Help us scrutinize enviro politics in Olympia

Climate change. Renewable energy. Puget Sound restoration. Toxic chemicals in fish. Oil spills. Wildfires.

Over the last two years InvestigateWest has shined a light on what’s happening with those topics and others in the Washington Legislature. To pay for continued coverage of environmental topics like these in 2017, we need the public’s financial support.

Why give your hard-earned dollars to this effort? Because for two years InvestigateWest reporters have spotlighted important and otherwise-uncovered stories on environmental politics in Olympia. As the advertising-based business model that long supported vigorous for-profit journalism continues to wither, InvestigateWest’s emerging crowdfunded coverage model can help deliver citizens the information they need.

Want proof?

• Last year we revealed how the builders’ lobby was quietly trying to throttle a little-known state agency that had done heavy lifting to fight climate change.
• Earlier in the 2017 session, we revealed that although President Trump took heat for cutting the Puget Sound restoration budget, Gov. Jay Inslee actually cut the program more -- a fact ignored by other news outlets.
• We showed how a high-profile legislative bargain to regulate trains carrying volatile crude oil failed to adequately protect Puget Sound.
• Before the cataclysmic 2015 wildfire season, we spotlighted how the Legislature was failing to fund what looked like a pretty clear need. And the next year the Legislature had to dig below the couch cushions to repay the debt.

With the 2017 regular session nearing its end, we’ve secured funding to cover it. But the Legislature is sure to go into at least one special session. We need to make sure we can follow environmental issues that otherwise would not be communicated to the public.

To contribute please go to https://www.crowdrise.com/investigatewest or www.invw.org/donate. Each has a comment system that will allow you to let us know what topics you are most interested in seeing us cover. (The idea is that while no single donor can call the shots, which could compromise the neutral, fact-based and independent journalism for which InvestigateWest is known, a crowdfunded campaign can help to direct our editorial decisions as we make the inevitable calls on how we direct our limited bandwidth for maximum impact. What’s most important to you?)

Let’s make sure legislators know that their actions on the environment are being scrutinized. Thanks for making sure reporters will be asking important questions about crucial issues.

There are two easy ways to donate: 1)  Go to www.invw.org/donate or 2)  use our Crowdrise site.

Thank you!