As a Washington Post energy reporter, Evan Halper deciphers how state-led climate initiatives reshape national agendas. His career spans:
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“California’s car revolution, designed to save the planet, also unleashes a toll on it.” — From Halper’s award-nominated series
Evan Halper has carved a distinguished path as a journalist bridging California’s progressive policy experiments with their national repercussions. His career began at the Los Angeles Times, where he spent a decade as Sacramento bureau chief dissecting the state’s budget crises and political gridlock[1]. This foundation positioned him to track how California’s climate and energy policies—from cap-and-trade to electric vehicle mandates—ripple across federal legislation and corporate boardrooms.
This landmark series dissected California’s role as America’s policy laboratory. Halper revealed how the state’s electric vehicle mandates, while reducing tailpipe emissions, triggered a global scramble for lithium mining—including controversial deep-sea extraction projects. Through FOIA requests and regulatory filings, he exposed tensions between climate urgency and environmental justice[7]. The work underscored his signature approach: tracing policy intentions to their complex, often unintended consequences.
In this prescient analysis, Halper documented how Republican attorneys general weaponized legal strategies pioneered by California Democrats against Biden’s climate agenda. By interviewing key figures like former Indiana AG Greg Zoeller, he illuminated the escalating “lawfare” in energy policy battles[9]. The piece remains cited in legal scholarship on federalism’s evolving role in climate regulation.
Halper’s investigative work exposed how Biden’s EV push, modeled on California’s mandates, relied on seabed mining ventures opposed by marine biologists. His sourcing of Defense Department memos revealed national security concerns over Chinese dominance in battery mineral processing[5]. This reporting exemplifies his ability to connect technical environmental issues with geopolitical strategy.
Halper consistently highlights disparities between legislative goals and real-world execution. Successful pitches might explore how Inflation Reduction Act incentives inadvertently benefit fossil fuel subsidiaries, mirroring his analysis of biofuel loopholes[1]. Provide regulatory documents and stakeholder interviews to support such angles.
With 14 states adopting California’s Advanced Clean Cars II rules, pitches should examine interstate regulatory clashes. Halper’s coverage of the Keystone XL lawsuit[9] demonstrates interest in legal battles shaping energy infrastructure. Highlight novel jurisdictional conflicts or emerging clean tech partnerships.
Stories must balance environmental gains against ecological costs. When Halper revealed lithium extraction’s threat to Salton Sea ecosystems[5], he used life-cycle analysis reports from Argonne National Laboratory. Pitch data-rich investigations into rare earth mining, grid storage environmental impacts, or hydrogen production controversies.
Halper frequently scrutinizes private sector roles in policy shaping, as seen in his exposé on Intuit’s lobbying against automated tax filing[1]. Pitch stories about clean tech startups navigating SBIR grants or legacy automakers’ state lobbying strategies.
While Halper reports on energy storage breakthroughs, he prioritizes their policy implications over technical specs. A pitch about perovskite solar cells should focus on manufacturing subsidy battles rather than efficiency metrics.
Though Halper maintains a low public profile regarding honors, his work’s impact is evident through:
‘United States of California’: L.A. Times Series Examines the Impact of the State’s Agenda on the Country
GOP eyes the playbook California used to stymie Trump
Essential Politics: Behind the scenes of our reporting on how California’s electric car revolution is reshaping the nation
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Energy, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
