"Illinois farmer Jack McCormick planted 350 acres of barley and radishes last fall as part of an off-season crop that he does not intend to harvest. Instead, the crops will be killed off with a weed killer next spring before McCormick plants soybeans in the same dirt."
"From phasing out fossil fuel subsidies to tackling the surging costs of loss and damage caused by climate change impacts, 2022 is likely to see growing pressure for more ambitious action to fight global warming on the ground."
"One year after President Biden took office, federal agencies are facing pressure to carry out his administration’s energy and climate policies while navigating political calculations ahead of critical midterm elections."
"State investigators have determined that a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. power line was responsible for sparking last year’s massive Dixie fire, which torched more than 960,000 acres in five Northern California counties as it burned clear across the Sierra Nevada."
"Soaring temperatures are rapidly thawing permafrost, leading to huge sinkholes called thermokarst. Northern fires are making the situation even worse."
"Eight new substances were added to a federal list of carcinogens — substances found in numerous products and water systems across the United States."
"A federal judge said Tuesday he intends to temporarily block any construction work for 90 days at a proposed geothermal power plant in Nevada that opponents said would destroy a sacred tribal site and could result in extinction of a rare toad being considered for endangered species protection."
"EPA has given one last stamp of approval to adding a common solvent to its list of air toxics, opening the door to a potentially contentious fight over how to regulate businesses that emit the compound, known as 1-bromopropane."
"As the new year opens, President Biden faces an increasingly narrow path to fulfill his ambitious goal of slashing the greenhouse gases generated by the United States that are helping to warm the planet to dangerous levels."
These awards honor U.S. investigative reporting on government conduct, public policy or the practice of politics; explanatory reporting on government functioning and implementation of public policy; and books on democratic governance. Cash prizes. Deadline: Jan 5, 2026 for the Investigative and Explanatory.
