Author

Erika Bolstad
Erika Bolstad is a Stateline correspondent based in Portland, Oregon, and the author of Windfall, published by Sourcebooks in 2023. Previously, she wrote for E&E News, the McClatchy Washington Bureau and the Miami Herald.
States sweeten their offers to chipmakers to outdo one other
By: Erika Bolstad - September 18, 2023
HILLSBORO, Ore. — “Oregon’s been at this for decades,” the governor’s office assures potential investors in its so-called Silicon Forest. The Lone Star State’s governor calls it a “race that Texas must win for our state, our workforce, our national security, and our future.” And New York’s governor boasts on the state’s YouTube channel that […]
Don’t poo-poo these states’ pleas to keep the parks pristine
By: Erika Bolstad - August 15, 2023
DENVER — Earlier this summer, Adam Ducharme made an unpleasant discovery while helping volunteers install signs telling visitors where to camp, park or launch boats near Leadville, a mountain town surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks in central Colorado. “We were digging holes, putting in signs, and then backfilling the holes with rocks and sort of compounding […]
Indigenous language interpreters unite to fill gaps
By: Erika Bolstad - July 31, 2023
Bethany Fisher was raised in the Marshall Islands, the daughter of American missionaries who spoke English at home but who insisted that she and her siblings speak the Indigenous language of the island republic everywhere else. The parental say-so proved smart when the family returned to the United States. With the fluency they gained as […]
It’s time for buildings to stop using a third of US energy, some states say
By: Erika Bolstad - July 5, 2023
PORTLAND, Ore. — That building looming on the corner? With a few tweaks, it might help with climate change. States with big commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are beginning to require that the owners of large buildings track how much energy they use and improve their efficiency. It’s part of a state, local and […]