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
‘The Evergreen’: OPB journalists help us make sense of federal government changes
We take a tour of OPB’s newsroom and hear from reporters covering politics, climate, health, business and more about what federal policy changes mean for people in the Northwest.
Bill would require Oregon’s multi-unit property owners to provide tenants cooling devices
Senate Bill 54 would require property owners of 10 or more multi-family rental units to provide tenants with indoor cooling in at least one room. By 2036, all bedrooms would require cooling devices.
Oregon could again delay clean truck rules to give technology, chargers time to catch up
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality staff have recommended a plan for adopting clean truck rules, but some commissioners say the industry may need a longer delay to keep up with the rules.
NW Natural residential customers could see a nearly 7% rate hike later this year
If the proposed rate increase is approved, NW Natural customers will be paying more than 50% more on their bills than they did in 2020.
‘POWER Act’ bill would require Oregon’s large energy users like data centers pay fair share of energy use
House Bill 3546 would require large energy users to pay their share of electricity use. Many data centers and other heavy users of electricity are paying lower rates than residential utility customers.
Oregon once again has access to more than $450 million in federal climate funds
State environmental officials say Oregon once again has access to hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding aimed at climate action. That’s after the federal government froze the funds in January.
‘Get the Junk out of our Rates’ bill could limit how Oregon utilities pay for lobbying, ads
Natural gas rates and electric rates are set through a process that allows utilities to charge rates that cover the cost of doing business, and then to turn a profit. Senate Bill 88 would essentially create more clarity around utility spending, and when it must come out of those allowed profits.
With Oregon’s 2 largest federal climate grants on hold — for now — state agencies are left at a standstill
The state’s largest federal grant, a $197 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, and the $86 million Solar For All Grant are suspended. Oregon agencies don't know when — or if — the promised funds will be released.
Oregon expects to get $26M for electric vehicle chargers, but it’s not clear if the federal government will keep its promise
State officials are operating based on the belief the Oregon Department of Transportation will be reimbursed for spending as promised in a signed contract — but some in Washington, D.C., don't think the Trump administration will pay the bills.
‘OPB Politics Now’: Tina Kotek’s climate legacy — so far
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is halfway through her four-year term.