Alex Brown

Alex Brown

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Alex Brown covers environmental issues for Stateline, reporting from Washington state. Prior to joining Stateline, Brown wrote for The Chronicle in Lewis County, Washington state. He’s won awards for investigative reporting and feature writing from the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association. In 2017, Brown thru-hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, which traverses mountain ranges from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. He previously was a congressional correspondent for National Journal, where he covered energy and environment, technology and campaigns. Brown graduated from Union University and is a native of Michigan.

Judge orders Pentagon to resume wind energy project reviews
Stateline

Judge orders Pentagon to resume wind energy project reviews

Aug 07, 2026
Alex Brown
A federal judge has ordered the Department of Defense to lift its blockade of wind energy projects and resume the permitting process that has ground to a halt during President Donald Trump’s second term. Under Trump, the Pentagon has stopped...
Western wildfire could be latest climate disaster to unsettle property insurance market
Stateline

Western wildfire could be latest climate disaster to unsettle property insurance market

Aug 05, 2026
Alex Brown
As Washington state reels from a devastating wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes in Spokane last weekend, experts say the disaster has cast newfound uncertainty over a property insurance market that had just begun to stabilize. Across the country, insurance...
Wildfire veterans fear federal tactics, extreme fires could put crews at risk
Stateline

Wildfire veterans fear federal tactics, extreme fires could put crews at risk

Aug 04, 2026
Alex Brown
As millions of acres burn across the western United States, some wildland fire veterans are fearful that aggressive fire suppression tactics ordered by the Trump administration — coupled with extreme, fast-moving blazes — could put firefighters in danger as conditions...
As fires rage in the Pacific Northwest, leaders call all hands on deck
Stateline

As fires rage in the Pacific Northwest, leaders call all hands on deck

Jul 30, 2026
Alex Brown
With dozens of large fires burning across the Pacific Northwest, and nearly 2 million acres burned already, state leaders are calling for firefighting reinforcements and bracing for a grueling August. “We’re going to have a long year ahead,” said Washington...
State AGs join legal fight against Trump’s wind farm freeze
Stateline

State AGs join legal fight against Trump’s wind farm freeze

Jul 22, 2026
Alex Brown
A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general has joined a lawsuit seeking to end the Trump administration’s halt of onshore wind projects in the United States. Last week, 18 states and the District of Columbia moved to intervene in a...
The feds no longer protect endangered species habitat. States say they can’t pick up the slack.
Stateline

The feds no longer protect endangered species habitat. States say they can’t pick up the slack.

Jul 20, 2026
Alex Brown
The Trump administration is removing protections from the key places where endangered species live, saying states can keep the areas safe. But experts say states aren’t equipped for the task. Earlier this month, the Trump administration finalized a major change...
New York governor orders first statewide data center moratorium
Stateline

New York governor orders first statewide data center moratorium

Jul 14, 2026
Alex Brown
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, issued an executive order Tuesday that puts a moratorium on the construction of large-scale data centers. The pause, which will last up to a year, is the nation’s first statewide ban on data...
As Trump buyouts shake offshore wind industry, states hope developers stay in the game
Stateline

As Trump buyouts shake offshore wind industry, states hope developers stay in the game

Jul 06, 2026
Alex Brown
President Donald Trump has shown the immense power of the executive branch to stymie offshore wind development, as nearly all projects are in waters where federal agencies operate as the landlord. Now, as the feds block new permits and dangle...
Oregon lawsuit could upend federal management of public lands
Stateline

Oregon lawsuit could upend federal management of public lands

Jun 25, 2026
Alex Brown
A new lawsuit challenging a logging project in Oregon threatens to unravel the management plans governing hundreds of millions of acres of federal public land. At stake are thousands of leases and permits covering billions of dollars of economic activity...
California lawsuit challenges Trump’s effort to revoke auto emissions rules
Stateline

California lawsuit challenges Trump’s effort to revoke auto emissions rules

Jun 23, 2026
Alex Brown
The state of California and the Trump administration are on course for a major legal clash that could determine whether the state will continue to have unique authority to shape the American automotive market. On Monday, California Attorney General Rob...
As property insurance crisis worsens, some lawmakers target Big Oil
Stateline

As property insurance crisis worsens, some lawmakers target Big Oil

May 13, 2026
Alex Brown
Desperate to get a handle on rising property insurance costs driven by natural disasters, some state lawmakers are opening up a new line of attack in the effort to force oil companies to bear the cost of climate change effects...
As drought worsens, Western states brace for wildfires, water shortages
Stateline

As drought worsens, Western states brace for wildfires, water shortages

May 08, 2026
Alex Brown
From the Rockies to the Cascades to the Sierra Nevada, mountainsides across the West are sparsely covered by the snow that usually blankets the high country well into the summer. That snowpack is like a savings account that the West...