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Lee Hedgepeth

Lee Hedgepeth

Reporter, Alabama

Lee Hedgepeth is Inside Climate News’ Alabama reporter. Raised in Grand Bay, Alabama, a small town on the Gulf Coast, Lee holds master’s degrees in community journalism and political development from the University of Alabama and Tulane University. Lee is the founder of Tread, a newsletter of Southern journalism, and has also worked for news outlets across Alabama, including CBS 42, Alabama Political Reporter and the Anniston Star. His reporting has focused on issues impacting members of marginalized groups, including homelessness, poverty, and the death penalty. His award-winning journalism has appeared in publications across the country and has been cited by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, among others.

  • @lee_hedgepeth
  • [email protected]
Dozens of residents filled the Blount County Commission's boardroom well over capacity on Thursday to oppose the approval of a medical waste treatment facility in Remlap, Alabama. Community members lined the halls outside the meeting. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

As Opposition to an Alabama Medical Waste Treatment Facility Boils Over, a  Mysterious Facebook Page Weighs In

By Lee Hedgepeth

An aerial view of Bayou La Batre. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

Children of the Storm

By Lee Hedgepeth

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro attends the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Nov. 19, 2024. Credit: Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images

Colombia’s President Called Out an Alabama Company’s Coal Exports to Israel. Now Alabamians Are Protesting

By Lee Hedgepeth

Residents dress in red to show their opposition to the proposed data center hold signs that read “Vote NO on the proposed data center in Bessemer.” Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

Amid Community Opposition, Alabama Hyperscale Data Center Project Hits a Speed Bump

By Lee Hedgepeth

Ben Jealous, pictured in a blue dress shirt and blue blazer, is beside microphones outdoors

After Turmoil and No-Confidence Votes, Sierra Club Terminates Ben Jealous 

By Lee Hedgepeth

Ben Jealous of the Sierra Club speaks in Franklin Park during Day of Action as climate demonstrators protested several banks on March 21, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Credit: Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Layoffs, Votes of No Confidence and a Leader on Leave at One of the Nation’s Oldest Environmental Groups

By Lee Hedgepeth

Bessemer residents attend a City Council meeting on July 15 to express opposition to a proposed data center. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

Fact-Checking Claims About a Proposed Hyperscale Data Center

By Lee Hedgepeth, Lanier Isom

Former state legislator and Tuscaloosa city councilor Cynthia Almond is the newly appointed president of the Alabama Public Service Commission, the state’s top utility regulator. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

Alabama’s New Utility Commission President Wants to Hear From ‘All Sides’ as She Assumes New Role

By Dennis Pillion, Lee Hedgepeth

The watercress darter, an endangered fish found only in central Alabama, could be put at risk by a proposed data center. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

Bessemer, Alabama, Could Face Legal Action Over Environmental Impacts From a ‘Hyperscale’ Data Center

By Lee Hedgepeth

The Rock Mountain Lakes community (foreground) is located adjacent to the proposed data center site (background) in Jefferson County, Ala. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

Water Utility Says It Can’t Meet Demand for Alabama Data Center Without ‘Significant Upgrades’

By Lee Hedgepeth

Pastor Timothy Williams has led the charge for change in the Shiloh Community he calls home. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

Black Alabamians Sue State Department of Transportation Over Repeated Flooding

By Lee Hedgepeth

A view of Warrior Met’s Coal Mine No. 5 in Brookwood, Ala. Credit: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

In Trump’s Megabill, a Clean Energy Phase Out and a Big, Beautiful Tax Break for Met Coal Exporters

By Lee Hedgepeth, Marianne Lavelle

Brad Kaaber, a representative of the proposed data center developer, speaks to zoning commissioners during a Tuesday meeting in a room of residents opposed to the project. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

An Alabama City Recommends Changing Its Laws to Accommodate One of the Country’s Largest Proposed Data Centers

By Lee Hedgepeth

Four people are standing out of doors, trees in the background. The two in the middle are holding a piece of paper with the colorful Birmingham darter.

The Darter Fish and the Data Center

By Lee Hedgepeth, Lanier Isom

Kathy Love, director of the Alabama Surface Mining Commission, speaks during a June ASMC meeting. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

In a Deep Red State, a Mining Regulator Is Wary of Possible Trump Cuts to Its Budget

By Lee Hedgepeth

Camp Hill, a majority-Black town of around 1,000 residents, is located in east Alabama’s Tallapoosa County. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

In Majority-Black Camp Hill, a Young Mayor Fights for Water

By Lee Hedgepeth

The majority-Black residents of north Birmingham continue to face the impacts of the idled Bluestone Coke facility. Credit: Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News

In One of the Nation’s Most Polluted Communities, Trump Terminates Funding for Air Monitoring

By Lee Hedgepeth

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaks to miner's inside Warrior Met's Mine No. 4, in April in Berry, Alabama. Credit: Department of the Interior

Sinking Homes, Climate Damage, Explosion Risks: New Government Review Outlines the Costs of One Mine Expansion

By Lee Hedgepeth

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