Joe Wertz
Joe was a founding reporter for StateImpact Oklahoma (2011-2019) covering the intersection of economic policy, energy and environment, and the residents of the state. He previously served as Managing Editor of Urban Tulsa Weekly, as the Arts & Entertainment Editor at Oklahoma Gazette and worked as a Staff Writer for The Oklahoman. Joe was a weekly arts and entertainment correspondent for KGOU from 2007-2010. He grew up in Bartlesville, Okla. and studied journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma.
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Federal firefighters say they are again facing staff issues and low morale. Reforms to fix pay and hire more firefighters have stalled at U.S. agencies — despite promises to Congress.
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President Biden is pledging to boost firefighter pay to address a staffing shortage. Federal firefighters face low wages and poor benefits even as climate change makes their job more demanding.
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The 100th meridian has long divided the U.S. into an arid West and more humid East. Research suggests a warming climate is pushing that boundary east, shaking up agricultural economies along the way.
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What do Oklahomans think about Scott Pruitt's resignation? Is it likely to hurt his chances for elected office back home?
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Before Scott Pruitt became the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, his political career was guided in large part by his Southern Baptist faith and a faith-based agenda. -
Though the wind industry was once a political darling in the state, some say Oklahoma can no longer afford the tax breaks that helped it thrive. -
Superfund was initially paid for by taxes on crude oil, chemicals and the companies that created the toxic waste sites. But those taxes expired in 1995, leaving states strapped to find the money. -
Republican lawmakers in Oklahoma and other states plagued by budget shortfalls are doing something they swore they would never do: voting to raise taxes.
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What will an anti-regulation, climate skeptic do as head of the Environmental Protection Agency? Environmentalists are bracing. But Scott Pruitt will also face limits if he tries to strip the agency of its power.
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An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 hit Oklahoma on Saturday morning. StateImpact Oklahoma reporter Joe Wertz talks about earthquakes and their connections to oil and gas production.
