Monica Samayoa
Monica Samayoa is an award-winning climate and environmental journalist.
Her work has covered how communities in Southern Oregon continue to recover from wildfires, as well as the decades of groundwater pollution in Eastern Oregon and its impacts to the communities. She's also closely examined how urban planning in Portland makes heat domes particularly deadly for marginalized communities. Recently, she’s been covering the renewable energy transition, climate solutions & adaptations, the human impacts of climate change and environmental justice.
Before OPB, Monica was an on-call general assignment reporter at KQED in San Francisco. In 2017 she studied abroad in Sydney, Australia, where she attended the University of Technology Sydney to finish her degree. There, she was able to get her first taste of radio while producing and hosting for 2SER, Sydney Educational Radio.
Monica holds a bachelor's degree in broadcast and electronic communication arts from San Francisco State University.
In her free time, Monica likes to spend time with her family and friends and travel to the world. So far she has traveled to 17 countries.
Latest Stories
Oregon Legislature passes ‘POWER Act,’ targeting industrial energy users like data centers
House Bill 3546, known as the POWER Act, is now headed to Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk. It could lead to higher rates for industrial electricity customers that currently pay much less per kilowatt hour than residential customers.
Oregon Department of Energy is looking for contractors for a new heat pump program
For a limited window after the program opens, qualifying Oregonians may be able to cut the price of a home heat pump installation by a combined $4,000.
Climate advocates rally to oppose budget cuts at Multnomah County’s Office of Sustainability
Dozens of groups called on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners to oppose a proposal that would gut the Office of Sustainability.
Oregon slowed enforcement of its clean truck rules. Now federal Republicans could axe the rules entirely
Oregon's chances to implement stricter vehicle emission regulations could de derailed by the federal government, after a vote by the U.S. Senate.
Oregon officially reopens popular EV rebate program
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has reopened the Clean Vehicle Rebate program, which now offers three rebate options.
Northwest leaders set renewable energy goals, but neglected a key element required to achieve them
An investigation by OPB and ProPublica found that Oregon and Washington are trailing the nation in adding renewable energy, despite ambitious goals set by lawmakers in both states.
Higher prices, rolling blackouts: The Northwest is bracing for the effects of a lagging green energy push
Northwest leaders pushed strict green energy mandates but neglected problems with the electrical grid. Residents are already feeling the consequences.
How the Pacific Northwest’s dream of green energy fell apart
Oregon and Washington passed aggressive goals to decarbonize their power supply but left it to the Bonneville Power Administration to build the transmission lines needed for wind and solar. The agency hasn’t delivered.
PCEF committee considers pitch to help Portland’s budget crisis with a loan from the climate fund
Portland Councilor Mitch Green, District 4, is proposing using the Portland Clean Energy Fund’s reserve funds to create a three-year loan to help fill the city’s budget gaps.
Trump administration guts federal funds that would have helped Lane County weather major disasters
The cuts appear to be part of a broader pattern across federal agencies to limit support for disaster response and to target funding for programs that respond to climate change.
