Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV)

Orphans and Zombies — Reporting on Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Across the Country

For more than a century, oil and gas companies have been drilling — and abandoning — wells across the country, leaving hundreds of thousands to potentially leak pollutants into the air, water and soil. Climate and environment reporter Martha Pskowski looks at how funding and regulatory issues are impacting efforts to identify and plug these wells, and offers resources for drilling into their story.

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"Beekeepers, Farmers and the Fight to Save a Century-Old Research Hub"

UPDATE: As of Dec. 1, NPR reports funding for USDA's Beltsville, Md., research center has been resored. No link available. 

"Industry groups and scientists have urged the Trump administration to reconsider its plan to close a renowned Agriculture Department center in Maryland and disperse its work around the country."

Source: NYTimes, 12/01/2025

"Va. Communities Resist Sewage Sludge On Farm Land As PFAS Concerns Grow

"As worry mounts about health risks from exposure to ‘forever chemicals,’ Virginia communities push for testing and limits for biosolids"

Source: Virginia Mercury, 11/26/2025

"Fresh Warnings As A Maryland Community’s PFAS Crisis Continues"

"A PFAS contamination crisis is continuing to plague a Maryland community as a plume of contaminated groundwater moves through the area, residents and their attorneys said this week."

Source: The New Lede, 11/17/2025

Trump Country Coal Miners With Black Lung Say Government Is Suffocating Them

"Lisa Emery loves to talk about her “boys.” With each word, the respiratory therapist’s face softens and shines with pride. But keep her talking, and it doesn’t take long for that passion to switch to hurt. She knows the names, ages, families and the intimate stories of each one’s scarred lungs. She worries about a whole community of West Virginia coal miners — including a growing number in their 30s and 40s — who come to her for help while getting sicker and sicker from what used to be considered an old-timer’s disease: black lung."

Source: AP, 11/10/2025

Pa. Gas Producer CNX Sues Capital & Main Over Its Reporting on Health Risks

"A lawsuit by CNX Resources Corporation accuses the news organization of defamation for quoting sources critical of an industry-written study. Capital & Main stands by its reporting and vows to fight the suit."

Source: Capital & Main, 11/05/2025

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