Rob Davis
I cover the environment and business in the Pacific Northwest.
Have a Tip for a Story?
If you live in the Pacific Northwest and have details about an abuse of power by a business, a government agency or an elected official, I want to hear from you.
What I Cover
I’ve been an investigative reporter in Oregon for more than a decade, examining the intersections of corporate influence, natural resources, pollution and public health. Lately I’ve covered the role of Nike, a major Northwest company, in corporate responsibility.
My Background
Before joining ProPublica, I was a special projects reporter on the investigations team at The Oregonian.
My 2021 investigation into how industrial logging hollowed out Oregon communities, “The Cutting,” a partnership between The Oregonian, ProPublica and Oregon Public Broadcasting, prompted a state audit and multiple bills introduced in the Legislature. It received the John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Reporting.
My 2019 series “Polluted by Money” helped spur a long-stalled constitutional amendment that cleared the way for campaign donation limits in Oregon. The stories received awards including the John B. Oakes Award, the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability and the Scripps Howard Award for Environmental Reporting.
My 2016 examination of lead contamination in National Guard armories led to closures and cleanups of hundreds of buildings around the country.
I’m from the Eastern Shore of Maryland and started in journalism at the Hanover (Virginia) Herald-Progress. I’ve also worked at the Fredericksburg (Virginia) Free Lance-Star and Voice of San Diego.
I’m based in Portland, Oregon.
We Reported on Nike’s Extensive Use of Private Jets. The Company Just Made It Harder to Track Them.
Since our story, the company has added its planes to a popular Federal Aviation Administration program that makes it harder to see where they’re going.
Nike Shareholders Want to Force Actions on Environmental and Worker Protections. They Face Long Odds.
At their annual meeting, Nike investors will decide on proposals about the company’s approach to climate change, gender equity and labor rights. If history is any guide, none of them will pass.
After Nike Leaders Promised Climate Action, Their Corporate Jets Kept Flying — and Polluting
Nike has staked a claim as a corporate leader on sustainability. Yet company disclosures show that its jets emitted almost 20% more carbon dioxide last year than in 2015. It’s one small factor in Nike’s failure to slash emissions as promised.
Nike Pledged to Shrink Its Carbon Footprint. It Just Slashed the Staff Charged With Making That Happen.
Since December, Nike has lost about 30% of employees who worked primarily on sustainability initiatives, due to layoffs, voluntary departures or transfers to other duties. Already, the company was missing its targets for reducing emissions.
An Oregon Bill to Cut Millions in Timber Taxes Is Dead, Despite Backing by the Industry, the Governor and a Top Lawmaker
The legislation aimed to reformulate how Oregon funds the rising costs of fighting wildfires. It sparked debate within the Democratic-controlled Legislature about who should pay: taxpayers or big timber owners, who won steep tax cuts in the 1990s.
The Oregon Timber Industry Won Huge Tax Cuts in the 1990s. Now It May Get Another Break Thanks to a Top Lawmaker.
As the cost of fighting wildfires increases, state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner has proposed a bill — developed in consultation with the logging industry — that would shift millions in expenses away from the biggest landowners and onto taxpayers.
Tax-Funded Forest Institute in Oregon Misled Public, May Have Broken State Law, Audit Finds
State auditors found that an agency intended to educate the public about forestry presented biased information favoring the timber industry and possibly violated state law. The audit was prompted by our investigation last year into the agency.
Local Reporting Network
Oregon Lawmakers Set Out to Increase the Timber Industry’s Tax Bill. Instead, They Cut It Again.
Legislators cut taxes for the owners of Oregon’s private forests, money that helped fund university forest scientists. Now taxpayers will pick up the tab.
Local Reporting Network
Oregon House Moves to Curb Forest Institute’s Power and Budget
After our investigation found that a tax-funded institute acted as a lobbying arm for the timber industry, Oregon lawmakers passed a bill that would significantly cut the institute’s funding and redirect the money to climate science.
Local Reporting Network
A Timber Lobbyist Called Our Investigation “Completely Bogus.” We Have the Receipts to Show It’s Not.
Lobbyists for the timber industry have repeatedly attacked our investigation, which was based on extensive interviews and a review of thousands of documents. Here’s the evidence to back up the investigation’s major findings.
Local Reporting Network
Oregon’s Logging Industry Says It Can’t Afford New Taxes. But Prices Have Never Been Higher and Profits Are Soaring.
Lobbyists claim the timber industry is "up against the ropes." Here's what they're not saying: Lumber prices are at record highs.
Local Reporting Network