Nathan Rott
Nathan Rott is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where he focuses on environment issues and the American West.
Based at NPR West in Culver City, California, Rott spends a lot of his time on the road, covering everything from breaking news stories like California's wildfires to in-depth issues like the management of endangered species and many points between.
Rott owes his start at NPR to two extraordinary young men he never met. As the first recipient of the Stone and Holt Weeks Fellowship in 2010, he aims to honor the memory of the two brothers by carrying on their legacy of making the world a better place.
A graduate of the University of Montana, Rott prefers to be outside at just about every hour of the day. Prior to working at NPR, he worked a variety of jobs including wildland firefighting, commercial fishing, children's theater teaching, and professional snow-shoveling for the United States Antarctic Program. Odds are, he's shoveled more snow than you.
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Colstrip, Mont., is home to the second-largest coal power plant in the West. The plant's customers in other states are turning away from coal, so locals are looking for support in making a transition. -
Cities, states, businesses and electric utilities are setting ambitious goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions. But it's not clear exactly how they'll do that or whether it will actually work. -
Research shows more people are linking climate change to extreme weather events, like the ongoing flooding in America's heartland. Experts are hoping it also inspires action. -
The Arkansas River is rising well above its previous record, and it's forecast to stay that way for days. That's putting pressure on old levees and making it hard for some residents to evacuate. -
The Environmental Protection Agency's internal watchdog has found $124,000 in improper travel expenses by former administrator Scott Pruitt. It suggests the agency find a way to recover those costs. -
"Protecting biodiversity amounts to protecting humanity," says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, who warns that species are being lost at an alarming rate. -
The Trump administration is delaying efforts to boost offshore oil and gas drilling in the wake of a recent court setback. The plans have been controversial, even in Republican-held states. -
New Mexico lawmakers passed a bill this week mandating state utilities use 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. Meanwhile, oil production in the southeast corner of the state is breaking records. -
New Mexico lawmakers are set to pass what could be the country's most aggressive push for 100 percent clean energy. It's happening even as the state is in the middle of a record-setting oil boom.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service keeps trying, and failing, to get grizzly bears taken off the endangered species list. Some worry that frustration over this could hurt efforts to protect the bears.
