Environment
The Tension Between Humans and Nature
Elon Musk’s Boring Co. Accused of Nearly 800 Environmental Violations on Las Vegas Project
Nevada could’ve fined the company more than $3 million, but regulators are seeking a reduced penalty of $242,800, citing an “extraordinary number of violations.”
Scientists Completed a Toxicity Report on This Forever Chemical. The EPA Hasn’t Released It.
Agency scientists found that PFNA could cause developmental, liver and reproductive harms. Their final report was ready in mid-April, according to an internal document reviewed by ProPublica, but the Trump administration has yet to release it.
Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene
An analysis by ProPublica and The Assembly of the more rural counties in North Carolina hardest hit by Helene shows that the households that got the most aid tended to have the highest incomes.
This Family Will Return Home After Helene. Their Onerous Journey to Rebuild Shows Why Many Others Won’t.
One year after the hurricane’s devastation, the Hills are among the first in their community to almost finish rebuilding their home. They are the lucky ones who succeeded in navigating an arduous federal disaster aid system.
Featured Reporters
Impact of Our Reporting
House Rep Demands Answers About Delayed EPA Report on PFNA, a Toxic Forever Chemical
In a letter to EPA Chief Lee Zeldin, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, cited a recent ProPublica story that quoted government scientists saying a yet-to-be-released report on the toxicity of PFNA was ready to publish in April.
Oregon Fast-Tracks Renewable Energy Projects as Trump Bill Ends Tax Incentives
Gov. Tina Kotek ordered the move, which follows reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica that highlighted impediments green energy advocates blame for the state’s poor ranking when it comes to the growth of renewables.
Local Reporting Network
Top Democrat on Oversight Committee Demands Trump Administration Account for Wildland Firefighter Vacancies
The request follows ProPublica reporting that DOGE cuts and voluntary resignations left thousands of vacant jobs at the Forest Service, severely hampering its ability to fight wildfires.
Series
Series: Power Struggle: What Stalled the Northwest’s Push for Green Energy?
Series: Nike’s Gold Standard: Testing Nike’s Corporate Responsibility Claims
Series: Unreasonable Risk: Formaldehyde Threatens the Health of Nearly Everyone
Series: Power Grab: How Green Energy Hurts Washington’s Tribes
Series: Selling a Mirage: The Deception Behind Plastic Recycling
Series: Unplugged: Will Taxpayers Foot the Oil Industry’s Cleanup Bill?
Series: Waiting for Water: Tribes’ Fight for a Promised Resource
Series: Roots of an Outbreak: How the Next Pandemic Could Start
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
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
What We’re Watching
During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.
Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.
Sharon Lerner
I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.
Andy Kroll
I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.
Melissa Sanchez
I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.
Jesse Coburn
I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.
If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.
