BP Continues to Apply Toxic Dispersant
The head of the EPA has criticized BP's response on the use of oil dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico disaster. BP argues that despite an EPA order to switch to a less toxic dispersant, the product being used, Corexit, is the best option.
by Marian Wang,
Inform Your Opinion on Arizona's New Law By Reading It First
Plenty of people, including some in the Obama administration, have taken sides on Arizona's new immigration law without having read it. The full text is posted online, along with notes from a law professor.
by Marian Wang,