Chelsea is an award-warning journalist at POLITICO, where she covers climate science and resilience, extreme weather and the policy and politics of disasters. Her investigations cover everything from extreme heat and hurricanes to wildfires and floods. 

Chelsea’s in-depth reporting monitors changes at the federal science agencies — including budget cuts, staff reductions and restructurings — and unpacks their implications for climate science, weather forecasting and disaster response. She also investigates state and local-level disaster policies and climate adaptation initiatives.

Chelsea’s investigations frequently evaluate the ways science informs national and global climate policy and underpins emerging technologies, from carbon removal to geoengineering. She also monitors the ongoing evolution of the U.S. scientific enterprise, and she’s known for her investigations on diversity, equity and inclusion in science. 

Chelsea is an experienced field reporter in some of the most challenging and remote settings in the world. Her stories have carried her across the country and around the globe, from the balmy barrier islands of South Carolina to the mountainous wilds of West Virginia to the remote corners of the ice-capped Arctic Ocean.

Chelsea was a 2024 recipient of the SEAL Environmental Journalism Award. She was previously a long-time reporter at the now-retired E&E News and a regular contributor on energy and environment at The Washington Post.