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Environment

The Tension Between Humans and Nature

Waiting for Water

In Arizona Water Ruling, the Hopi Tribe Sees Limits on Its Future

Arizona's unique method for awarding water to tribes was supposed to open up economic possibilities beyond farming for the Hopi Tribe. Instead, the tribe says it has dashed their dreams of building a thriving homeland.

by Umar Farooq,

The U.S. Banned Farmers From Using a Brain-Harming Pesticide on Food. Why Has It Slowed a Global Ban?

Chlorpyrifos is so harmful that America banned its use on food. But a top EPA official made it clear that the U.S. was not ready to support similar protections for the rest of the world under a treaty that restricts pollutants that travel the globe.

by Sharon Lerner,

Waiting for Water

Most of Chemehuevi Tribe’s Water Goes To California Cities

The Chemehuevi’s reservation fronts about 30 miles of the Colorado River, yet 97% of the tribe’s water stays in the river, much of it used by Southern California cities. The tribe isn’t paid for it.

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

Waiting for Water

Supreme Court Keeps Navajo Nation Waiting for Water

Decades of negotiations between the tribe and Arizona over water rights have proven fruitless. The court case was the Navajo Nation’s bid to accelerate the process and secure water for its reservation.

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

Impact of Our Reporting
Caret

Colorado Law Will Require Homes to Be More Wildfire Resistant

The state will develop building standards for homes in high-risk areas after ProPublica’s reporting showed previous efforts to require fire-resistant housing materials had been repeatedly stymied by developers and municipalities.

by Jennifer Oldham for ProPublica,

EPA Proposes Major Air Pollution Reforms to Lower Residents’ Cancer Risk Near Industrial Facilities

The EPA has proposed tougher air pollution rules for chemical plants and other industrial facilities after ProPublica found an estimated 74 million Americans near those sites faced an elevated risk of cancer.

by Lisa Song, Kiah Collier and Maya Miller,

Toxic Burden

Major Chemical Company Changes Tune on Asbestos, No Longer Opposes EPA Ban

In a letter to the EPA, Olin Corp., one of the few U.S. manufacturers still using asbestos, signaled newfound support for a federal ban on the deadly mineral and said it could halt imports as soon as this week.

by Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi,

Series

Series: Waiting for Water: Tribes’ Fight for a Promised Resource

Series: Disaster After Disaster: Growing Storms, Faltering Aid

Series: Broken Promises: Salmon Disappear From the Pacific Northwest

Series: Sacrifice Zones: Mapping Cancer-Causing Industrial Air Pollution

Series: Black Snow: Big Sugar’s Burning Problem

Series: Sunken Costs: Coal Ash in Georgia

Firefighters battle the Creek Fire in the Shaver Lake community of Fresno County, California, on Sept. 7.

Series: California Burning: The Climate Crisis is Setting the State on Fire

Series: The Great Climate Migration: A Warming Planet and a Shifting Population

Series: Paradise Lost: Hawaii’s Disappearing Beaches

Series: Pollution Profiteers: Inside California’s Toxic Hauling Industry

Series: The Cutting: Investigating Industrial Logging in Oregon

Series: Polluter’s Paradise: Environmental Impact in Louisiana

Series: The New Power Brokers: West Virginia’s Natural Gas Industry

Series: Bombs in Our Backyard: Investigating One of America’s Greatest Polluters

Series: Killing the Colorado: The Water Crisis in the West

Series: Losing Ground: Southeast Louisiana is Disappearing, Quickly

Series: After the Flood: The Challenge of Rebuilding as the Climate Changes

Series: Injection Wells: The Hidden Risks of Pumping Waste Underground

Series: Nuclear Safety: After Fukushima

Series: Gulf Oil Spill: Investigating the Impact of the BP Spill

Series: Fracking: Gas Drilling’s Environmental Threat

302 stories published since 2013

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,

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, 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,

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,

Salmon People: A Native Fishing Family’s Fight to Preserve a Way of Life

by Katie Campbell, ProPublica, and Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

Toxic Salmon Reporting “Deeply Troubling,” Lawmaker Says, Demanding Changes to Protect Pacific Northwest Tribal Health

by Maya Miller, ProPublica, and Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

Behind the Key Decision That Left Many Poor Homeowners Without Enough Money to Rebuild After Katrina

by David Hammer, WWL-TV,

Wealthy Governor’s Company to Pay Nearly $1 Million for Chronic Air Pollution Violations

by Max Blau,

An Exodus Unlike Any Other: Why Half the People in This Community Moved Away After Hurricane Katrina

by Richard A. Webster and Jeff Adelson, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate, and Sophie Chou, ProPublica,

The Federal Program to Rebuild After Hurricane Katrina Shortchanged the Poor. New Data Proves It.

by Richard A. Webster and Jeff Adelson, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate, David Hammer, WWL-TV, and Sophie Chou, ProPublica,

The Cold War Legacy Lurking in U.S. Groundwater

by Mark Olalde, Mollie Simon and Alex Mierjeski, video by Gerardo del Valle, Liz Moughon and Mauricio Rodríguez Pons,

City Receives Half a Million Dollars for Air Monitoring After Report Reveals Elevated Cancer Risk

by Lisa Song,

The U.S. Promised Tribes They Would Always Have Fish, but the Fish They Have Pose Toxic Risks

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and Maya Miller, ProPublica,

Big Oil Companies Are Selling Their Wells. Some Worry Taxpayers Will Pay to Clean Them Up.

by Mark Olalde,

Barbados Will Be Among the First to Receive Climate Money From New International Monetary Fund Resilience Trust

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

New Air Monitors Among Major Impacts of ProPublica Toxic Air Pollution Reporting

by Lisa Song and Alexandra Zayas,

The Racism, and Resilience, Behind Today’s Salmon Crisis

by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting,

This Hurricane-Ravaged Town Has Waited Years for Long-Term Aid. It Could Happen Again.

by Mike Smith, The Times-Picayune | The Advocate,

The Tragedy of North Birmingham

by Max Blau, graphics by Shane Loeffler,

A Year After Hurricane Ida Caused Flood Deaths, Officials Are Starting to Address Storm Drain Dangers

by Topher Sanders,

Texas-Mexico Border Town Approves Air Pollution Monitoring Following ProPublica and Texas Tribune Investigation

by Kiah Collier and Maya Miller,

As Colorado River Dries, the U.S. Teeters on the Brink of Larger Water Crisis

by Abrahm Lustgarten,

Visualizing Toxic Air

by Lylla Younes and Al Shaw,

Joe Manchin’s Price for Supporting the Climate Change Bill: A Natural Gas Pipeline in His Home State

by Ken Ward Jr. and Alexa Beyer, Mountain State Spotlight,