About
Susan Campbell is an award-winning environmental author and journalist.
Her most recent book, “Paper Valley: The Fight for the Fox River Cleanup,” tells of her time as environmental reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette in the 1990s when she covered the scientific and political controversy leading to the landmark $1.3 billion cleanup of PCBs from Wisconsin’s Fox River. The widespread chemical contamination — one of the worst such sites in the nation — held implications for the bay of Green Bay and Great Lakes beyond. Her extensive reporting on the issue won her national and state honors, including a national “Best of Gannett” award for specialty reporting, an enterprise reporting award from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, and a spot news award from the Milwaukee Press Club.
Campbell is also co-author of “Beyond Earth Day: Fulfilling the Promise,” with the late Earth Day founder, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson (University of Wisconsin Press, 2002)
Featured Work
Paper Valley: The Fight for the Fox River Cleanup
When government scientist David Allen arrived at his new job site in the 1990s, the Fox River near Wisconsin’s Green Bay was dominated by hulking paper mills, noxious industrial odors, and widespread ecological damage. Confronted by his lack of resources to force the politically powerful “Paper Valley” polluters to fix their mess, Allen proceeds against all odds to build a $1 billion case against the paper company bosses. Two small but vital players, Allen along with journalist Susan Campbell, were relentless in bringing the case to the public at the time. They do so again in this book: an act of radical transparency to uncover the intrigue that nearly blocked the cleanup behind the scenes at US Fish and Wildlife, Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. In a rare and major environmental win, the Fox River became the site of the largest PCB contaminant cleanup in history.
Other Works
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Beyond Earth Day: Fulfilling the Promise
2002
