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Environment

The Tension Between Humans and Nature

378 stories published since 2009

The Future of the Colorado River Hinges on One Young Negotiator

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun,

9 Times the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Miscalculated Badly at the Expense of Taxpayers, Wildlife

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

The 20 Farming Families Who Use More Water From the Colorado River Than Some Western States

by Nat Lash, ProPublica, and Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun,

The Historic Claims That Put a Few California Farming Families First in Line for Colorado River Water

by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun, and Nat Lash, ProPublica,

The EPA Has Found More Than a Dozen Contaminants in Drinking Water but Hasn’t Set Safety Limits on Them

by Agnel Philip,

This Billion-Dollar Plan to Save Salmon Depends on a Giant Fish Vacuum

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

California Oil Companies Face Tougher Enforcement Under New Law

by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun,

Western States Opposed Tribes’ Access to the Colorado River 70 Years Ago. History Is Repeating Itself.

by Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Anna V. Smith, High Country News,

The Cleanup of Seattle’s Only River Could Cost Boeing and Taxpayers $1 Billion. Talks Over Who Will Pay Most Are Secret.

by Lulu Ramadan, The Seattle Times,

Biden Administration Commits $200 Million to Help Reintroduce Salmon in Columbia River

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

A Black Community in West Virginia Sues the EPA to Spur Action on Toxic Air Pollution

by Sarah Elbeshbishi, Mountain State Spotlight,

Do You Have Experience in or With the Plastics Industry? Tell Us About It.

by Lisa Song and Maya Miller,

United Nations Seems to Boost Plastics Industry Interests, Critics Say

by Lisa Song,

The (Random) Forests for the Trees: How Our Spillover Model Works

by Irena Hwang and Al Shaw,

EPA Approved a Fuel Ingredient Even Though It Could Cause Cancer in Virtually Every Person Exposed Over a Lifetime

by Sharon Lerner,

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,