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Author Archives: Rachel Becker

Rachel Becker is a reporter with a background in scientific research. After studying the links between the brain and the immune system, Rachel left the lab bench with her master's degree to become a journalist via the MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing. For nearly three years, Rachel was a staff science reporter at The Verge, where she wrote stories and hosted videos covering a range of beats including climate change, nicotine, and nuclear technology. Her byline has also appeared in NOVA Next, National Geographic News, Smithsonian, Slate, Nature, Nature Medicine, bioGraphic, and Hakai Magazine, as well as the PBS Digital Studios video series Gross Science and the YouTube show MinuteEarth. Rachel is now an environment reporter for CALmatters, where she covers climate change and California's environmental policies.

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The Valero Wilmington Refinery in Long Beach on Jan. 28, 2021. Photo by Shae Hammond for CalMatters
Posted inEnvironment

California to review carbon trading program as part of climate roadmap

Avatar by Rachel Becker February 16, 2021February 16, 2021
A brown pelican — a species that recovered from near-extinction after being protected by the Endangered Species Act — flies above Malibu Lagoon on Jan. 12, 21. Photo by Shae Hammond for CalMatters
Posted inExplainers

What Biden’s presidency means for California’s environment

AvatarAvatar by Julie Cart and Rachel Becker January 25, 2021February 9, 2021
Mary Nichols, who has been chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board since 2007, poses for a portrait outside her home in Los Angeles on Dec. 15, 2020. Photo by Kendrick Brinson for CalMatters
Posted inEnvironment

Legacy of a clean-air czar: Clearer skies, bold alliances and bitter controversy

Avatar by Rachel Becker December 23, 2020January 4, 2021
Dr. Rafik Abdou checks on a COVID-19 patient at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2020. Photo by Jae C. Hong, AP Photo
Posted inCoronavirus

California’s intensive care nightmare: Which hospitals are full?

Avatar by Rachel Becker December 9, 2020December 8, 2020
Chevrolet Volt electric car plugged into an EV charging station in Montreal, Canada. Photo via iStock
Posted inEnvironment

GM drops Trump fight against California car standards

Avatar by Rachel Becker November 23, 2020November 24, 2020
Coche eléctrico Chevrolet Volt conectado a una estación de carga de vehículos eléctricos en Montreal, Canadá. Foto vía iStock
Posted inCalMatters en Español

GM abandona la lucha de Trump contra los estándares de automóviles de California

Avatar by Rachel Becker November 23, 2020November 23, 2020
A water tank serving Buena Vista Migrant Center near Watsonville on Nov. 10, 2020. The tank stores water from a well that exceeds state guidelines for a chemical called PFOA by 3 parts per trillion--the state's new threshold is 10. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
Posted inCalifornia's Toxic Legacy

Well water throughout California contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’

Avatar by Rachel Becker November 19, 2020December 4, 2020
Homes destroyed by the LNU Lighting Complex Fire seen interspersed with untouched homes above Lake Berryessa, a resort area and water supply reservoir, on Sept. 21, 2020. Following the lighting complex fires in August, residents were advised not to drink or boil the tap water out of concerns for benzene and other contaminants. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
Posted inEnvironment

Unsafe to drink: Wildfires threaten rural towns with tainted water

Avatar by Rachel Becker October 5, 2020October 7, 2020
California Gov. Gavin Newsom stands in front of four electric cars to announce an executive order requiring all new passenger vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission by 2035, a move the governor says would achieve a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, on Sept. 23, 2020, at Cal Expo in Sacramento. Photo by Daniel Kim, The Sacramento Bee via AP/Pool
Posted inEnvironment

Newsom orders ban of new gas-powered cars by 2035

Avatar by Rachel Becker September 23, 2020September 25, 2020
Gov. Gavin Newsom tours the North Complex Fire zone in Butte County on Friday, Sep 11, 2020, outside of Oroville. Newsom has declared a statewide emergency due to the widespread fires and extreme weather conditions, and secured a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to bolster the state’s emergency response to the Northern California wildfires. Photo by Paul Kitagaki Jr., The Sacramento Bee
Posted inEnvironment

‘Debate is over,’ California’s governor says. ‘This is a climate damn emergency.’

Avatar by Rachel Becker September 11, 2020September 11, 2020

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