The Allegheny Front: Recent Episodes
The Allegheny Front
Every week, our 29-minute podcast brings you all the environmental news and stories to keep you in the know in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania.
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On this week's show:
We speak with the author of a collection of stories that has a furry recurring theme: bears. A reporter tags along into the woods with some birders to talk to barred owls. An environmental group is claiming the latest Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection publication about underground mining damages to properties and the environment has major issues.
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Conservationists are trying to stop the spread of the invasive wavyleaf basketgrass in Pennsylvania's forests. A new exhibit of landscape paintings in Pittsburgh encourages rest and reflection. Concrete made with plants, like flax, has climate benefits. Several environmental groups in Pennsylvania are casting doubt on a report about landfill runoff released by the state regulators. Three Mile Island is on schedule to receive nuclear material by the end of the year. A grandson and grandmother visit all 63 national parks together.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't receive funds from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today.
Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.
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U.S. Steel is investing big money to modernize a mill in the Pittsburgh area. Some are worried about continued air pollution from the plant, while others in the area are excited about its economic impact. The data power of AI could help weather forecasters with some of their trickiest work, like tornadoes. A new book looks at the complexities of reintroducing large wildlife species like wolves and bison back to their original habitats. Pennsylvania has renewed its Solar for Schools program for a third time. Nonprofit environmental groups are seeking crowdfunding support for their legal challenge to a massive data center project in Indiana County. Our travel guide provides a glimpse of a rare bog habitat in the Laurel Highlands.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't receive funds from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today.
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There's a movement to slow down data center development in Pennsylvania, but state lawmakers weren't ready to repeal a key tax exemption. People who live near a gas processing facility in rural Pennsylvania are against its plans to expand. Operations have been stopped at four injection wells for fracking wastewater in southeastern Ohio, at the request of state regulators. Forests in Allegheny and Fayette Counties are also now part of the Old-Growth Forest Network. A new book explores the beauty of Pennsylvania's natural wonders.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't receive funds from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today.
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How a Bedford County community benefitted when two dams were removed. A court rules in favor of a stricter ambient air pollution standard to protect public health. Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity was in Western Pennsylvania to discuss data centers and criticize Governor Josh Shapiro. An artist provides tips for finding colorful beach glass on your next trip to Lake Erie. Pennsylvania's elk country is featured on the season premiere of Discovery Channel show "RV There Yet?." A week-long camp provides community, support and fun for young campers with brain injuries.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't receive funds from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today.
Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.
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As our nation celebrates its founding, we're looking at where the environment and history meet. This summer 70 paddlers in kayaks and canoes took a trip down the Delaware River, including the spot where Washington crossed in 1776. A group of Pennsylvania residents is working to revive the colonial practice of growing flax one square yard at a time. We'll hear about an effort to preserve the records of a Pennsylvania coal company. An environmental history book about Pennsylvania aims to include multiple perspectives. Plus, a bill introduced in the U.S. House could help coal miners disabled by black lung disease. Cases of alpha-gal syndrome, which causes a red meat and dairy allergy from tick bites, have been showing up around Pennsylvania.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't receive funds from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today.
Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.
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When the Army Corps of Engineers removed a dam on the Monongahela River a couple of years ago, the water level dropped more than some businesses expected. Researchers are working on buoys that combat harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie by releasing an algaecide. Council members in a Jefferson County borough are putting a nearly six-month pause on data center development, and state lawmakers have passed three measures this week to pump the brakes on data center development. Environmental groups say recent investments announced by Nippon Steel for its US Steel plants in the Pittsburgh area won't do much to improve the region's air quality. How restaurants are managing recycling, composting and sustainability, and training customers along the way.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't receive funds from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today.
Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.
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Opposition to data center development has been growing in Pennsylvania. We hear from an investigative reporter on Governor Shapiro's office offer to streamline the permitting process for Amazon. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is accepting public comment on a proposed water pollution permit for a coal mine planned in western Pennsylvania.
Researchers are bringing back a nearly extinct beetle that buries dead animals. Eastern wildfires destroy thousands of acres of land every year. We take a closer look at the 100-year old fire tower system that identifies wildfires early to help prevent damage. A coalition of conservation groups in Westmoreland County is looking for property owners in the Laurel Highlands to help monarch butterflies.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't receive funds from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today.
Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.
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This week, we look at the life and legacy of Henry David Thoreau, who has been called the godfather of the environmental movement. We interview the directors of a new Ken Burns documentary about Thoreau, his evolution as a thinker, philosopher of the natural world and abolitionist.
Affordable solar power could be coming to a balcony near you. That is, if Pennsylvania lawmakers legalize so-called "balcony solar." A festival celebrating frogs returns to Central Pennsylvania. Nippon Steel's new investment in U.S. Steel's Pittsburgh-area plants prompts questions.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't receive funds from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today.
Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.
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In this special bonus episode, we're talking with the co-directors of the new Ken Burns documentary, Henry David Thoreau.
Thoreau has been called the patron saint of early environmental thought in the U.S., from his transcendentalist writings of the mid-19th century to his decision to live a secluded life at a cabin on Walden Pond in Massachusetts.
The three-part film, now streaming on pbs.org, the PBS app, and on Prime Video, examines Thoreau not just through the lens of American history, but it also asks what his work means to us in our current era.
The film was directed by brothers Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers, both frequent collaborators with Ken Burns, who is an executive producer along with Don Henley.
The Allegheny Front's Reid Frazier spoke with the Ewers brothers about the film.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't receive funds from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today.
Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.
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Passenger pigeons were once the most abundant bird in North America. But in 1914, they went extinct. Most of their last nesting grounds hugged the Great Lakes. What was it like to experience these birds? And what are we left with when we lose a species? This special episode is from Points North, a podcast about the land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't receive funds from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today.
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On this week's episode: Pollution from the Pittsburgh airport has found its way into a nearby stream. Scientists are looking into how PFAS forever chemicals got there and what happens next. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would give Pennsylvania nearly $40 million to address PFAS contamination in drinking water; at the same time the agency also said it would roll back PFAS regulations. Researchers have found a link between the temperature outside and kidney disease. New railroad-safety reforms have made headway in Washington D.C., three years after the rail disaster in East Palestine, Ohio. Governor Josh Shapiro is making the rounds to talk about his policies on data centers after releasing final standards for the industry. In Pittsburgh you can drop off your food waste at city-run farmers' markets. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.
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On this week's episode: This week, a special show of award-winning and recognized stories. What advocates and residents who live near U.S. Steel plants are saying about the Trump administration's policies on the pollution drifting into their communities. A nature preserve is dedicated to saving an ancient creature that lives in our region: the hellbender salamander. The Monongahela River has been – and still is – an industrial river. That doesn't stop people from using it for recreation, like swimming. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.
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On this week's episode: The U.S. Forest Service is planning a massive overhaul that includes closing research stations in Pennsylvania. What's at stake? Some residents and environmental groups oppose the Pennsylvania Turnpike's proposal to reroute the highway over wildlife habitat. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are turning food waste like egg shells and mango skins into building materials. Fruit growers across Pennsylvania have experienced partial to total losses of their 2026 crops. Pittsburgh's 2030 District says its building owners are beating their climate goals ahead of schedule. A new report finds Pennsylvania's use of solar energy is on the rise, but the state still falls behind the rest of the country in putting more renewable energy on the grid. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.
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On this week's episode: A new online tool calculates how much Pennsylvanians could save by switching from a gas-powered car to an EV. As Trump administration policies are impacting funding for scientists, some are choosing to move overseas. Pennsylvania is getting a federal grant to install a geothermal project at an existing natural gas site. Pennsylvania's utility regulators are proposing guidelines that aim to protect rate payers from the proliferation of large data centers. A teenager wants to use AI to help neighboring farmers with spotted lanternflies. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.
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On this week's episode: Coke from U.S. Steel near Pittsburgh fuels the company's steelmaking in Indiana. But there's a movement afoot to make greener steel without coal. The heavy industry along Lake Michigan's shore is impacting the surfing culture there. An environmental group issued a 'notice of intent to sue' the Neville Chemical Company for polluting the Ohio River near Pittsburgh. A watchdog warned Pennsylvania lawmakers that while there is currently enough energy supply on the grid, the buffer needed to prevent blackouts could shrink in the coming years. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.
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On this week's episode: Gov. Josh Shapiro announced two Western Pennsylvania coal-fired power plants will push back their retirement dates by at least four more years. Ohio residents worry about more fracking planned for a remote natural area, becuase of their own experiences with the industry. Native hawthorn trees provide useful habitat to a carnivorous singbird species. Pennsylvania may soon adopt the scarlet tanager as its official state migratory bird. A farm and a nonprofit have forged a unique partnetship to fight food waste and hunger. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.
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On this week's episode: At family-friendly event in the Laurel Highlands climate change communication tools were used to engage the public about the issue and what they can do. The Pennsylvania state House has approved two bills to regulate data center development. An energy company is seeking the right of eminent domain to build a high-voltage power line in southwestern Pennsylvania to feed data centers in Virginia. The updated map that milions of gardeners rely on reflects climate changes. We take a field trip in Centre County to find out what goes on after dark in vernal pools, and why they matter. Pennsylvania added its 125th state park, and it is underground. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.
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On this week's episode: An environmental engineer is starting a new act as a storyteller and educator for local waterways. A state legislator in Ohio wants to bring back the state's elk. We take a peak into the springtime mating dance of the elusive American woodcock. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection held a public hearing to gather comments about a new permit for the Shell plastic production facility in Beaver County. A new report card gives Pennsylvania an F grade for how it governs rooftop solar permitting. Pennsylvania state lawmakers have introduced a flurry of legislation to address data center growth. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.
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On this week's episode: The fast pace of data center development has caught many communities off guard. Environmental organizers are trying to help them find their voices. A study released in February finds that energy generated in Pennsylvania will be used for data centers out of state. US Steel's new owner scored near the bottom in a climate ranking for steel companies. A new study tries to take smoking out of the equation for lung cancer risk. The results were surprising for areas with poor air quality. Allergy season is starting earlier because of climate change. We also talk with the author of a bird guide that's for enthusiasts and beginners alike. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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On this week's episode: Pennsylvania regulators are deciding whether to give Shell's ethane cracker a new air pollution permit. Some residents say the plant is making the air there worse. An environmental group wants a moratorium on data center development in the state until stricter laws can be passed. A recently proposed settlement in a central Pennsylvania electric utility rate case aims to protect average residential customers from rising rates connected to new data centers. A Lackawanna County commissioner wants to protect residents' air quality from data centers that often use diesel-powered backup generators. A look at Pittsburgh's deer managementt program, three years in. Why turkey vultures are environmental heroes. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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On this week's episode: According to a new study by state regulators water that runs off of landfills which take fracking waste doesn't pose a threat to the public. Severe storms or drought caused by climate change affect not only farmers but many others in the local food system, like rstaurants. Rock hunting gives a woman in addiction recovery a new way to see the world. The Allegheny County board of health is looking at how it can reduce the impacts of fracking. A group of Pittsburgh high school students is raising money to plug abandoned oil and gas wells. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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On this week's episode: A new initiative called Prepare PA is gearing up to help Pennsylvanians face the big challenges of the climate crisis, like more extreme weather and flooding. And 2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Women farmers in Pennsylvania talk about the growing diversity in agriculture. A sustainable farming group had a $59 million federal contract reinstated after the federal government tried to claw it back last year.
A state House committee is advancing measures meant to protect Pennsylvanians from negative effects of new data centers. The Allegheny Land Trust has partnered with the Pittsburgh Penguins and a Pittsburgh-based natural gas company to purchase local forest carbon credits. Pennsylvania agencies will collaborate on recommendations for wildlife corridors. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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On this week's episode: Young people in Pittsburgh are practicing climate action close to home. An oil and gas company let over a million gallons of drilling fluid escape underground into an abandoned mine during pipeline construction in Washington County. Pennsylvania agencies are teaming up with a nonprofit to study ways to modernize the electric grid. An invasive species came to North America just when the United States was forming. Why Thomas Jefferson was obsessed with the Hessian fly.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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On this week's episode: Safe drinking water is not a reality for many Americans. Residents of an Ohio town say their water tastes and smells bad, and leaves an oily sheen. But regulators say it's safe. Monarch butterflies and other species are waiting for official listing as the Fish and Wildlife Service makes changes to the Endangered Species Act. In towns where residents oppose building big data centers, zoning has become a way to control the narrative. The Trump administration announced it would rollback a Biden-era rule on power plant emissions of mercury, a neurotoxin that impairs cognitive development in young children. During the State of the Union address President Donald Trump said he worked out a deal with energy-hungry data centers to build their own power plants. State officials are looking to curb Pennsylvania's ongoing outbreak of bird flu.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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On this week's episode: How last year's fatal blast at the Clairton Coke Works has impacted the community there. A new study shows how many deaths can be attributed to air pollution in the Pittsburgh region. Opposition to data centers is growing as dozens of the facilities are proposed for the region and they could impact the water supply. State agriculture officials are trying to stem a spike in avian flu cases among Pennsylvania poultry flocks. Ski ballet is no longer an Olympic sport, but it's an art still being practiced on the slopes. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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On this week's episode: How the Trump adminstration's move to rescind the the scientific basis for regulating greenhouse gases could impact states' climate initiatives. High levels of PFAS, known as forever chemicals, are being released into streams surrounding the Pittsburgh Internatiuonal Airport. The Conestoga in Lancaster County is Pennsylvania's River of the Year. The environmental watchdog group Three Rivers Waterkeeper intends to sue U.S. Steel over an oily sheen on the Monongahela River. State lawmakers are hoping to strengthen energy efficiency standards for appliances at the same time federal lawmakers are trying to weaken them. A group of Blair County volunteers is asking for help to restore a nearby abandoned town. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission wants people to stay off icy rivers, streams and creeks. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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On this week's episode: Council members in an Ohio town were concerned when a company planned to store fracking wastewater deep underground near their source of drinking water. The industry says stopping the operation would be government overreach. Why some impacted by the East Palestine train derailment still haven't been compensated almost two years after a settlement with the railway company. A new symptom tracker for East Palestine residents is helping researchers document health changes stemming from the derailment. Federal regulators will no longer consider the economic costs of harm to human health when regulating certain air pollutants. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro touted the benefits of new data centers in his annual budget address but wants them to generate their own power. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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This week, numerous health studies are ongoing following the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio 3 years ago. When conventional oil and gas operators in Ohio started seeing fracking wastewater come up through their wells, they knew there was a bigger problem. January is national Radon Action Month, and that means it's time to test your home for the radioactive gas.
There is a relationship between heavy snowfall and global warming. The Nature Conservancy is working to help species adapt to climate change by acquiring land to serve as a critical rest stop for increasingly rare, migrating grassland birds. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is pausing its proposal to move up the start of firearms deer season. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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This week, a new project will take on studying the risks of wildfire in Eastern states. Residents of an eastern Ohio town have concerns about fracking wastewater fouling their own water supply. As the Pittsburgh newspaper of record announces its closure, former employees look back and ahead at environmental coverage in the region. Pennsylvania lawmakers and consumer advocates blamed new data centers for rising home energy prices at policy hearing in the state Capitol. Researchers are trying to find new ways to remove microplastics and PFAS chemicals from drinking water. The arguments for and against starting deer season for firearms early in Pennsylvania.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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This week, demand for electricity is growing, largely from data centers. Meanwhile the Trump administration is making it harder to produce more renewable energy. Meta wants to purchase nuclear power from a power plant in western Pennsylvania. An Ohio commission approved another oil and gas lease under a state-owned wildlife area. Climate change might be causing native wildflowers to bloom earlier in Pennsylvania.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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This week, Inside Climate News tells us about their three-part investigation of solid fracking waste in Pennsylvania. We also look at the climate impacts of concrete, and talk with a couple that's taken their fascination with birds into the studio.
We have news about environmental groups objecting to an air quality permit for a natural gas plant at the site of the former coal plant in Homer City, Indiana County, and research shows that salt used for winter de-icing is being found in Pennsylvania waterways throughout the year.
We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.
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We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed.
Donate today.
Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.
And thanks!
On this week's episode:
Some of our favorite stories from 2025 from across Pennsylvania: A nonprofit hopes to help landowners reclaim mineland in Appalachia by planting trees and selling carbon credits. The site of a recently retired coal plant in Indiana County is getting a new life – as a data center. What impact will this have on the electric grid, and the local community? River otters have made a comeback in Pennsylvania.
Trout in the Classroom participants said goodbye to their aquatic classmates. Students learn the power of farm to table. Proponents of sustainable clothing hope U.S. tariffs will persuade people to buy second hand.
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On this week's show:
A former dairy farmer turned musician uses his story to get others in agriculture to talk about their feelings and find healing. And how a man has kept his appointment with the sunrise every morning, for years. Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story.
It's our end-of-year membership drive!
Become a member today. Our nonprofit newsroom is powered by our members. Now through December 31st, every donation up to $1,000 will be matched. One-time donations will be doubled and monthly donations matched 12 times. Another $1,000 will be unlocked if we gain 50 new members at any amount.
Donate today.
Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.
And thanks!
On this week's show:
How nature-based learning inspires human creativity. Pennsylvania is among the states suing the Trump administration over funding for electric vehicle chargers. We head out into the wilds of Pennsylvania with the people who keep an eye on the state's bears. We speak with the author of a collection of stories where bears are recurring characters. The US Environmental Protection Agency heard testimony in Pittsburgh about proposed changes to the Clean Water Act. A controversial data center has the green light to move forward with construction at the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Allegheny County. Three Mile Island is at the center of the Trump administration's push for new nuclear energy projects to power the ongoing race to advance artificial intelligence. Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story.
It's our end-of-year membership drive!
Become a member today. Our nonprofit newsroom is powered by our members. Now through December 31st, every donation up to $1,000 will be matched. One-time donations will be doubled and monthly donations matched 12 times. Another $1,000 will be unlocked if we gain 50 new members at any amount.
Donate today.
Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203.
And thanks!
On this week's show:
A new nature preserve is dedicated to saving an ancient creature that lives in our region, the eastern hellbender salamander. The Trump administration is looking to scale back federal protections for endangered species and wetlands. It also announced plans to roll back fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, citing affordability. Penn State students made a documentary about plans to build a new roadway that will impact agricultural land, and students presented projects at an annual environmental symposium at Westminster College. Chesapeake Bay officials elected Gov. Josh Shapiro to lead a regional agreement to help clean and restore the waterway. Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story.
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On this week's show:
Drilling for oil and gas creates waste that can contain heavy metals and radioactivity, and much of it is sent to the same landfills as our household trash. An investigation into how contamination from shale drilling waste can move from landfills into waterways without much oversight. Treating drinking water to prevent lead contamination might have the unintended consequence of higher phosphorus levels in urban waterways. Researchers are working to figure out the balance between how much carbon forests emit and how much they absorb.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has reached a $3.3 million agreement over decades-old contamination at a petroleum storage facility in Pittsburgh. U.S. Steel has agreed to pay a fine in a settlement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for pollution in the Monongahela River. The Trump administration has reversed course again on a new air pollution rule for coke oven plants. Older adults who live in southcentral Pennsylvania have higher rates of melanoma skin cancer, according to a study by Penn State researchers. Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story.
It's our end-of-year membership drive!
Become a member today. Our nonprofit newsroom is powered by our members. Now through December 31st, every donation up to $1,000 will be matched. One-time donations will be doubled and monthly donations matched 12 times. Another $1,000 will be unlocked if we gain 50 new members at any amount.
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On this week's show:
An Allegheny County borough plans to vote next month on a plan to build a massive data center on the site of a former power plant. The U.S. has the largest collection of apples in the world – about 5,000 varieties. How cuttings from old apple tree varieties could have rare genes that fight off new threats to our food supply. A festival in central Pennsylvania celebrates the American chestnut while educating about its conservation struggles. Considering the sticker price of eggs, some in Pennsylvania are substituting other foods for eggs at breakfast. We head to a cabin in the woods to unplug.
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It's our end-of-year membership drive!
Become a member today. Our nonprofit newsroom is powered by our members. Now through December 31st, every donation up to $1,000 will be matched. One-time donations will be doubled and monthly donations matched 12 times. Another $1,000 will be unlocked if we gain 50 new members at any amount.
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On this week's show:
The Ohio River Basin is poised for a multi-year ecological restoration after decades of industrial pollution, but only if Congress decides to fund it. Constellation Energy's project to restart a nuclear reactor at the former Three Mile Island plant in Dauphin County is getting a one billion dollar loan from the federal government. Allegheny County Council voted unanimously to approve a series of fee increases for facilities that produce air pollution. Ohio's Great Black Swamp might hold the key to reducing pollution in the Great Lakes. The first leg of a new trail system in Centre County, Pennsylvania, is ready for visitors. A percussionist from Brazil turns discarded objects into musical instruments.
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It's our end-of-year membership drive!
Become a member today. Our nonprofit newsroom is powered by our members. Now through December 31st, every donation up to $1,000 will be matched. One-time donations will be doubled and monthly donations matched 12 times. Another $1,000 will be unlocked if we gain 50 new members at any amount.
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On this week's show:
The Trump administration is looking to boost coal production, and one company is planning to expand its coal mine in Western Pennsylvania. But some neighbors aren't on board. Energy efficiency tax credits that help the climate and people's budgets are expiring. But there's still a little time for consumers to act. The Pennsylvania budget deal meant getting rid of a major climate initiative. Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit to stop the expansion of a major natural gas pipeline system in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Fifty years ago, the pride of the Great Lakes, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, sank with its crew.
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It's our end-of-year membership drive!
Become a member today. Our nonprofit newsroom is powered by our members. Now through December 31st, every donation up to $1,000 will be matched. One-time donations will be doubled and monthly donations matched 12 times. Another $1,000 will be unlocked if we gain 50 new members at any amount.
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The Pennsylvania natural gas company CNX is suing a California-based news outlet for defamation in federal court over an article the news site published about the company's voluntary air monitoring initiative. A fungal disease has been killing hibernating bats in Pennsylvania. We'll hear from some of the people trying to save bats in the state. A group of seniors is using their retirement to track microplastics in streams and in the lab. A writer contemplates the legacy of the trash she finds on her Westmoreland County farm.
A natural gas driller, Senceca Resources, is facing criminal charges over its fracking operations in North Central Pennsylvania. A new, animated map shows how pollution spreads from more than 9,500 industrial sources worldwide. A new study shows America's "founding fish," the migratory American shad, is declining in the Delaware River.
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On this week's episode:
The round goby is a little fish causing big problems in Lake Erie. Pennsylvania is looking to anglers to help stop the invasive fish from spreading to inland waterways. In 1960, a diplomatic gift of 18 bluegill fish from the U.S. would change the underwater world of Japan forever. East Palestine, Ohio, residents got some results recently from research on the ongoing impact of the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment.
The DEP has issued a draft Clean Air Act permit to a natural gas-fired power plant in Westmoreland County, but the state has so far declined to host a public hearing. A zero-waste saw mill has opened in Allegheny County for fallen urban trees that would otherwise go to a landfill.
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On this week's episode:
Conservationists used fire to manage habitat in an Allegheny County meadow. The practice goes back centuries to Indigenous peoples. High-pressure water used in a maintenance procedure on a valve led to a fatal explosion in August at U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works. A Pittsburgh-area manufacturer of next-generation batteries will expand operations next year. State lawmakers are considering how to prepare for an increase in data centers, looking to build in Pennsylvania.
And potato chips are getting pricey. Is growing potatoes amid a climate crisis part of the reason? A native growing group trying to convince the neighbors to tackle yard work more naturally.
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On this week's episode:
Our series about the Monongahela River continues with a look at pollution from a chemical plant along its banks. There is reporting that the hydrogen hubs planned for Pennsylvania might be scrapped under the Trump administration. We talk with the editor of a new magazine about recreation and the outdoors in our region. Three Pennsylvania cities were named among the worst places in the country for people living with asthma. Pennsylvania is rolling out the opportunity to glamp in eight state parks.
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On this week's episode:
The Monongahela River is still an industrial river. That doesn’t stop people from using it for recreation, like open swimming. A new study looks at how climate change has impacted streams that native trout rely on. Water quality in Pennsylvania streams is being hindered by aging dams, many of which are dangerous and obsolete.
The Trump administration has reversed course and decided not to delay Biden-era rules limiting air pollution from the steel industry. Train derailments in the Pittsburgh region are more likely to happen in disadvantaged communities and near waterways. Pennsylvania lawmakers have passed a flood disclosure bill to help prospective home buyers recognize the risks of property located in flood-prone areas.
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We’re asking our listeners to become members with a donation of any size. Your membership will help us keep the lights on and the environmental news flowing.
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On this week's episode:
Drilling for shale gas creates tons of potentially toxic solid waste. Much of it now goes to landfills, making it harder to keep fracking waste out of Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams. As our series about the Mon continues, a project mapping the river hopes it will bring more people into advocacy for its health and future. As the Trump administration dismantles environmental justice initiatives, we hear from a leader in the movement. And, the board investigating the August explosion at the Clairton Coke Works says the incident happened when a crew performed maintenance on a cracked gas valve. Pennsylvania's state House voted to create a state-backed insurance program to cover andslides and sinkholes.
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We’re in the midst of our Fall Member Drive. We’re asking our listeners to become members with a donation of any size. Your membership will help us keep the lights on and the environmental news flowing.
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On this week's episode:
This week on The Allegheny Front, our series about the Monongahela River continues, as we look back at its industrial heyday from a pair of blast furnaces still standing along its banks. All of that heavy industry along the Mon has taken a toll. What's happening in the Mon's waters today? We take a tour of an unlikely attraction: a wastewater treatment plant. Plans for a new data center in Springdale in Allegheny County, were delayed by the borough’s planning commission. Governor Josh Shapiro weighs pulling Pennsylvania from the regional grid. Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story.
We’re in the midst of our Fall Member Drive. We’re asking our listeners to become members with a donation of any size. Your membership will help us keep the lights on and the environmental news flowing.
We’re independent and non-profit, and we don’t get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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On this week's episode:
We're launching a new series about the Monongahela River. From the mountains of West Virginia, through valleys, into downtown Pittsburgh, the Mon has seen industrial growth and decline, and weathered the pollution that came with it. The Mon and its tributaries are also home to wildlife facing new challenges, like the mussels of Dunkard Creek. Plus, we'll get a lesson on how to pronounce the river's name.
Some electricity customers learned they've been paying hidden costs for power from two coal-fired power plants. Companies looking to build new power plants or factories may be able to start construction before getting required air pollution permits. Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story.
Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story.
Food waste is a big climate problem. In Pittsburgh, you can drop off your food waste for composting at city-run farmers’ markets. A startup is helping restaurants, schools and hospitals manage their food waste with a digester that fits into a shipping container. The easiest way to compost your food scraps might just be in your own backyard.
Dozens of schools in Pennsylvania are planning to build solar panels on their roofs despite federal tax credits ending early. A new report casts doubt on the economic impact of natural gas production in Appalachia. Some Pa. residents in counties impacted by last year's Tropical Storm Debby say they’re worried how the state will respond to future weather emergencies.
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This week on The Allegheny Front, we talk to a researcher who found that health improved for residents after the closure of a coke plant that processed coal for the steel industry. He said, "There was like a healing going on in the community as the cumulative impacts of the pollution were reduced."
We visit a glass recycling plant in Western Pennsylvania. Even though "glass is infinitely recyclable, which other systems can't necessarily tout," Pennsylvania is behind other states when it comes to glass recycling.
We also go underground for a tour of a cool tourist attraction in Potter County — the Coudersport Ice Mine, whose owners say this summer has been their best yet.
Plus, we have environmental news about a settlement to clean up plastic pollution in a tributary of the Ohio River, the restoration of funding for the federal electric vehicle charging station program and a study that says fracking hasn't been all that good for the regional economy.
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Farmers at an agricultural summit voiced concerns over how new tariffs might affect their customers who buy locally. With air monitors, an environmental group is publishing real-time pollution data for people who live near the ethane cracker and other industries in Beaver County. A Pittsburgh-based environmental group has issued a formal notice of intent to sue companies for polluting the Allegheny River with oil. Several dozen steelworkers and supporters marched in Downtown Pittsburgh to call for safer workplaces. Pennsylvania's elk cam has started up again for the rutting season.
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A computer scientist wanted to build a watch using a living organism. What ended up working was slime mold. An environmental history book about Pennsylvania aims to include multiple perspectives. A new study says schools across Pennsylvania aren't addressing environmental hazards in their buildings. The campgrounds at Raystown Lake closed because of a freeze on hiring workers are reopening on a phased schedule.
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An explosion at a U.S. Steel coke plant outside of Pittsburgh killed two workers and sent 10 to the hospital. We'll hear a worker's first-hand account of the incident and what nearby residents in the Mon River valley are saying. The plant has a history of maintenance problems, explosions, and environmental violations. Climate change is making it harder to keep invasive plants away from recreational trails in Pennsylvania. Volunteers are working to make trail systems more climate resilient.
The Environmental Protection Agency has canceled a $7 billion Biden-era program to build rooftop solar. Freshwater managers are warning that the millions of gallons of water that data centers use every day could stress public water supplies. Pennsylvania lawmakers want to ban certain firefighting foam that contains toxic PFAS. West Nile virus cases are climbing in Pennsylvania.
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The Trump administration has paused new rules that would have reduced air pollution from steel mills drifting into surrounding communities. What advocates and residents who live near U.S. Steel plants are saying. Wildfire smoke from Canada is contributing to home-grown air pollution, and what we can do about it. A Pittsburgh-area library is loaning gas-free cooktops for patrons to test out.
The families of four West Virginia children have sued a Pittsburgh-based gas producer over health effects from fracking. An annual road trip aimed at dispelling myths about electric vehicles stopped outside Pittsburgh. A new report from an environmental watchdog in Pittsburgh calls for stricter regulations on businesses that send pollution into rivers and streams. A Pennsylvania state law is coming to the rescue of abandoned boats on waterways and land.
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Electricity prices are rising, and many are pointing the finger at the new energy demand created by data centers. An energy expert on where this is all heading. The Trump administration is moving to overturn the scientific finding that greenhouse gases are bad for public health. A Washington County gas company is facing criminal charges for a massive leak at a gas storage field. More than two years after the disaster in East Palestine, lawmakers are still trying to increase safety regulations on railroads. We tag along on a wildflower hike in the incomparable Dolly Sods Wilderness.
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Solar installations on homes have been booming because of tax breaks from the Inflation Reduction Act. Now, those incentives are going away. Pennsylvania could also lose $156 million meant to help low-income people reduce their energy bills through solar power. But seventy acres of a former steel slag heap is almost cleaned up and ready to transform into a sea of solar panels. The price for energy is rising at the region's electric grid operator. Companies that mine metallurgical coal are now in line to receive a 2.5 percent tax credit thanks to President Trump's budget bill.
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President Trump was in Pittsburgh whipping up support for building data centers and the gas infrastructure to power them. But many worry that electricity ratepayers will get stuck with higher bills as demand for energy grows. A new online tool helps people who live near industrial facilities learn more about the chemicals and pollutants they’re being exposed to. Clean air quality advocates in Allegheny County held a virtual town hall meeting this week to push for increasing certain industrial operating fees.
Cleanup work at a contaminated former dishware factory site in Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, is underway. A new study shows that small differences in temperature within a farm field can affect how many bees it attracts.
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Business and industry leaders are talking a lot about the possibilities of AI, but the technology also comes with environmental costs. A longtime critic of the natural gas industry is leaving his post at an environmental nonprofit and recommends changing laws or making new ones. A book that asks what we can learn from going back millions of years into Earth’s history that could help us survive the climate crisis. What do everyday people think about the climate-related extreme weather we've been experiencing?
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Swimmer's itch is a rash you can get from swimming in lakes, so researchers working in the Great Lakes have tried to eradicate it by treating ducks that carry the parasite that causes it. Nothing has worked, and people have started thinking about the problem of swimmer's itch differently. It has been five years since a Pennsylvania grand jury report slammed state regulators for not protecting residents from the impacts of fracking. Advocates want Governor Josh Shapiro to do more. Environmental groups will soon be canvassing Southwestern Pennsylvania on foot, by car, and by drone in an effort to find abandoned oil and gas wells.
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Pennsylvania leaders say the state needs more energy, so there’s a plan to create a board to streamline the siting of new power projects. Environmental groups and others are split on the idea. Environmental groups in Western Pennsylvania want to meet with officials from Nippon Steel to discuss how it plans to clean up its newly acquired U.S. Steel plants in the region. Residents who live along the Mountain Valley gas pipeline are still worried a year later about their health and safety. A new exhibit at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden plays with the idea of movement.
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The Ohio River Basin provides millions of people with water, but it's one of the most polluted river systems in America. A plan to clean up the Ohio River goes public. Are President Trump and congressional Republicans going to tank America's EV industry before it can get off the ground? An effort to make buildings in Pittsburgh more efficient meets a milestone. A portion of land in Somerset County, Pa., part of a critical ecosystem, has been protected through a recent land acquisition.
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This week, the approval of a coal mine expansion in Western Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands has residents worried. Also, more than 100 mine researchers and engineers at a federal office in Allegheny County are slated for termination. We talk with Pittsburgh journalists who were asked by Australians to report about Alcoa’s mining operations near an ancient forest there. Cicadas make their 17-year appearance in central Pa.
We have news about rollbacks to power plant rules, cuts to solar tax credits, a new state energy siting board and menstrual products in state parks.
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After Traci Lynn Martin’s mom died, she knew she couldn’t keep putting off her dream: becoming the first person to kayak around the Great Lakes in one year. So she quit her job as a nurse, cashed out part of her retirement savings, and set out to accomplish her goal. We have the story of her journey. We head to the Allegheny River for a kayak tour with a unique twist, participants made art together.
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River otters have made a comeback in Pennsylvania. Veterans are building a sunflower garden for a community, but also helping each other adjust to non-military life in the process. A former dairy farmer turned musician uses his story to get others in agriculture to talk about their feelings and find healing.
Plus, Pittsburgh’s parks rank 15th out of 100 cities in the United States. With a hot summer forecasted, federal regulators are warning the margins between electricity supply and demand are shrinking.
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A new outdoor recreation area in a Pittsburgh park is meant to include people of all abilities. When hikers make it to the halfway point on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, there’s a tradition of eating a half gallon of ice cream. An environmental reporter shifts his perspective by leaning into the landscape. A network of trails in Northeast Pennsylvania that follows old railroad corridors is now carrying economic development across the region.
From our archives, how a 67-year-old grandmother hiked the Appalachian Trail in just a pair of Keds. And the Brood 14 cicadas are now emerging.
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A nonprofit hopes to help landowners reclaim mineland in Appalachia by planting trees and selling carbon credits. Their first partner is the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. A bill in the Pennsylvania legislature would withhold funding from communities that try to restrict shale gas drilling because of pollution and disruption. De-paving parties involve hard hats, sledgehammers, and a lot of volunteers to create space for water drainage and gardens.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday over the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, known as RGGI. A southwestern Pennsylvania state senator says his new bill could encourage new investment in aging steel plants. Visitors to Raystown Lake can now contribute to its conservation efforts through a citizen science mobile app.
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Last year, workforce development organizations in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were awarded a $15 million EPA grant to train people in landscaping and tree pruning, and to expand their services. But the federal government just terminated the grant. A new map shows there have been important federal investments in clean energy across Pennsylvania, but as federal dollars to support climate initiatives become uncertain, more action is needed. A reporter was stopped by police for asking follow-up questions at an oil and gas committee meeting.
Also, an Ohio Commission approved putting another parcel of an eastern Ohio Wildlife Area up for bid by fracking companies. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia are suing the Trump administration over pausing all wind permits. Solar power set records in April in the regional grid, which includes Pennsylvania.
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The future of the Endangered Species Act is in question. A bill to amend it was recently introduced in Congress, and environmentalists are taking issue with it. Attacks by black bears are exceedingly rare, but they do happen. How proximity to humans and our pets could be pushing some species, like black bears, to act erratically. Pittsburgh International Airport is doubling the size of its solar field about a mile from the main terminal.
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Cement is the glue that keeps concrete together, and it has a big carbon footprint. That's a problem for a warming planet. A Johnstown-based mining company has gotten the go-ahead to expand an underground coal mine in Westmoreland County. The site of a demolished coal-fired power plant is being redeveloped to build a massive gas-fired power plant and data center. The American Lung Association gave Pittsburgh’s air quality an "F" in its latest annual report.
Proponents of sustainable fashion hope tariffs on cheap clothes from overseas will turn consumers on to thrift shopping. Autistic students at a Philly public school are learning life skills by growing their own food. Trump administration cuts are hitting small organic farmers, including freezing a project to jumpstart the production of flax. Students in Pennsylvania's Trout in the Classroom program. recently said goodbye to their aquatic classmates.
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President Trump gives coal power plants an extension on complying with new mercury pollution standards. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is looking to roll back many other climate and environmental regulations faster than the normal process of appealing these rules allows. Invasive plant species like thorny multiflora rose are damaging Pennsylvania forests. A Pittsburgh natural history museum is taking a closer look at the problem.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has begun its annual Black Fly Suppression Program. Camping reservations are up at Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests.
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The site of a recently retired coal plant in Indiana County is getting a new life as a data center. Plans have been scrapped for a controversial plastic recycling plant in Erie. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to boost coal production, but it may not do much to reverse the industry’s fortunes. A new book highlights the natural beauty of the Youghiogheny River.
Nearly 2,000 top scientists, engineers and medical researchers signed a letter saying that the Trump administration is decimating the nation’s scientific enterprise. Federal funding for the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub could be on the chopping block according to reporting by Politico. A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked a rule to limit silica dust exposure for coal miners. Federal energy labs in Southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia could become the sites for data centers to support artificial intelligence. The EPA announced it will finalize water quality standards to protect fish in a portion of the Delaware River.
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Solar advocates fear a rider attached to a low-income solar bill in the PA House will upend roof-top solar. The former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, responds to the Trump administration's plans to mine public lands for more energy resources. The owners of a recently demolished coal-fired power plant in Homer City, PA announced the site will become a data center powered by the largest natural gas plant in the country. The CEO of Appalachia’s biggest natural gas producer says more pipelines are coming as data centers expand and coal plants retire in West Virginia.
Also, some Pennsylvania meteorologists say they’re worried about recent federal cuts to the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Youth plaintiffs sought to hold the U.S. government accountable for climate-warming policies but the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal. A group of residents in Kane, Pennsylvania are asking the borough to loosen its small animal ordinance amid high egg prices and a rising interest in raising backyard chickens. And we learn to make an egg alternative: scrambled tofu.
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President Trump is a big supporter of coal, and that’s giving some in the industry hope for a comeback. But others don’t see any future for coal. EPA employees and people retired from the agency rallied in Philadelphia to protest the Trump Administration’s efforts to reshape the agency. How environmentalists are reacting to the Environmental Protection Agency's intention to rollback 31 regulations. We talk with a young climate organizer for her tips for moving the needle on the climate crisis.
Governor Josh Shapiro says Pennsylvania will appeal a decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to abruptly end a contract for the state’s farmers and food banks. Advocates say a U.S. Supreme Court ruling chips away at clean water protections.
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Fracking under Ohio parks is moving forward, but park visitors have mixed reactions about the industry. The ethane cracker in Beaver County has only been operating for a few years, but its owners may be looking to sell. We talk with the lead author of a new study on the connection between infant mortality and lead exposure.
In another blow to the offshore wind industry, the Environmental Protection Agency has pulled a permit for the Atlantic Shores project in New Jersey. Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County is cancelling this year’s campground reservations, citing staff shortages amid recent federal job cuts and hiring freezes. To help protect wildlife and prevent vehicle collisions with animals, a environmental research group is calling on Pennsylvania lawmakers to better support wildlife corridor projects.
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The future of nuclear energy might be microreactors. With new air monitors, an environmental group is publishing real-time pollution data for people who live near the ethane cracker and other industries in Beaver County. How bird flu and the price of eggs are influencing Pennsylvania consumers.
And, the new head of the EPA announced sweeping plans to roll back 31 separate environmental protections. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and a crypto mining company have agreed to speed the cleanup of the company’s unpermitted coal ash dumping.
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Provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made it easier for churches and schools to install solar panels. How will the Trump administration impact the growth of solar in Pennsylvania? A hazardous waste landfill in Westmoreland County has been a thorn in the side of nearby residents for decades. To fight plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, scientists are calling for a more unified effort in the region.
Residents living within a mile of a U.S. Steel plant in Braddock, near Pittsburgh, have until March 17 to opt out of a class action settlement over alleged air pollution. Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources wants forest owners to help fight spongy moths. Conservationists look for Northern flying squirrels in the Poconos.
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How word of a federal funding freeze disrupted efforts to clean up a century’s worth of abandoned mine pollution in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced the state again has access to more than $2 billion of federal money that had been frozen by the Trump administration. While some federal funding to Pennsylvania has been restored, other monies, like aid for farmers, are still in limbo. The Trump administration's recent firings of staff at the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service have conservation organizations concerned.
Faith leaders, environmental advocates, and community organizers met for Pittsburgh’s first-ever Multi-Faith Community Forestry Summit. A unique partnership between a botanical garden and a bird rescue uses plant waste that would be composted to help injured birds.
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Many people want to install solar panels on their homes to reduce costs and carbon pollution. Now a government program that makes solar more affordable is at risk. Environmental advocates applaud Governor Shapiro’s lawsuit against the Trump administration for freezing funds for infrastructure and climate programs. While it was very cold in much of the U.S., January was the hottest on Earth. An environmental education center in Northwestern Pennsylvania includes a distillery that makes alcohol from an unusual local product: sunflowers.
Also, new research from Drexel University finds kids in Philadelphia continue to have elevated levels of lead in their blood. More than $15 million were awarded to projects across the state that protect land and restore local watersheds, and the Delaware River is the 2025 Pennsylvania River of the Year.
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Pennsylvania has been expecting $171 million over 5 years to build electric vehicle charging stations across the state. However, the Trump administration has abruptly cut off the funds. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro filed a federal lawsuit to challenge the Trump Administration’s effort to freeze federal grants. The administration is also reassigning Department of Justice employees from environmental programs.
Plus, bird flu is spreading to mammals. A new report finds since the construction of Shell's ethane cracker Beaver County’s economy and population continue to decline. Pittsburgh rallies for climate action, and Pennsylvania could get its first underground state park.
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Several clean energy projects are already underway across the county, including a hydrogen hub that's moving forward in western Pennsylvania. But will it survive President Trump’s campaign to undo Joe Biden’s climate legacy? At the second anniversary of the East Palestine train derailment, some residents were unimpressed with the parade of politicians who made an official visit. A new campaign hopes to bring more voices to the fight against air pollution.
Also, in his budget address, Governor Josh Shapiro said he plans to lower energy costs for families. Owners of the Mountain Valley Pipeline have asked federal regulators to approve a new, modified plan for an extension of the pipeline to take natural gas further south into North Carolina. A new lawsuit claims for the first time that people died because of the derailment and chemical contamination in East Palestine.
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This week on The Allegheny Front, a special report. It's been two years since the the Norfolk Southern train derailed near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border. Researchers have been looking at how the toxic chemicals released in the disaster could impact people's health, and many who lived nearby still have health questions. A Western Pennsylvania Congressman is calling on leaders in Washington to pass rail safety legislation.
Also, Gov. Josh Shapiro touts an agreement to prevent spike in electricity bills. Fifteen environmental justice communities in Allegheny County are now eligible to receive funds to address climate change. A festival in central Pennsylvania celebrates the American chestnut, while educating about its conservation struggles.
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Manufacturing is cleaner and more automated than when it peaked in the Pittsburgh area in the 1950s. Federal dollars and clean energy have revolutionized manufacturing, but what happens now that President Trump is back in office? Jobs in clean energy are expanding faster in Pennsylvania than the state’s overall economy, according to a new report. A climate journalist looks at the potential consequences of President Trump's first executive orders dealing with energy development.
In its last days, the Biden Administration awarded Pennsylvania money to launch rebate programs for electric appliances like heat pumps and home improvements that conserve energy.
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As cities try to reduce emissions, getting more people to adopt solar energy is key. Community-owned solar projects could be a solution. Some operators want to extend the lives of coal plants because of increased energy demand. President-elect Trump has endorsed relaxing regulations that could help do this. Farmers are doing everything they can to prevent a bird flu outbreak in Pennsylvania.
Plus, could climate polluters face criminal charges in Pennsylvania for causing or risking a catastrophe? Suicide prevention in rural areas is a focus at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, and how ice jams cause flooding.
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A well pad explosion in Ohio has caused some local communities to worry about the safety of oil and gas. What does the Farm Bill have to do with climate change? A bid to sell U.S. Steel to a Japanese company gets shot down by President Biden. What does it mean for air quality in the region? A new state program that aims to save schools money through solar energy is open for applications. States have begun rolling out new federally funded rebates to help households pay for energy efficiency upgrades and electric appliances. However, the programs are in limbo in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. A renowned geoscientist and Penn State professor is one of this year’s recipients for the National Medal of Science.
And, Congress approved an extension of the Farm Bill in December but has yet to pass a new five-year version. Pennsylvania’s state amphibian, the Eastern hellbender, could soon get federal protections. Vultures have a bad reputation, but a bird lover says they're worth a second look.
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This week's episode:
Our favorite stories from 2024. Potato chips are getting more expensive--is climate change part of the reason? A new book out this year looks at radioactivity in the oil and gas industry, and its impacts on workers. The largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania closed. For some, it's been hard to accept. We'll revisit Homer City. And the effort to build a nearly 50-mile loop of trails in Rothrock State Forest in Centre and Huntingdon Counties got a boost from the state.
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This week's episode:
Twenty-five million people live in the Ohio River watershed, and some don't have clean water to drink. A report out earlier this year is one step in the effort to get federal funding to restore the Ohio and its communities. A kayak tour this summer on the Allegheny River had a unique twist: participants also made art together. The author of a book about deer and our sometimes complicated relationship with them says she developed a sort of gratitude for the animals. A Pittsburgh environmental activist celebrated a milestone this year for the grassroots lecture series she founded 12 years ago.
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This week's episode:
The general public's views on climate change in Sweden aren't that different from those in the U.S. So why are Sweden's climate policies so much more advanced? It's the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, but even today, not everyone benefits equally. Plus, we head out on a winter tree ID walk.
Also, heading home for the holidays by plane could mean a lot of climate pollution. Penn State has entered into an agreement with the PA Department of Environmental Protection over the presence of PFAS at the State College Regional Airport, and how to keep your home comfortable as temperatures drop.
We’re more than halfway through our end-of-the-year fundraiser. Between now and December 31st, we hope to raise $15,000 to help fund our work in the year ahead.
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This week's episode: Companies in Sweden are beginning to make steel without fossil fuels. Can it work in the US, which still relies on coal? A holiday shopping guide aims to make it easier to choose refurbished electronics to fulfill your gift list, It’s December and that means migrant crows set up winter roosts in cities.
Also, PennEnergy will pay a $2 million civil penalty, and reduce pollution from its facilities, in a proposed settlement with the Justice Department. The Mountain Valley Pipeline has had more issues with erosion control. An energy company with facilities in Turtle Creek, in Allegheny County, just got a boost from the U.S. Department of Energy. More than $3 million in new federal funds will help conserve trout streams in the mountainous areas of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York in the first tri-state initiative of its kind in the Delaware River watershed. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is about to take flight.
We’re more than halfway through our end-of-the-year fundraiser. Between now and December 31st, we hope to raise $15,000 to help fund our work in the year ahead.
We’re independent and non-profit, and we don’t get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support.
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This week's show:
Steel is a major contributor to climate change. Companies in Sweden are starting to solve this problem by making steel with renewable energy. Some cooks ditch their gas stoves for induction cooking because of air quality and energy use. This summer two chicks of a bird species that hasn't successfully bred in Pennsylvania for over 60 years flew from their nest.
Also, human-caused climate change increased damaging wind speeds for every hurricane in 2024. More than 40 million dollars in federal climate money is going to help Pennsylvania farmers. More wildfires have burned in Pennsylvania this fall than in the traditional spring fire season. Some experts say the storm that dumped 6 feet of snow on Erie, Pennsylvania this week is climate change in action.
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Pennsylvania's trees are facing a multitude of threats including fungus, insects, and worms, like the ones that cause beech leaf disease. American chestnut trees once thrived in our region, but 150 years ago a fungus wiped them out. Researchers and advocates are trying to bring them back, but they disagree on how to do it. Plus, we tag along with a crew trying to save hemlock trees from a sap-sucking invasive pest.
A researcher in Ohio was surrounded by hundreds of dead ash trees that the emerald ash borer, a beetle, had wiped out. But in that same forest, she found a lone tree thriving. Could this tree be the key to saving ash from extinction?
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We just kicked off our end-of-the-year campaign and with your help, we can raise important funding to keep our independent, nonprofit newsroom strong.
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The Northeast has faced a record-breaking drought this fall. It's impacting trees, including the ones we put in our homes at Christmas. Most steel is made using coal. A new report says emissions from plants that are part of this traditional steelmaking have serious consequences for public health. A new exhibit looks at the environmental implications of our fashion choices.
Also, there's been a sharp decline in several Pennsylvania bat species from white-nose syndrome. A new federal conservation plan aims to keep development projects from making things worse. ClearWater Conservancy recently received two grants to help pay for its new Community Conservation Center, which will serve as a hub for land conservation and watershed protection in central Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is hopeful a state ban on Sunday hunting will be completely lifted next year. After an explosion at a fracking waste disposal site last year, nearby residents had concerns about impacts on health and the environment.
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Last year the Biden administration tasked federal agencies with considering environmental justice in their decisionmaking. Some say that isn't happening as planning for the seven new hydrogen hubs moves forward nationwide. Water quality in Pennsylvania streams is being hindered by aging dams, many of which are dangerous and obsolete. Climate-related weather like flash floods and extreme heat impacts people experiencing homelessness.
Also, an environmental group wants state regulators to tighten water pollution restrictions on a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh which has released oil into the Monongahela River. Friends of the Riverfront released a new plan for recreation in Pittsburgh’s three rivers. PECO, formerly the Philadelphia Electric Company, has agreed to add solar energy to its mix of sources that generate electricity for customers in southeast Pennsylvania.
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This week on The Allegheny Front, the election. We'll hear from voters in Pennsylvania who are skeptical about climate change and solutions, like electric vehicles and solar energy. Environmental leaders react to what a second Trump administration will mean for the climate. And, how state elections might and might not impact environmental progress in Pennsylvania.
Democrats are hoping to get climate policy passed by flipping at least three seats in the Pennsylvania State Senate. But a race in Pittsburgh's suburbs is leaving the environment out. More rain as a result of climate change is causing landslides and testing planning decisions made decades ago. Money from the Inflation Reduction Act is starting to flow into Pennsylvania, but future funding could be threatened by a second Trump administration.
Also, Pennsylvania will receive about $245 million this year to clean up abandoned mine lands. With the presidential election just days away, environmental justice advocates see high stakes for their communities. How the practice of forest bathing can relieve stress and put us in touch with nature.
What's at stake in the upcoming presidential race? Republicans say they want to repeal Biden’s big climate law, but the law also includes subsidies for a product oil and gas companies are interested in—hydrogen. Independent research after the East Palestine train derailment found many of the same chemicals that were officially reported in the aftermath. But researchers also found a number of other chemicals in places where officials were not necessarily testing. A group is trying to convince the neighbors to tackle yardwork more naturally.
Also, the Three Mile Island nuclear plant owner says it should be technically easy to restart after five years because all essential equipment is in good condition. Former coal communities ask the Biden and Trump campaigns for more investment. Vice President Kamala Harris would continue to develop offshore wind energy, but former President Trump wants to reverse course.
After a coal-fired power plant closed last year, residents of the southwestern Pennsylvania community are trying to make a go of tourism by cleaning up its legacy pollution. A new environmental history book about Pennsylvania aims to include multiple perspectives. New color-correcting viewfinders in some state parks will allow people who are colorblind to enjoy the autumn leaf show.
Also, new federal funds will help remove lead paint in buildings across Pennsylvania. A nonprofit is launching a pilot project in Pennsylvania to lease rooftop solar installations to low- and moderate-income residents. Pittsburgh is one of 10 U.S. cities being awarded federal funding to support urban agriculture.
Former President Trump has been claiming there is a Biden electric vehicle mandate. There isn’t one, but the rhetoric has some EV advocates concerned. A new study shows support for leasing land for solar projects in Pennsylvania farming communities. Volunteers are knocking on doors to get people who care about the environment and climate change to vote.
Also, lead drinking water pipes in the U.S. must be removed within 10 years. A new survey looks at Pennsylvanians' attitudes toward fracking. A Weirton plant that makes batteries to store wind and solar energy gets a $150 million grant from the Department of Energy.
Even though a president couldn't ban fracking in Pennsylvania, it's still being talked about this campaign season. We fact-check what's being said. In light of the East Palestine train derailment, advocates are pushing for more inclusion in disaster planning for people with disabilities. A new theatrical production hopes to entertain and educate people about a fuel source that comes from our own food scraps and the back end of cows.
Also, EPA has finalized a consent order with a hazardous waste landfill to lower its pollution discharges into a Westmoreland County stream. Two Clearfield County municipalities are taking steps toward creating whitewater recreation parks. And passengers who ride buses in the Greater Philadelphia area could find themselves on one powered by hydrogen starting this fall.
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A judge signed off on a 600 million dollar settlement between Norfolk Southern and people who live near the East Palestine train derailment. But many are unhappy with the outcome. A new study looks at the influence of oil and gas industry donations on university research. Survivors of the worst industrial accident in world history in Bhopal, India visited Beaver County to talk about the multi-generational impacts of the chemical disaster and lessons for those living near chemical infrastructure in Pennsylvania.
Also, there are mixed reactions from residents, environmentalists and the business community as the Three Mile Island nuclear facility plans to reopen. Allegheny County Health Department held a public hearing in the Mon Valley about an air quality permit for U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Works. Wasting resources from the land has a big impact on climate change, so we have tips for cutting emissions from your food and yard.
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A Pennsylvania-based driller is promoting its own data showing fracking poses no health risks. But public health experts are skeptical. Erie residents have questions about how a huge, proposed plastic recycling plant could impact them. We're not going to buy our way out of the climate crisis. What we can do instead.
Also, some Pennsylvania lawmakers want to repeal a regulation that would charge power plants for their climate-warming emissions. New measurements show climate pollution is escaping oil and gas production hubs at an estimated 4 times the amount companies report to regulators. Allegheny County plans to award 5 million dollars in grants to projects aimed at improving the region’s air quality. But no one has applied.
There wasn't a lot of talk about the environment in Tuesday's presidential debate, except for one hot topic: fracking. We fact check the candidates' claims about the issue. Some people who live along Indian Creek in West Virginia had pristine well water, but that’s changed they say, due to mining. Researchers in western Pennsylvania are soliciting help to learn more about invasive spotted lanternflies.
Plus, a new analysis finds state laws do not protect students from lead in school drinking water, and the Altoona school district responds to its failing grade on lead. Meanwhile, more than a hundred school districts across Pennsylvania will receive state funding for environmental repairs.
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As potato chips get more expensive, is climate change part of the reason? We crunch the numbers. As more flooding, erosion and invasive plants are impacting Pennsylvania's trails, groups are working to make trail systems more climate resilient. This November, the Pennsylvania legislature could get a makeover. What are the stakes for the General Assembly in this election?
We have news about why environmental groups are suing the EPA over new coke oven rules, why summertime brings more water pollution and what a new federal grant will do to improve the Delaware River watershed.
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This week on The Allegheny Front, during the COVID pandemic, a coal-fired power plant that was a way of life for many in one community closed. We traveled there to learn how they memorialized it. As more severe storms cause downed trees and dump water on Pennsylvania, insurance premiums could rise. A Pennsylvania task force charged with figuring out how to get more homes in the state covered by flood insurance released its recommendations this summer. Plus, a study shows a racist government policy enacted decades ago has led to fewer green spaces in many communities across the country. Also, will fossil fuel workers be able to take advantage of jobs in green energy?
This week on The Allegheny Front, the huge, federally funded hydrogen hub based on natural gas is getting started in Appalachia. The Department of Energy has promised transparency for the project, but some were not reassured after their latest public meeting. The climate law President Biden signed two years ago can help homeowners get money back for investing in solar panels, but there are tax breaks for smaller fixes, too. Plus, how agriculture experts in West Virginia are helping farmers manage the new challenges of climate change.
This week, we have a special show about Indigenous people, land, water, and culture. Our first story looks at how the pawpaw, a fruit that mainly grows in the eastern US, continues to live in the memories and language of Indigenous people forced to move west. Then, we talk with an Indigenous scientist about her book that contrasts conservation science with Indigenous knowledge about the natural world. Plus, a paddler from the Seneca Nation takes a 300-mile journey down the Allegheny River to draw attention to protecting it and all waterways.
This week, we're headed outdoors to get a fresh perspective. A 5th-grade science teacher boards a Lake Erie research vessel to learn more about plastic pollution. And a kayak tour on the Allegheny River has a unique twist: Participants also make art together. Plus, a new nonprofit hopes to eliminate the barriers that keep people from getting outside.
We have news about Asian carp in the Great Lakes, horseshoe crabs, a new solar program for schools and a fee for electric vehicles.
Now that Vice President Harris is on her way to becoming the Democratic nominee for president, how can she make sure people who care about climate change vote for her? Pennsylvania is looking for ways to create wildlife corridors so animals like bobcats and box turtles can safely move. Plus, a Pittsburgh environmental activist is celebrating a milestone for the grassroots lecture series she founded 12 years ago. We have stories about a new venture in Philadelphia that focuses on sustainable seafood, and how a researcher figured out lanternflies can hitch rides on vehicles, even ones going 60 miles per hour.
We have news about the Appalachia hydrogen hub and planting native vegetation along Pa. highways.
This week on The Allegheny Front, many of us are feeling the heat this summer, and climate change is fueling the soaring temperatures. A new book by climate scientist Rob Jackson tells the stories of people who are working to reduce climate-warming emissions in novel ways. Birds, like the bobolink, that need grassland habitat to nest are losing ground. What conservationists and farmers are doing about it. Plus, Pennsylvania is home to a prairie that is just now bursting with blooms.
This week, a stream polluted by an old coal mine at a former golf club is getting cleaned up thanks to a land trust and a new pot of federal money. Plus, we have news about why it's hard for states to access other federal mine reclamation money. We also talk with an author of a new report that says chemical recycling of plastics isn't all it's cracked up to be for the economy or the planet. We head to a festival celebrating a very special population of fireflies in Pennsylvania that flash in a pattern.
We have news about Pa.'s budget, heat islands in Pa. cities, and a new dark sky park in the works.
Just over a year ago, the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania closed. For some, it's been hard to accept. We'll visit Homer City to hear how it's going. A US Supreme Court decision to put a cross-state air pollution rule on hold could impact clean air in Pennsylvania. And, we tag along with a crew trying to save hemlock trees from an invasive pest. Plus a new report outlines ways to keep kids playing outside in the warmer months. As fossil fuel production has gone up in the U.S., greenhouse gas emissions have gone down as, except in the region that includes Pennsylvania. The miles of trails along Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers have a significant economic impact.
This week on The Allegheny Front, commercial fisheries in the Great Lakes hope to follow an example set in Iceland. It calls for using every part of the fish to increase the value of each one caught, while decreasing waste. And, central Pennsylvania is one of the best places for fly fishing, but there is a need to protect its prized streams from farm pollution. Plus, as coyotes move into cities, we have to face our myths about them.
The National Transportation Safety Board approved its investigative findings into last year’s train derailment in East Palestine. It issued recommendations on rail safety and emergency response, criticizing Norfolk Southern for keeping critical information away from responders. Former workers at an oil refinery in Philadelphia remember the fire and explosion five years ago that shuttered the plant. Plus, giant wood sculptures at a botanic garden help visitors understand the bees and other pollinators that live among us.
We have news about pollution from gas stoves, another mishap at the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a new director of the Allegheny County Health Department and a debate in the state legislature about renewable energy goals.
This week, the first town in Allegheny County commits to creating a bird-friendly community as an official Bird Town. We also talk with a climate scientist about how this week’s heat wave is related to climate change. We have a preview of next week’s release of the final report of a federal investigation into last year’s Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, which will include insights into the decision to vent vinyl chloride from some of the railcars and burn it, which caused chemical contamination.
We have news about toxic PFAS in school drinking water, concerns about a possible new gas pipeline and an innovative hive to encourage beekeeping.
CNX plans to use methane from coal mines to make hydrogen and clean jet fuel. To pay for it, they want to use new clean energy tax credits. Inside a brewing fight over billions of dollars in hydrogen subsidies. Some residents of Greene County want answers from EQT and state regulators about why their well water is giving them rashes after showers. They blame an event two years ago for their dirty water.
Plus, we talk with a family participating in Black Birders Week for the first time. We have news about a whistleblower’s claim against EPA’s East Palestine clean-up, PFAS in Pennsylvania’s water systems and the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s approval to begin transporting gas to Virginia.
This week, hospitals have a big carbon footprint. We report on how local medical professionals are fighting climate change. Some politicians and advocates are calling for a ban on the longtime practice of spreading drilling wastewater on dirt and gravel roads. We talk to a former DEP secretary who says this practice should remain illegal. Flooding can be devasting for communities. We look at what one Ohio River town is doing to prevent future disasters. Plus, the latest problem for the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
We have news about how a new coke oven rule will impact the Clairton Coke Works, a celebration at Raystown Lake and a water trail along the Schuylkill River.
This week on The Allegheny Front, Norfolk Southern will invest $200 million in rail safety as part of a settlement with the federal government over last year's train derailment in East Palestine. Earlier this month, a controversial natural gas pipeline that will soon go online failed a crucial safety test. We speak with a reporter who is following the story. Some student entrepreneurs looked for alternatives to firefighting foam and equipment which commonly contain PFAS, those forever chemicals linked to increased cancer risk.
We have news about federal money for cleaner school buses, demands for transparency about the Appalachian hydrogen hub project from a coalition of community and environmental groups, and a new report about the carbon emissions of Pittsburgh buildings.
This week, we talk to entomologist and author Doug Tallamy, who wants people to landscape with native plants to feed bees and other pollinators. His goal is for half of the 40 million acres of lawn in the U.S. to be replanted with native species in what he calls the "Home Grown National Park." We'll also visit a special bog habitat in eastern Pennsylvania that was formed in the ice age. Plus, we join researchers at Presque Isle State Park who are looking for an invasive snail that has gained a foothold in Lake Erie. New research reveals how fireflies are faring in the eastern U.S.
We have news about the Allegheny County Clean Air Fund and a new training effort for energy efficiency jobs.
A new film focuses on invasive species in some of Pennsylvania's pristine waters. The executive producer talks about how people can help keep invasives at bay. Also, a Superfund site in the woods of Bucks County won an environmental award. It's one of the Pennsylvania's last remaining coastal plain forests. As wedding season approaches, we look at ways to create an earth-friendly celebration. And new coke oven rules are expected to be finalized soon. We report on how they could impact U.S. Steel's Allegheny County facilities.
We have news about Pittsburgh Regional Transit's climate plan, installation of lead-filtering water fountains at Pittsburgh Public Schools, problems along the Mountain Valley Pipeline and more.
This week, we have a special show about how people interact with wildlife and other animals. Our first story looks at what happens when urban and suburban deer populations get out of hand. Some cities and towns opt for bow hunting or bring in sharpshooters. But one community went another way: sterilizing female deer. Plus, a new book looks animals that can be classified as post-natural - those living things that have been intentionally altered by people, through domestication, selective breeding and genetic engineering.
We have news about a bill passed by the Pennsylvania Senate that would let energy companies bypass state agencies when securing a permit to build. Critics say the move would violate federal and state laws. The Maryland National Guard dropped plans to fly fighter jets just 100 feet above the ground in an area known as the Pennsylvania Wilds.
The federal government is betting big that creating hydrogen with solar and wind will be climate solution for hard to decarbonize industries. Some experts are skeptical. A shocking new book looks at radioactivity in oil and gas waste, and its impacts on workers who have experienced symptoms like their teeth falling out, strange rashes and cancer. Meanwhile, two fracking waste disposals facilities in Eastern Ohio are facing consequences for noncompliance. Residents in Westmoreland County are frustrated that a hazardous waste facility wasn't shut down despite violations.
We head to a fish hatchery that is key to Pennsylvania's walleye population. We have news about the removal of small dams across the region to help fish and other aquatic life, and grants for schools to address lead, mold and asbestos.
As a coal plant winds down, its gradual closure has had ripple effects in the community, including local businesses, like restaurants. A community group rallied around stopping a chemical recycling plant in Central Pennsylvania, saying it's not the answer to slowing plastic pollution. The Energy Secretary visited the area to tout energy efficiency and union jobs. And Shell is hit with misdemeanor charges for allegedly underreporting spills along its pipeline.
We have news about new EPA rules for CO2 emissions for power plants, residential solar for disadvantaged and low-income communities, and the state of the air.
This week on The Allegheny Front, as the transition to cleaner energy ramps up, a port is being built in New Jersey for the massive wind turbines headed into the Atlantic Ocean. And we talk with the author of a new report on tiny pieces of plastic litter on Great Lakes beaches. Plus, teens in Pittsburgh look to one another to solve the climate crisis.
Also, the Environmental Protection Agency releases new rules to reduce cancer risk from hazardous air pollution near chemical plants. Federal mine regulators publish a long-awaited rule to the amount of toxic silica dust mine workers can legally be exposed to. And a look at a few examples from the more than 70 projects that have been funded through a plan to close a coal plant in Centralia, Washington.
Centralia, Washington, has been cited as a model for how to successfully transition away from coal. What can the Appalachian region can learn from its example? And the new Farm Bill is being held up in Congress, but conservationists are pushing legislators to get it passed. Plus, the threat of Lyme disease doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy the outdoors.
News about a $1 million-dollar fine for a gas leak that was called the country’s worst climate disaster in 2022, EPA’s new rule for PFAS in drinking water and a class action settlement with Norfolk Southern.
The Department of Energy just finalized a rule to make the energy grid more efficient. While local workers are cheering, energy efficiency advocates say it's investing in old technology. Pittsburgh-area students had a special day to compose songs and poems and create art all about birds. Construction on the first section of 53 miles of trails in central Pa. is set to begin. Plus, we answer questions from adults and kids about the upcoming solar eclipse.
We have news about federal funds to clean up abandoned mineland and the Tioga River, how withdrawing water for fracking from a popular creek could impact a threatened fish, and a lawsuit against a crypto miner and Gov. Josh Shapiro.
The Lackawanna River in northeastern Pennsylvania was once polluted from mining and sewage. We profile the longtime leader of a conservation group who spearheaded its cleanup. Chemical recycling plants that turn plastic into fuels and other materials have been proposed in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Why some residents worry about pollution and safety. Plus, a Penn State professor gives us the scoop on why the upcoming solar eclipse is such a big deal. A Pennsylvania college student is developing a new technology could save one million horseshoe crabs each year.
We have news about a federal grant to build the largest solar farm in Pennsylvania, why the West Virginia governor vetoed a bill expanding renewable energy, and why activists in Virginia think a fine for a major pipeline project is too small.
Companies can take advantage of federal tax credits by capturing their carbon emissions to keep them out of the atmosphere. Now farmers and others are being approached to lease their land to bury this carbon underground. Plus, we'll hear about an effort to preserve the records of a Pennsylvania coal company. And springtime is nestcam season, prompting some bird lovers to worry over the drama unfolding on their screens. A longtime nest watcher has some advice.
We have news about the compliance with the plastic bag ban in Pittsburgh, a Superfund site in Jefferson County and private well testing in East Palestine.
A new study finds that petrochemical plants like Shell's ethane cracker in Pennsylvania are getting billions in subsidies while breaking environmental laws. People who live near construction sites along the Mountain Valley Pipeline say regulators won't return their calls about water pollution from the project. Drexel researchers are gearing up to conduct ozone research in the atmosphere during the solar eclipse. And, as winters have warmed, the map that millions of gardeners rely on has been updated.
We have news about Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposals for a cap-and-trade carbon program and new renewable energy standards, and how climate change is impacting honeybees.
American chestnut trees once thrived in the Appalachian Mountains, but no longer. Now, researchers and advocates disagree on plan to bring them back. We’ll also hear about how families experienced severe symptoms living near an EQT fracking site in West Virginia. The company is expanding into the state and looking to dominate exports of liquified natural gas. Plus, a peak into the springtime mating dance of the American woodcock.
We have news about yet another U.S. Steel fine, an update to a controversial plan to build near a wetland and what a transportation safety official has to say about the decision to vent and burn vinyl chloride in East Palestine.
A commission approved bids to frack under Ohio's largest state park, wildlife areas and other properties. An author of a new book on deer asks us to examine our relationship with these ubiquitous animals. And a new plant in Weirton is gearing up to make storage batteries for renewable energy plants.
We have news about construction problems along the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a withdrawal of another gas pipeline in Westmoreland County and the state is capping abandoned gas wells, while companies keep abandoning new ones.
A new report is a step in the effort to get federal funds to restore the 14-state Ohio River watershed, still plagued by old and new pollution. We visit Lake Erie to learn about invasive pet turtles. Plus, how the latest Supreme Court case about air pollution could bring more smog to Pennsylvania. And why environmental groups are upset with Gov. Shapiro's economic plan.
We have news about President Biden's visit to East Palestine, VP Harris' visit to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Bird Towns and American martens.
We break down all the air quality news from the last few weeks: a new soot rule, a landmark settlement with U.S. Steel over a 2018 fire, and the EPA's rejection of the company's air permit. We'll also hear about how future methane-spewing blowouts from gas storage facilities could happen because of design flaws in the wells. Plus, the search for an endangered flying squirrel in Pennsylvania.
We have news about a new effort to bring in federal clean energy funds to the Pittsburgh region, outdoor recreation in Pa., funds to clean up coal mine pollution and more.
Some residents of East Palestine want the EPA to test for contamination in their homes, but the EPA says it won’t. We ask why not. Our reporters discuss what they learned in our investigation into the public health and environmental response to the disaster and what they will keep their eyes on in the coming months. Plus, how worried should we be about the health impacts of toxic PFAS chemicals in our bodies?
News about EPA's new air pollution rule, DEP's request that frackers disclose their chemicals, and proposed money for an energy efficiency program.
After last year's train derailment in East Palestine, a local stream remains contaminated. We'll examine why residents living about the polluted water are still concerned. We talk with a Pennsylvania resident just over the Ohio border who decided not to live full-time in her home. We find out what led to her decision and how she became an activist pushing for answers. And, people in East Palestine feel like the derailment fractured their community - they disagree about politics, the environment and health impacts.
Plus, a study of East Palestine residents' health and Pennsylvania's River of the Year.
East Palestine, Ohio, is not the same place it was a year ago. Last February, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed there, near the Pennsylvania border, close to people's homes and businesses. Then, a few days later, 900,000 lbs of vinyl chloride was intentionally vented from 5 railcars and burned, leading to an explosion and a dark plume seen for miles around.
Over the next three weeks, we'll explore what happened and what the fallout has been for residents. First, we hear from a mother who evacuated the town with her son, who was experiencing horrific symptoms, and why they haven't gone back. We examine the decision by health officials not to test residents for chemical exposure. We'll also hear from a researcher who thinks environmental regulators were too hasty in their assessment that the town was safe. And finally, we visit businesses trying to keep their shops open, some more successfully than others.
Since the East Palestine train derailment, local fire companies and first responders are looking at their own resources and training, and how they can prepare for the next derailment or environmental disaster. A new study looks at whether fossil fuel workers have the right skills and live in the right places for future clean energy jobs. Plus, a new study identifies hundreds of chemicals in everday products that increase breast cancer risk.
We have news about Philadelphia's renewable energy goals, Norfolk Southern's progress, Future Farmers of America and solar jobs.
Sometimes a highway map or an app isn’t detailed enough for outdoor explorers. So, a State College company created a new map featuring Pennsylvania's parks, forests, and hiking trails. Also, it's the final week of voting for Pennsylvania's River of the Year. We'll learn more about the Allegheny, Youghiogheny and Lackawaxen rivers. Plus, a dance troupe in Reading, Pa. is trying to do their part to improve a riverside park that has an uncertain future.
News about Pennsylvania solar energy milestone, a $2 million fine for U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works, clean school buses, new PFAS rules and jobs in the outdoors.
New federal rules for hydrogen projects aim to ensure tax credits go to clean hydrogen production, but some Pennsylvania lawmakers aren’t happy. We’ll also hear about how railway workers and safety advocates are pushing for new solutions to prevent derailments like the one in East Palestine, Ohio. Plus, to help injured birds recover, a sanctuary is building natural habitats with plant waste from a nearby botanical garden.
We have news about a Pennsylvania bill to increase the renewable energy standard, new federal methane rules, low natural gas impact fees and two tick studies.
This week on The Allegheny Front, a look back at stories from 2023. We'll revisit a story about how people in East Palestine, Ohio are working through their anxiety with few mental health resources available after the Norfolk Southern train derailment.
Hydrogen was a big energy transition story in 2023. After the announcement that Pennsylvania will have a part in two hydrogen hubs meant to reduce carbon emissions, we asked what's next? And in considering the energy transition, what about the people left behind in communities after fossil fuel plants shut down? We visited a community in Ohio where a coal-fired power plant closed, and people gathered to memorialize what it meant to the community.
Plants can make music, with a little help from a device that captures electric impulses. This week, we'll hear some of the beautiful music they can make. We'll also learn about an urban farmer who created a children’s book about how a tomato plant grows. She worked with a group of little kids to do it. Plus, an author revisits the Youghiogheny River of his youth to find some changes for the better.
For the first time, health was a focus at the UN climate conference and advocates were pleased. We'll also learn how climate-related weather like flash floods and extreme heat impact people experiencing homelessness. Plus, people who live near a proposed campground at a state park are circulating a petition to stop the plan.
We have news about whitewater recreation in Clearfield County, combating a deadly insect threatening hemlocks in the Allegheny National Forest and how you can vote for Pa.'s 2024 River of the Year.
As the timeline for meaningful action on reducing carbon emissions grows shorter, how is the transition to cleaner forms of energy going? And as climate change creates more intense storms, Pennsylvania wants to make it easier for more residents to buy flood insurance. Plus, a look at some state and federal actions that might finally help reduce kids’ exposure to lead in water.
We also have news about the electric grid in the Mid-Atlantic, a solar project in Adams County, polluted streams in Pittsburgh and fracking in Ohio state parks.
Governor Josh Shapiro is appealing a court decision that stopped Pennsylania from joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. We'll find out why and what it means for climate action. As more solar projects are planned in rural areas, farmers are signing their sheep up for something called solar grazing. Plus, environmental activists from the Gulf Coast met up with anti-fracking activists in Appalachia to strategize and build solidarity.
We have news about COP28 climate talks, calls for more radon testing in Pa., hydrogen, fracking and more.
It's Thanksgiving week, our favorite holiday at The Allegheny Front. (Well, one of them at least). This week, we give you tips for not creating the food waste that is cooking the planet and tell you about a pilot program that hopes to bring composting to Centre County. We also visit with the foragers and farmers who help make Pennsylvania the largest mushroom producer in the United States. And, we take a trip to a glacial deposit where bears feast on wild cranberries.
We have news about a bill to address lead in school water fountains and a new historical sign that marks Penn State's agricultural roots.
For years, residents in Westmoreland County complained about a hazardous waste landfill. Now, federal investigators say it may be breaking several laws. Plus, despite dozens of protestors, an Ohio commission approved fracking in state parks and wildlife areas. We also revisit an interview with Tykee James, a leader in equitable access to outdoor spaces. Plus, a story about a Pennsylvania couple who visited all 124 of Pa.'s state parks.
We have news about the National Climate Assessment, the one-year anniversary of Shell's cracker plant opening, federal money for environmental justice projects, and a milestone in land conservation in Pennsylvania.
Environmental groups protested outside of a coal and steel conference in Pittsburgh this week. We visit the first farm in Allegheny County to take advantage of a rule change that allows small farms to be preserved. A newly renovated passive house in State College promotes sustainability, energy efficiency and affordability. We also hear about the movement among churches in Pennsylvania to help solve the climate crisis. Plus, we have advice on how to reduce carbon emissions at home. We also have news about a wildfire in the Allegheny National Forest, a liquified natural gas export facility and polluting lawn equipment.
U.S. Steel unveiled two battery-powered locomotives it will use at its plants outside of Pittsburgh. It’s a small step to reduce the carbon footprint of one of the top greenhouse gas polluters in Pa. We’ll also hear about the legacy of the first lawsuit against the makers of the weedkiller Roundup, alleging it caused cancer, and why toxic pesticides are still on the market. Plus, what the auto workers’ strike and tentative agreement with American carmakers have to do with the transition to electric vehicles.
News about a voluntary agreement between gas driller CNX and DEP to monitor air and other measures, a canceled offshore wind project, and a court decision that prohibits Pennsylvania from joining a carbon trading program to reduce power plant emissions.
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History is looking to educate the public about the problems invasive plants cause to local ecosystems and why using native species in gardens and yards is so important. We talk with Fernando Treviño, DEP's head of environmental justice, who says he wants impacted communities to have "a real voice and [be] part of the process from the beginning." Plus, we talk with Sandra Steingraber, lead author on the latest edition of a compendium of peer-reviewed scientific literature and other reports that show health risks associated with fracking.
We have news about new federal money to make the electric grid climate-ready, state money to convert lawns to meadows, and an agricultural fair for kids in Allentown.
Insurance premiums could rise as more severe storms cause downed trees and dump water on Pennsylvania. We’ll also hear about a series of public meetings to learn about the health impacts of the February train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Plus, we take a closer at the news that Pa. will get parts of two federally-backed hydrogen hubs.
We have news about federal funds for improving the tree canopy in the Pittsburgh area, capping off old oil and gas wells and supporting green manufacturing. Plus, a new solar project is coming to a Pittsburgh neighborhood amid news that Pa. is among the worst for renewable energy development.
Eight months after the train derailment and toxic chemical spill, some residents of East Palestine are still living away from home because they fear for their health. We'll also hear how deer are grazing on young trees and native plants in Pittsburgh's parks. Plus, tiny freshwater jellyfish have been living in the Great Lakes for a century. So why don't we know more about them?
We have news about the selection of two hydrogen hubs for Pennsylvania, an injection well in Fayette County, a new hellbender license plate and more.
A group of doctors at UPMC pushed the Pittsburgh hospital system to do things like reduce waste and switch chemicals. Now the effort is gaining momentum. We’ll also talk with climatologist Michael E. Mann about his new book that looks back millions of years into Earth’s history to help us survive the climate crisis. Plus, environmentalists trawl local waterways in search of little plastic pellets that could harm wildlife.
We have news about a potential lawsuit over plastic pollution in the Ohio River, EPA’s rejection of parts of U.S. Steel’s air quality permit for the Clairton Coke Works, and climate activists in Harrisburg.
A second injection well to dispose of fracking waste was approved in a Pittsburgh suburb, but many residents are unhappy with the decision. Also, a new study looks at how climate change has impacted poison ivy in Pennsylvania using museum specimens that date back to the 1840s. Plus, the Biden administration announced a new jobs program to tackle climate change. It’s based on a Depression-era program that changed the landscape across the country. We talk with climate activists who are biking across Pennsylvania to demand action.
News about bowhunting in Pittsburgh’s parks, Pittsburgh’s plastic bag ban and Pennsylvania’s expanded monitoring plan for PFAS in waterways.
At a contentious meeting, an Ohio commission delayed a vote to approve fracking under state parks. A production about fossil fuel extraction is headed to western Pennsylvania. “Ezell, Ballad of a Land Man” delves into the complex issues of fracking and belonging. We talk with its writer and a local advocate about why it resonates with our region.
Plus, we head to an orchard in Mercer County using regenerative farming techniques like spreading manure from local goats. And we stop at the first-ever Pittsburgh County Fair celebrating urban farming.
We have news about an updated environmental justice policy for Pennsylvania and a new paper shows that utilities and regulators will need to consider how home energy storage systems will affect the grid.
Groups say proposals to use fracked natural gas to produce hydrogen in Western Pennsylvania pose health and climate risks. An investigation in Ohio alleges that many people whose names are on public comments in favor of fracking in state parks say they did not submit them.
We'll also hear from an author who revisited the Youghiogheny River of his youth to find some changes for the better. Plus, the federal government wants to put the salamander mussel on the endangered species list. We revisit a story that joins researchers surveying the Allegheny River for the mudpuppy salamander that's critical for the mussel's survival.
We have news about ticks, spotted lanternfly's risk to Pennsylvania forests, and the hellbender salamander.
Invasive snails have gained a foothold in Pennsylvania, crowding out native species. We join a team surveying Lake Erie for mysterysnails. We talk to people dealing with the latest summer heat wave about their thoughts on climate change. And a new documentary takes a fresh look at the life and death of coal in Appalachia. Plus, we take a look at what’s next for Hays Woods, Pittsburgh’s newest city park.
We have news about PFAS, Pennsylvania’s Trail of the Year, and spotted lanternflies in Pittsburgh.
A new distillery in Northwestern Pennsylvania makes alcohol from sunflowers but also has an environmental education center and the world's longest bar made from a continuous piece of wood. We head to the Boundary Waters and Canoe Area Wilderness on Minnesota's border with Canda, where researchers and Indigenous leaders are reviving an age-old tradition of using fire to manage the land.
We have news about a plan to bowhunt in two Pittsburgh parks to manage deer, a vote to create a climate action plan in Allegheny County, and criticism of a request to burn tires at a waste coal plant.
Many people are paying stormwater fees on their utility bills, but don't really understand the projects they fund are helping to reduce pollution and flooding from storms. And, a new video series gives tips on combatting climate change through things we can control at home. Plus, finding ways to make a wedding more sustainable can feel overwhelming, but there are afforable ways to say "I do" to a greener wedding.
News about the Chesapeake Bay, new electric vehicle charging stations coming to Pa., spotted lanternflies are decreasing in parts of the state, and why one borough is suspending its climate program.
A recent study found children living near gas wells had an increased risk of developing a cancer called lymphoma, while people with asthma had a four to five times greater chance of having an asthma attack. One researcher calls the results “a bombshell.” We have reactions from parents and activists at a community meeting to address the health concerns.
And, after dozens of malfunctions and 15 air quality violations at Shell's Beaver County ethane cracker, a new investigation looks at how well the Pennsylvania DEP is monitoring the massive facility and how the company reports incidents to the agency. Plus, a champion stone skipper who got his start on Lake Erie talks about his technique and his world record of 88 skips.
The federal government is considering the creation of a marine sanctuary in the Pennsylvania portion of Lake Erie to help preserve shipwrecks, but it won’t stop recreation on the lake. We’ll also sort the facts from fiction when it comes to the concerns over solar panel installations. Plus, we’ll hear from the author of a new book on climate resilience who hopes to offer strategies to deal with the climate crisis so no one is left behind.
News about solar on farms and schools, the cost of climate adaptation for Pa. municipalities, the price tag for a year without RGGI in Pennsylvania, and why more men are being exposed to harmful chemicals in personal care products.
We head to Cumberland County, where hikers who make it to the halfway point on the Appalachian Trail are taking part in a tradition and friendly competition of eating a half gallon of ice cream. Also, we talk to experts about how global heatwaves this summer are directly tied to climate change. We'll also learn why Western Pennsylvania is critical to stopping the spread of raccoon rabies. Plus, we talk with a Pennsylvania photographer who won a national prize for capturing the image of a female Baltomore oriole collecting horsehair for her nest.
News about the 6-month anniversary of the East Palestine train derailment, a new study showing health improvement after a coke plant closed in Allegheny County, and a fine for Sunoco for its Mariner East pipeline.
We talk with scientists who discovered that a songbird rare in Pennsylvania is now breeding in the state. Plus, we explain why experts and community groups are calling for EPA to ban vinyl chloride, the chemical that was released and burned from train cars in the East Palestine derailment. And who is a relatively new air pollution rule in Allegheny County meant to protect?
News about a $5 million settlement from Shell, heat islands in Philadelphia, wildfires in Pa., and natural gas drilling.
Smoke from this year's Canadian wildfire season is likely just the beginning. We talk with a fire ecology expert about the role of climate change in wildfires and what can be done about it. Only a few states have constitutional amendments guaranteeing clean air and water. There's a movement to change that. We'll also hear about a new study that looks at radioactive materials in waterways, which could have come from wastewater treatment plants that accept landfill runoff contaminated with fracking waste.
News about a study to measure methane reductions from Pennsylvania dairy farms, another sinkhole forms along the Mariner East pipeline, and discussions about a natural gas severance tax are happening once again in Harrisburg.
We head out to a summer camp that helps build confidence and an appreciation for nature. Plus, we visit a farm in Pittsburgh that teaches neighbors how to grow and cook seasonal vegetables. We then talk with another urban farmer in Pittsburgh whose new book teaches children how to grow a tomato and community. The oldest African American-owned farm in the U.S., located in Pennsylvania, received a special dedication leading up to the 250th birthday of America in 2026.
News about toxic PFAS in drinking water, climate effects on teen mental health, and renewable energy projects.
Activists gathered to protest a rush of proposed drilling leases on Ohio public lands, including a beloved state park. In Pennsylvania, a program helps forest owners sustainably manage their lands and help mitigate climate change. And a project is seeking Pa. owners of former mineland for an effort to plant native trees and restore the forest. Plus, an urban farmer inspires healthy eating in Pittsburgh.
News about Pa.'s program to encourage electric vehicles, Norfolk Southern's progress in removing contaminated soil from the derailment site, and how climate change is increasing the risk of Lyme disease.
Walleye fishermen Chase Cominsky and Jacob Runyan were on quite a streak. They won fishing tournament after tournament--rewarded with expensive boats and tens of thousands of dollars in cash. But last fall, it all came crashing down when they were caught cheating at a championship event on Lake Erie. What the judge found and what happened next. Then, we head out into the wilds of Pennsylvania with the people who keep an eye on the state’s bears.
Plus, news about DEP's new secretary and impact fees from fracking.
National transportation officials held hearings in East Palestine, Ohio, to find answers about the Norfolk Southern train derailment. Testimony casts doubt on the decision to vent and burn vinyl chloride. Plus, wildfire smoke is pouring into the U.S. from Canada. How does that impact youth sports? The spongy moth damages Pennsylvania forests every summer. We talk with DCNR about what it's doing to prevent the worst damage. Plus, the garden of a refugee community in Pittsburgh helps sustain its own members and the neighborhood where it grows.
News about a drought watch in Pennsylvania, fines for killing a bald eagle, and the closure of coal plants in Pa.
We talk with the EPA regional administrator about environmental test results for samples taken from farms near East Palestine, after the train derailment and fires there. And, we visit a Black urban farmer in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in our series, “Sowing Soil with Soul.” Plus, every part of an invasive plant now common along Pennsylvania roadsides, is poisonous. We'll tell you how to identify it.
Beaver County residents protested Shell's ethane cracker because of recent air pollution violations. Meanwhile, officials met with residents in East Palestine, Ohio, to discuss the results of health surveys taken after the train derailment and fires there. But many people affected are still wondering where to get help for their symptoms. And we talk with a Penn State researcher about a UN treaty that could end global plastic pollution, maybe.
Plus, climate activists are looking to change the way investment firms do business. News about wildfire smoke, hurricane season, and the proposal by the Maryland National Guard to fly fighter jets just 100 feet off the ground in the Pennsylvania Wilds.
Some residents of the Mon Valley say money from an air pollution settlement with U.S. Steel isn't being spent on the public health and environmental projects it was supposed to fund. We'll also dig into state-led efforts to thwart ESG investment strategies that consider risks like climate change. And, teenagers who live in the shadow of a massive new petrochemical plant and nearby the East Palestine train derailment are becoming more aware of environmental threats.
News about climate change predictions for Philadelphia, an EPA fine for an Allegheny County polluter, federal funds for orphaned oil and gas wells, and an effort to reduce pollution to the Chesapeake Bay.
If you shine a black light on a southern flying squirrel, it glows pink. But why? We dive into the questions about biofluorescent animals. Plus, we'll hear about how researchers are using a program trained to identify bird species from hours of birdsong recorded in the forest. It's helping in forest and bird conservation. Plus, a $10 million fine for Shell for air pollution violations at its Beaver County ethane cracker and news about the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
After a coal-fired power plant closed, people gathered at a public performance to memorialize what it meant to the community. We were there. And, we talk with the director of The Incline about a seven-newsroom collaboration that examines air pollution and misinformation in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Plus, researchers are looking at how drinking water from private wells might increase the risk of illness among children. News about federal proposals to curb pollution from power plants and leaks from pipelines.
Shell's ethane cracker in Beaver County has gotten off to a rocky start, with excessive emissions, permit violations and reported odors. Now, some supporters are not questioning if Shell can be a good neighbor. And a new book looks at the opportunities and challenges of reducing our exposure to chemicals to reduce the risk of cancer. Plus, energy efficiency programs that are climate- and budget-friendly. The "Dirty Dozen" list of big climate polluters in Pennsylvania is out, and the Pittsburgh area is a big contributor.
At dusk in fields in Pennsylvania and throughout the Great Lakes region in springtime, an odd-looking bird takes to the sky for an elaborate, acrobatic display. We take you there.
Three months after the derailment, we look at how people in East Palestine are working through their anxiety with few mental health resources available. Also, a developer pulls the plug on a Clinton County power plant. And invasive spotted lanternfly eggs are hatching. How to take care of these pests, even the young ones.
EPA shared the good news with East Palestine residents: testing shows no soil contamination from the train derailment. But some residents say their own tests show they’re still being exposed to toxins. We’ll also hear from investors putting their money behind startups that help fight climate change.
Plus, a new study wants to find out if the aggressive, springtime behavior of a typically shy, forest-dwelling bird could be genetic. Also, why Pennsylvania may be seeing more displays of the northern lights in the coming years.
Thousands of tons of contaminated soil from the train derailment in East Palestine are going to an incinerator near the Pennsylvania border in East Liverpool, Ohio. Activists say it has a history of violating the Clean Air Act. We'll also hear why a conservation group named the Ohio River the second most endangered river in the country.
Plus, Senator Casey touts federal investment for cleaning up waterways polluted by coal mining pollution. A new map highlights renewable energy projects in all 67 Pennsylvania counties.
A decade ago, a train derailed in New Jersey, releasing vinyl chloride – the same chemical from the East Palestine disaster. Residents still have questions about long-term health impacts. Meanwhile, lawmakers and unions are pushing for stronger railroad safety regulations.
Plus, in Ohio, a new law was signed by the governor requiring state-owned land, like state parks, to be leased for gas drilling. Environmental groups are suing. We’ll also hear from the new Democratic chair of the Pa. House energy committee on his priorities.
We have the details about a tentative settlement between U.S.Steel and plaintiffs in a lawsuit over the 2018 fire at its coke works that knocked out pollution controls for three months. We also hear from the author of a new book about phosphorus, why humans have gone to great lengths to get it for farming, and how it is fueling harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes. Plus, we meet critters that are using a new, springtime habitat in the Laurel Highlands. And the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania will be closed by July.
When the train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, students there were weeks away from the opening night of their school musical. They decided the show must go on. We're there for the dress rehearsal. We'll also hear from the author of a new book about the 1948 air pollution disaster that made Donora, Pennsylvania famous. Plus, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is holding meetings to get feedback about bringing back the American marten to the state's forests. Plus news about U.S. Steel, and the budget for the PA DEP.
A former EPA administrator is calling the agency's response to the train derailment in East Palestine too weak. She says it's deferring too much to the state of Ohio. Questions are being asked about the cleanup and testing of the creeks polluted by the derailment. Some researchers say Ohio EPA isn't testing surface water for enough chemicals.
Also, trout season is nearly here, with opening day on April 1. We catch up with officials stocking a local lake with some of the 3 million trout that will be released throughout Pennsylvania this year.
Spring starts on March 20, but for many places, spring has been here for a while. How does that impact nature? We have the story of one family who isn’t sure if their home or water is safe. We talk with U.S. EPA’s onsite coordinator in East Palestine, who breaks down how the government is monitoring chemical pollution.
We have news about fines for U.S. Steel, flaring at Shell’s ethane cracker, and proposed federal rules on PFAS.
People in East Palestine want to know whether their homes are polluted by long-lasting chemicals called dioxins from the train derailment last month. We'll also hear from residents near the derailment site who are finding the investents they've made in their homes are worth a lot less after the crash.
Plus, an environmental group is trying to stop the US Forest Service from clear cutting a section of national forest to promote the growth of white oak trees.
We have news about the Clairton Coke Works air permit and Pa. Gov. Shapiro's environmental priorities in his state budget.
We have updates on the train derailment in East Palestine, where many people say they are deeply skeptical of officials who say it is safe to return to their homes. Meanwhile, Republican politicians are walking a fine line in East Palestine: showing concern for residents without being seen as liberal environmentalists. And EPA orders Norfolk Southern to test for dioxins.
The Bearded Ladies Cabaret in Philadelphia tackles climate change with a comedy show in drag, on ice.
We have more on the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. We hear from residents in Beaver County who feel left out of the response and farmers concerned about the black soot they found on their homes and property. Experts are now warning dioxins could be present. Plus, some are looking for additional soil and water testing from independent researchers outside of the government.
We have the latest developments of the East Palestine train derailment that polluted the area with toxic chemicals. We report on a community meeting where tensions ran high as residents asked questions about air and water quality and health impacts. We ask if stricter regulations could have averted the East Palestine train derailment.
Plus, a new memoir shares how the life of an environmental policy expert was informed by the work of a Pittsburgh environmental champion. And, we have news about a malfunction at the Shell ethane cracker that led to the flaring of chemicals at the plant.
Thousands of residents were allowed to return to their homes after an evacuation order was lifted following the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. We discuss what we know about air and water issues in the aftermath of the crash.
We also have reactions to a government report that finds many conventional oil and gas drillers in Pennsylvania aren't following regulations. Plus, lead from bullets is showing up in birds of prey that eat animals shot by hunters and farmers. We'll hear about solutions to the problem.
We also have news about an intent to sue Shell over air quality violations at its new ethane cracker, and an order from USEPA to a scrap metal recycler to limit emissions.
Can new recycling technologies that break plastics down into their chemical components save us from the plastic waste crisis? We talk with an environmental reporter about a new government study that casts doubt on so-called "advanced" plastic recycling.
The North Country National Scenic Trail has only about 20 known hikers who have trekked the entire 4,800 miles through eight states, including Pennsylvania. But in the farm country of northwestern Ohio, one more name is about to be added to the list.
One stop for some birds migrating south from Pennsylvania is the cloud forest in Costa Rica. But the cool, misty mountains are getting warmer and drier. We have a report on how birds there are adapting. Plus, closer to home, birders and naturalists oppose new development next to a wetland in Huntington County. They are trying to stop a truck stop from damaging the sensitive habitat.
January is National Radon Action month, and that means it's time to test your home for the radioactive, cancer-causing gas.
One way to reduce the carbon footprint of your home is to buy an electric heat pump. We look at the pros and cons of this climate solution. The National Weather Service wants the public to become “river ice spotters” to help monitor for ice jams on area rivers. Plus, Frick Park has a new resident: Castor the beaver.
We have news about new PFAS standards for drinking water in Pennsylvania, the Chesapeake Bay, and the new Pa. DEP secretary. Finally, scientists are hoping that sound can be the key to restoring oyster populations around the world.
State regulators call out the conventional oil and gas industry for a widespread failure to comply with Pennsylvania environmental regulations. And, an art exhibit aims to give trees the legal tools to protect themselves. Plus, we go forest bathing in Frick Park to improve our mental and physical health.
We also have news about a proposed new federal limit for soot, an investigation into a Christmas Day natural gas explosion, and Pa. Governor-elect Josh Shapiro's choice for DEP secretary.
Environmental groups say they found high levels of benzene in the air in the Mon Valley near Pittsburgh and want federal regulators to step in. Also, natural history museum specimens like mice stuffed with cotton and preserved for decades give researchers important information about the environment. But these collections are at risk. Plus, the US Postal Service reverses course and commits to converting its fleet of vehicles to electric.
This week, we're looking back to some of the environmental issues we covered in 2022, like hydrogen. It's been seen as the clean fuel of the future for decades. Now the Biden administration is putting money into it. So, is it finally hydrogen’s time? We'll also hear about towns in Pennsylvania trying to get ahead of climate change, extreme weather and flooding. Plus, we talk with the author of a new bird guide for enthusiasts and beginners alike.
This week, we revisit some of our favorite stories about nature, food and environmental champions. 2022 was the 60th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," a book that questioned the indiscriminate use of synthetic chemicals and became an instant classic. We move from nonfiction to poetry that explores the damage people have done to each other and nature. Plus, we look at life along the Delaware River with an angler who is witnessing a changing landscape. And we talk with the author of a cookbook that offers vegan versions of Midwest comfort food.
Lawmakers in Ohio passed a bill to make it easier to frack in state parks, raising fears of pollution and disruption of outdoor recreation. We also follow up on the massive gas leak at a Cambria County storage site where the company failed to clean up oil and gas brine spilled on the ground.
Plus, we head out on a walk with Tree Pittsburgh to learn how to identify trees in the winter. We also have news about fines for a contractor for dumping gas waste around Fayette County, air pollution violations at Shell’s new ethane cracker, and a new program to help farmers make money. And, we find out why Cabot Oil and Gas, which just pleaded no contest to 15 criminal charges, including nine felonies for polluting drinking water in Dimock, Pa., is allowed to frack under the town.
This week, we take an in-depth look at a first-of-its-kind wind energy project approved for construction in Lake Erie. But the biggest barrier to more wind projects on the Great Lakes is public opposition. Plus, residents in Dimock, a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania, will finally have clean drinking water after a fracking company pleaded no contest to polluting their private wells more than a decade ago.
This week, we discuss how the $2 billion in tax credit Gov. Wolf just signed into law benefits natural gas, including creating a hydrogen hub in Pennsylvania. We'll also hear about a solar farm project that will provide electricity to the University of Pittsburgh. But students calling for the school to divest from fossil fuels aren't satisfied. Plus, Shell's ethane cracker officially opens. And an environmental reporter blows off some steam during a solo hike.
We have news about the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and a fine for a gas company for spills of fracking fluid.
As climate change brings more risks to traditional farming, farmers are trying to make sure their crops survive. With the COP27 talks underway, the US and other wealthier nations are working to transition countries like South Africa away from fossil fuels.
Plus, we visit an urban farm in Pittsburgh that teaches neighbors how to grow and cook seasonal veggies. And, a Philly hiking group is improving women’s wellness.
We have news about federal money for abandoned mine cleanup and for projects for monitoring air quality. Pa. Governor Tom Wolf signs a $2 billion natural gas tax credit bill.
One company is mining Bitcoin to keep two waste coal power plants in Pennsylvania running. But what's the climate impact? A new report concludes that coal plants aren't doing enough to clean up coal ash disposal sites that are contaminating groundwater.
Plus, an urban farmer in Pittsburgh had to overcome significant challenges to clean up her property to start her enterprise.
We have news about microplastics in Pennsylvania waterways and federal funding to help coal communities.
One company is mining Bitcoin to keep two waste coal power plants in Pennsylvania running. But what's the climate impact? A new report concludes that coal plants aren't doing enough to clean up coal ash disposal sites that are contaminating groundwater.
Plus, an urban farmer in Pittsburgh had to overcome significant challenges to clean up her property to start her enterprise.
We have news about microplastics in Pennsylvania waterways and federal funding to help coal communities.
Both John Fetterman and Dr. Mehmet Oz at one time were in favor of a moratorium on fracking, but now both support it. Do voters care? Meanwhile, the Pa. legislature just passed a $2 billion package of tax breaks meant to support the natural gas industry for decades.
While the Clean Water Act regulated unchecked industrial pollution, it didn't cover contamination like pharmaceuticals, which are a danger to wildlife. Plus, as the Clean Water Act turns 50, some of its protections for wetlands and smaller bodies of water could be limited by an upcoming Supreme Court decision.
News about Shell's Falcon pipeline and the Pa. DOH study of fracking and health.
Voters in one Ohio county are deciding if wind energy will be built in their community, but experts say their views may be colored by misinformation. We'll hear how the Clean Water Act, which just turned 50, revived the Delaware River. Plus, the garden of a refugee community in Pittsburgh helps sustain its own members and the neighborhood where it grows. And, we examine how a new rule in Allegheny County didn't stop air pollution from rising this month.
Voters in one Ohio county are deciding if wind energy will be built in their community, but experts say their views may be colored by misinformation. We'll hear how the Clean Water Act, which just turned 50, revived the Delaware River. Plus, the garden of a refugee community in Pittsburgh helps sustain its own members and the neighborhood where it grows. And, we examine how a new rule in Allegheny County didn't stop air pollution from rising this month.
Fifty years ago, parts of the Delaware River stank, and fish couldn't survive in it. We look at how the Clean Water Act helped to revive this dead river. And, we have the first installment of a new series highlighting Black urban farmers growing food to sustain their communities.
Plus, a new collection of climate fiction looks forward to a better world for the environment and for people. We have news about new Pennsylvania regulations for gas wells and PFAS in drinking water, and a petition against Ohio's injection well program.
Fifty years ago, parts of the Delaware River stank, and fish couldn't survive in it. We look at how the Clean Water Act helped to revive this dead river. And, we have the first installment of a new series highlighting Black urban farmers growing food to sustain their communities.
Plus, a new collection of climate fiction looks forward to a better world for the environment and for people. We have news about new Pennsylvania regulations for gas wells and PFAS in drinking water, and a petition against Ohio's injection well program.
We answer your questions about the impact of Shell's ethane cracker on the region's jobs, property values, and of course, air pollution. Meanwhile, the state health department is funding the University of Pittsburgh to study the impacts of fracking on health. But both groups pulled out of a public meeting about the work.
We'll also hear about a nature preserve in Wyoming County that's now one of three new Pennsylvania parks. Plus, we have news about air regulations on gas wells, a solar farm in Armstrong County, and a new group on outdoor recreation.
We answer your questions about the impact of Shell's ethane cracker on the region's jobs, property values, and of course, air pollution. Meanwhile, the state health department is funding the University of Pittsburgh to study the impacts of fracking on health. But both groups pulled out of a public meeting about the work.
We'll also hear about a nature preserve in Wyoming County that's now one of three new Pennsylvania parks. Plus, we have news about air regulations on gas wells, a solar farm in Armstrong County, and a new group on outdoor recreation.
In dozens of Pennsylvania towns, underground steam systems that heat buildings could be re-vamped, so they’re powered by renewable energy. But there’s competition: cheaper natural gas. We’ll also hear from President Biden’s climate envoy about what it will take to meet global greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Plus, a new short documentary tells the story of a small, rural town trying to keep a fracking waste injection well out of their community to preserve their drinking water and save a rare salamander. We have news about PFAS in fracking wastewater in Ohio.
In dozens of Pennsylvania towns, underground steam systems that heat buildings could be re-vamped, so they’re powered by renewable energy. But there’s competition: cheaper natural gas. We’ll also hear from President Biden’s climate envoy about what it will take to meet global greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Plus, a new short documentary tells the story of a small, rural town trying to keep a fracking waste injection well out of their community to preserve their drinking water and save a rare salamander. We have news about PFAS in fracking wastewater in Ohio.
This week, we learn about why white oak trees are in trouble and the lawsuit over a plan to cut them down in the Wayne National Forest. We also talk about the underground network that connects trees in forests and helps them communicate. Plus, the story of a hunter who discovered a full-grown American chestnut tree in a Delaware forest. We also have news about a global clean energy conference in Pittsburgh, pipelines, and spotted lanternflies.
This week, we learn about why white oak trees are in trouble and the lawsuit over a plan to cut them down in the Wayne National Forest. We also talk about the underground network that connects trees in forests and helps them communicate. Plus, the story of a hunter who discovered a full-grown American chestnut tree in a Delaware forest. We also have news about a global clean energy conference in Pittsburgh, pipelines, and spotted lanternflies.
Climate change is fueling more flooding in Pennsylvania and throughout the Ohio Valley. This week, we’ll look at the relationship between climate change and flooding in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. And we’ll hear about how one town in Pennsylvania is trying to get ahead of the problem
Plus, it’s the 60th anniversary of the publication of a book that questioned the indiscriminate use of synthetic chemicals and became an instant classic: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. We also have news about zero-emissions buses in Pittsburgh, a large solar buy in Centre County, and bigger rebates for electric vehicles in Pennsylvania.
Climate change is fueling more flooding in Pennsylvania and throughout the Ohio Valley. This week, we’ll look at the relationship between climate change and flooding in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. And we’ll hear about how one town in Pennsylvania is trying to get ahead of the problem
Plus, it’s the 60th anniversary of the publication of a book that questioned the indiscriminate use of synthetic chemicals and became an instant classic: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. We also have news about zero-emissions buses in Pittsburgh, a large solar buy in Centre County, and bigger rebates for electric vehicles in Pennsylvania.
Street trees help cool cities, filter rainwater, and prevent flooding. We look at how Pennsylvania cities are overcoming the barriers to planting more. In Huntington County, birders and naturalists oppose new development next to a wetland. Plus, the creation of the Flight 93 National Memorial to honor the 40 crew and passengers who died there on 9/11 included treating mine pollution in the water nearby.
News about conservation funding in Pennsylvania, federal funds for miners with black lung disease, and a controversial plan at a landfill that accepts fracking waste.
Street trees help cool cities, filter rainwater, and prevent flooding. We look at how Pennsylvania cities are overcoming the barriers to planting more. In Huntington County, birders and naturalists oppose new development next to a wetland. Plus, the creation of the Flight 93 National Memorial to honor the 40 crew and passengers who died there on 9/11 included treating mine pollution in the water nearby.
News about conservation funding in Pennsylvania, federal funds for miners with black lung disease, and a controversial plan at a landfill that accepts fracking waste.
PFAS, called forever chemicals, is the latest worry over fracking. We talk to a reporter about how PFAS found in one man's well water could have come from fracking. One year later, the devastating impacts of Hurricane Ida linger for people in Pennsylvania. And, we talk with a conservationist about purple martins, which need human-made birdhouses to keep them from going extinct in the eastern U.S.
Plus, news about a frack waste injection well in Allegheny County, air monitors in Delaware County, and monarch butterflies in the Lehigh Valley.
PFAS, called forever chemicals, is the latest worry over fracking. We talk to a reporter about how PFAS found in one man's well water could have come from fracking. One year later, the devastating impacts of Hurricane Ida linger for people in Pennsylvania. And, we talk with a conservationist about purple martins, which need human-made birdhouses to keep them from going extinct in the eastern U.S.
Plus, news about a frack waste injection well in Allegheny County, air monitors in Delaware County, and monarch butterflies in the Lehigh Valley.
Susan Scott Peterson had been living in Pittsburgh for just a few weeks when she smelled it for the first time. The air was a little thick, a little hazy—and it smelled like a ripe porta-potty.
It didn’t take long to figure out it was hydrogen sulfide, a sulfur-smelling gas emitted by U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, about fifteen miles south of her house. The plant manufactures coke, a fuel used in steelmaking—and it’s notorious for violating local pollution regulations.
But what could she do about it?
This is a story about the air we breathe, the risks we live with, and what it means to become a citizen of a place.
It’s adapted from an episode produced in 2021 for Outside/In, a podcast by New Hampshire Public Radio.
READ MORE:
Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces (ROCIS)
Articles about air pollution by The Allegheny Front
Articles about the Clairton Coke Works by The Allegheny Front
Resource list for groups working on air quality in Pittsburgh
MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE INCLUDED PORTIONS OF “NOT DRUNK” (MIX-FULL-BAND-NO-VOCAL) AND “NOT DRUNK” (STEM-BASS) BY THE JOY DROPS AND“FRESH LIFT” BY SHANE IVERS, ALL LICENSED UNDER CC-BY 4.0. ADDITIONAL MUSIC BY BLUE DOT SESSIONS. ADDITIONAL SOUNDS EXCERPTED FROMSOUNDS OF CHANGE, MONICA137142, AND PREMNATH KUDVA, LICENSED UNDER CC-BY 4.0, AND FROM SOUNDBYLADYV, LICENSED UNDER CC SAMPLING +.
Susan Scott Peterson had been living in Pittsburgh for just a few weeks when she smelled it for the first time. The air was a little thick, a little hazy—and it smelled like a ripe porta-potty.
It didn’t take long to figure out it was hydrogen sulfide, a sulfur-smelling gas emitted by U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, about fifteen miles south of her house. The plant manufactures coke, a fuel used in steelmaking—and it’s notorious for violating local pollution regulations.
But what could she do about it?
This is a story about the air we breathe, the risks we live with, and what it means to become a citizen of a place.
It’s adapted from an episode produced in 2021 for Outside/In, a podcast by New Hampshire Public Radio.
READ MORE:
Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces (ROCIS)
Articles about air pollution by The Allegheny Front
Articles about the Clairton Coke Works by The Allegheny Front
Resource list for groups working on air quality in Pittsburgh
MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE INCLUDED PORTIONS OF “NOT DRUNK” (MIX-FULL-BAND-NO-VOCAL) AND “NOT DRUNK” (STEM-BASS) BY THE JOY DROPS AND“FRESH LIFT” BY SHANE IVERS, ALL LICENSED UNDER CC-BY 4.0. ADDITIONAL MUSIC BY BLUE DOT SESSIONS. ADDITIONAL SOUNDS EXCERPTED FROMSOUNDS OF CHANGE, MONICA137142, AND PREMNATH KUDVA, LICENSED UNDER CC-BY 4.0, AND FROM SOUNDBYLADYV, LICENSED UNDER CC SAMPLING +.
A new study finds children living near fracking sites in Pennsylvania are at an increased risk of leukemia. Meanwhile, Energy Transfer is held criminally responsible for the damage done during the construction of its Mariner East pipeline. We also have answers to some of your questions about Shell's ethane cracker in Beaver County.
We visit a small group of workers getting rid of the invasive plants in a Pittsburgh park…and they have four legs. And, teens learn how to sail the Pittsburgh rivers. Plus, a landmark climate law was signed by President Biden this week. A high school student says we should thank the activists, not the politicians.
This week, we explore how tourism impacts local communities and their natural resources like the Canaan Valley in West Virginia. It’s become a trendy tourist destination, which is good for business, but it’s straining the resources of a county with just 7,000 year-round residents.
We take a trip to Appalachia’s Ice Mountain, where rare plants have existed since the Ice Age, and cool air seeps out of ice vents deep in the rocks. Plus, a conversation with Pennsylvania’s first director of outdoor recreation.
This week, we explore how tourism impacts local communities and their natural resources like the Canaan Valley in West Virginia. It’s become a trendy tourist destination, which is good for business, but it’s straining the resources of a county with just 7,000 year-round residents.
We take a trip to Appalachia’s Ice Mountain, where rare plants have existed since the Ice Age, and cool air seeps out of ice vents deep in the rocks. Plus, a conversation with Pennsylvania’s first director of outdoor recreation.
This week, we have a special show about Indigenous people, land, water, and culture. Our first story looks at how the pawpaw, a fruit that mainly grows in the eastern US, continues to live in the memories and language of Indigenous people forced to move west.
Then, we talk with an Indigenous scientist about her new book that contrasts conservation science with Indigenous knowledge about the natural world.
Plus, a paddler from the Seneca Nation takes a 300-mile journey down the Allegheny River to draw attention to protecting it and all waterways.
We talk with three families who are leaving or have left Beaver County because of Shell's ethane cracker, fearing pollution, and looking for better opportunities. Pennsylvania is looking at bringing American martens, a small weasel, back to the state's forests. We talk with a wildlife biologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Plus, we visit a one-of-a-kind prairie habitat in Pennsylvania, home to an endangered rattlesnake and wildflowers. And, news about the Chesapeake Bay and wild turkeys.
Residents in Greene County, Pennsylvania who say their water has been contaminated from a fracking incident want action. We’ll also hear about a PR campaign by natural gas companies that targets Black and Latino voters in Pennsylvania.
A farmer says a nearby gas well is as loud as a jet engine from supercomputers — fueled by the gas — mining cryptocurrency. Plus, news about environmental funding from the Pennsylvania state budget.
Residents of a tiny coal town in West Virginia went without clean water for more than a decade until a California nonprofit stepped in. We revisit the story of a volunteer who tried to restore a stream until Sunoco began building the Mariner East pipeline. Then, he watched as they polluted it.
A new study follows in the footsteps of surveys going back 200 years when biodiversity was "unbelievable." Now those wild places are filled with invasive plants. Plus, how to spot poison hemlock, news about a fracking incident, and Gov. Wolf vetos an anti-climate bill.
This week, we talk with a reporter with Inside Climate News who says the Supreme Court EPA decision could result in more expensive regulations for power plants.
We also take a closer look at why Pennsylvania and other states are suing the US Postal Service over a lack of electric vehicles in its plan to replace its fleet.
Researchers are using a program trained to identify bird species from hours of birdsong recorded in the forest to help with conservation. Plus, news about the spotted lanternfly, fracking in Allegheny County parks, and a poll that shows two-thirds of Pennsylvanians accept climate change.
Pennsylvania leaders in environment and energy react to the Supreme Court’s EPA climate ruling.
Plus, we revisit our stories in the series Farmers Wanted, which examines the challenges of cultivating a new generation of farmers in Pennsylvania.
We also replay our conversation with the author of a speculative novel about survival after climate disasters and plastic pollution.
We have news about air quality in Allegheny County, and a Pittsburgh visit by the Energy Secretary, who called climate change the "war of our lifetimes."
Will a new regulation that curbs air pollution in the Mon Valley give residents more clean air days? Some aren't so sure.
A new study shows black lung disease in younger coal miners is caused by silica dust. While the federal government wants to reduce their exposure to it, for those who already have the fatal disease, it’s too late.
Plus, a discussion on the catastrophe that coal has left behind. And a look at what could make agriculture a more sustainable job choice in the future.
This week, we join the Andy Warhol Museum at a property in Butler County that was once plagued by acid mine drainage, but now it’s a paradise for migrating birds and art. We also talk with the author of a new bird guide that’s for enthusiasts and beginners alike. Plus, a massive new proposal to build an LNG export plant along the Delaware faces environmental justice concerns.
It's been years in the planning and building stages. Now, Shell's ethane cracker along the Ohio River is finally going online this summer. This week, we're talking to people in the communities surrounding the massive plant -- from neighbors who are fearful of pollution to others who are hopeful for new jobs. And, how one activist is looking to protect public health while others are preparing to keep an eye on the Ohio for plastic pollution from the plant.
Pittsburgh is helping residents prepare for a rainier future. And community advocates want racist housing policies taken into account when planning for green infrastructure. Plus, the author of a new book says facing our emotions about the climate crisis is just as important as taking action.
Conservationists are working hard to save a plant so rare, few have ever seen it. And entomologist Doug Tallamy wants people to ditch half of their manicured, green lawn in favor of native plants to feed bees and other pollinators. We’ll also meet members of a garden group who are gently encouraging people to retire their lawnmowers.
We examine why the climate crisis is causing increased cases of anxiety. We also talk with a psychologist about managing those fears and moving towards solutions. And, how to help farmers who struggle with mental health issues. Plus, air pollution news for Allegheny County.
Museum animal specimens give researchers important clues about the environment. But these collections are at risk. We also talk with an author about an intersectional approach to environmentalism. And residents and activists don't think new rules go far enough to address air pollution from the Clairton Coke Works.
We discuss where the Pennsylvania candidates for governor and US Senate stand on the environment. Federal infrastructure money is headed to Pa. for mass transit, but how best to spend it? Plus, a company wants to use water from a trout stream to frack. And a little love for plants.
Hydrogen has been seen as the clean fuel of the future for decades. Now, a new effort is pushing for southwestern Pennsylvania to become a "hydrogen hub." A new kind of pipeline would be needed to transport CO2 for storage underground. But a report warns of the dangers of these pipelines and a lack of federal oversight. Plus, a Pittsburgh-led team documents the ivory-billed woodpecker thought to be extinct.
More cities and towns, like Pittsburgh, are banning single-use plastic bags in stores and restaurants. But do they work? We speak with an author of a book about the first Earth Day who says it was the inclusion of all types of people that was truly genius. Plus, news about RGGI, bird flu and the Chesapeake Bay.
A new book looks at how local governments have dealt with the fracking boom. An artist is giving the public a new way to look at a buried urban waterway. We join an outdoor club rappelling down a steep Pittsburgh hillside to pick up trash. Plus, the last coal-fired power plant in Allegheny County closes.
What will it take to decarbonize transportation? We talk with one of the authors of the latest UN climate report. Climate change is impacting birds, says an author of a book that chronicles bird migrations. How changes to the federal flood insurance program are helping one Philly neighborhood. Plus, Pittsburgh is one step closer to banning single-use plastic bags.
A federal agency fined Energy Transfer for a pipeline spill in Ohio. Is it too little, too late? And a proposed cracker plant in Ohio gets a critical permit. Plus, how fire is helping create new habitat for an imperiled songbird. We have tips on what to do if an invasive jumping worm is invading your garden.
A proposed rule would limit 2 PFAS chemicals, linked to a long list of health problems, in drinking water in Pennsylvania. An outbreak of avian flu in Pa. could threaten poultry flocks, big and small. An artist gives her view of the Delaware River. Plus, more fines for U.S. Steel and a leak at Shell’s ethane cracker.
We take an electric car for a trial run and answer your questions. Pennsylvania sets a PFAS limit for drinking water. And a birding advocate wants to make outdoor spaces more accessible and equitable for all. Plus, a fed-up pipeline activist is running for governor.
New glass recycling dropoff locations opened in Allegheny County. We look at why some municipalities don’t recycle glass at the curb. And, we talk to a longtime environmental leader about her career and why she’s still hopeful. Plus, more fines for U.S. Steel.
We ask: Could Philadelphia use geothermal energy to meet its climate goals? And, a new book of poetry explores the damage that people have done to each other and nature. Vultures may have a bad name, but they serve an important function. Plus, the construction of the Mariner East pipeline is finally complete.
The federal infrastructure law will give $330 million to Pa. to clean up abandoned oil/gas wells. Plus, the Supreme Court is set to hear a case about regulating greenhouse gas emissions that could have big implications. And, a conversation with Pennsylvania’s first director of outdoor recreation.
Severe winter storms can make running a business more unpredictable. But what's the climate connection? And, a new book contrasts Western conservation with Indigenous science. We check out what it's like to live on an island in the Great Lakes. Plus, debunking myths about the spotted lanternfly.
A study finds the elderly living near fracking sites have a higher risk of dying prematurely. Plus, a pipeline company is charged with environmental crimes. A climate reporter wants to hear from you. And, a look at the role of fire at the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
Plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit against U.S. Steel asked a judge to find the company violated the Clean Air Act 12,000 times after a 2018 fire. A rare but deadly virus carried by deer ticks has been found in high numbers in a township park. A city kid learns to love winter through a cold and snowy camping trip.
How waste coal is fueling Bitcoin in Pennsylvania. A new state report says a third of Pa. streams are impaired. A grant will help disadvantaged farmers get conservation assistance in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We take a winter hike to appreciate nature and head to a cabin in the woods to unplug.
The life and work of famed biologist E.O. Wilson. A researcher is hoping to fill in the gaps on Pennsylvania's bee populations. Black farmers in Pittsburgh are looking to provide fresh, local food in an area with no grocery store. A local teen focuses on litter.
We talk to a reporter who has chronicled the catastrophic environmental legacy of coal. Advocates hope new federal money will help clean up waterways polluted from mine drainage. A startup uses technology to make farming easier. The Mariner East pipeline, plagued by delays and environmental damage, will soon be finished.
Some good news stories from 2021: Conservationists work to keep a pristine glacial lake near Erie protected. Pennsylvanians have a lot of choices when it comes to electricity providers. A long-time environmental journalist reflects on his career. Plus, enterprising siblings recycle cans for cash.
We feature environmental stories that gave us hope in 2021. We head into the woods to learn about Pa.’s black bears. We join a crew cleaning up trash at an illegal dump site. Plus, we hear from the director of a nonprofit focused on bringing fresh produce to people, and researchers who found an indicator of good water quality in the Ohio River.
We learn how local organic farmers are getting squeezed by inflation. The author of a new sci-fi book about plastic pollution envisions the region as “Scrappalachia.” Plus, we learn about a common little owl that blends in with its surroundings, but can’t hide its distinctive calls."
The story of a volunteer whose conservation efforts were thwarted by construction of the Mariner East pipeline. We talk with the researcher who found deer infected with the coronavirus. The Maryland Air National Guard wants to lower the altitude for combat training over a rural part of Pennsylvania, but residents and local businesses have questions.
New documents reveal the decrepit conditions at the Clairton Coke Works that led to a massive fire in 2018. A coach for activists says it’s normal to have anxiety over environmental destruction. Aspiring Pennsylvania farmers are struggling to find land. Plus, a new vegan cookbook for regional comfort food.
Susan Scott Peterson had been living in Pittsburgh for just a few weeks when she smelled it for the first time. The air was a little thick, a little hazy—and it smelled like a ripe porta-potty.
It didn’t take long to figure out it was hydrogen sulfide, a sulfur-smelling gas emitted by U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, about fifteen miles south of her house. The plant manufactures coke, a fuel used in steelmaking—and it’s notorious for violating local pollution regulations.
But what could she do about it?
This is a story about the air we breathe, the risks we live with, and what it means to become a citizen of a place.
This story is adapted from an episode produced for Outside/In, a podcast by New Hampshire Public Radio.
The Allegheny Front and Environmental Health News investigated the mental health impacts of air and water pollution and climate change in western Pennsylvania.
We found alarming evidence that residents throughout the region are likely suffering changes to their brains due to pollution in the surrounding environment. Reporting also uncovered the growing gap in mental health care as more people are traumatized by worsening climate change.
More at https://www.alleghenyfront.org/mentalhealth
A new collaboration hopes to get people in Central Pennsylvania talking about climate change. We also examine the mental health struggles of farmers, and how an aging farming population in Pennsylvania means that the future of small family farming is changing.
Some people along the coast of New Jersey are saying no to offshore wind power. They worry about preserving the character and natural beauty of NJ beaches. We talk with the new leader of a clean air watchdog group in Pittsburgh. A professor wants to create a corridor throughout the Appalachians for elk. Our reporter escapes to the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail.
Climate change is making it harder to hunt and fish. An advocacy group wants hunters and anglers to speak out. Pennsylvania Senate passed a resolution disapproving of the state joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Taking down dams to create a free-flowing Mahoning River is not without controversy. Consumer choices are hard when you want to do good for the environment. One expert says don't sweat the small stuff.
Metalico, a metal recycler on Neville Island in Allegheny County, is now the target of EPA. It has been a nuisance to the community for years. Pittsburgh has a new light pollution ordinance. An astronomer advocates for dark skies. Criminal charges against a pipeline company do little to spark action in the Pa. legislature.
Researchers say too many deer and invasive plants are threatening the long-term survival of Pa.'s forests. A filmmaker of a new documentary about a massive effort to clean up a Western Pa. river says it's a hopeful story. The author of a book about individual liberty and private property rights argues that signing a gas lease shouldn't be one of those rights.
More wind turbines in the ocean mean more renewable energy on the grid. But what's the impact on fisheries? Pennsylvania's attorney general files criminal charges for the Mariner East pipeline. A new group is encouraging people to retire their lawnmowers and leafblowers and plant native species.
Transmission lines are key to more renewable energy, but some don't want them on their land. Students take to the streets for a climate strike. We get reaction to Pa.'s new Climate Action Plan. Volunteers clean up tons of trash along Pittsburgh's hillsides.
Pennsylvania has a new climate action plan. Regenerative farming is part of the climate solution as is a program to help local governments. Pennsylvania has pledged to regulate toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water. What's taking so long? New Allegheny County air regs, and a study on the health benefits of joining a regional cap-and-trade program.
Protecting a pristine glacial lake in Erie County from invasive species takes painstaking work. Author Doug Tallamy wants people to plant their yards with native species that feed the ecosystem. Pittsburgh opens two new parks, one with a public art installation that makes visible the history of water and flooding. A climate change training for community and business leaders.
Preserving the sacred ground at the Flight 93 National Memorial and treating the water pollution that plagued the site long before the plane crashed there on 9/11. A look back as a naturalist searched for reassurance in nature on September 12. We dig into the recent decision by a federal judge to throw out a Trump rule that stripped protections for many streams and wetlands.
What some labor unions want in a clean energy economy. We'll also talk to the engineer the president has tasked with making sure fossil fuel communities aren't left behind. Pa. is a step closer to putting a price on carbon. Plus, a little clover makes a big move off the Endangered Species list. News about fracking waste and the Clean Water Act.
The wonder and peril of bird migration with author Scott Weidensaul. Teaching computer models to identify birdsong to aid in conservation. The Department of Energy listens to community perspectives on the ethane and petrochemical industries. News about Shell's Falcon pipeline and climate education in Pa. schools.
A vaccine blitz for raccoons to stop rabies from marching westward. How to shop smart for electricity. A short documentary features little kids tackling a big environmental problem... litter. News about a new plan for Pa.'s state parks to address climate change, a fine for spills from the Mariner East, and a roadblock for a new coal mine in Allegheny County.
The latest UN climate report is the most dire yet. A climate scientist breaks it down. Calls for a new Civilian Conservation Corps. We head into the woods with Pennsylvania's bear biologist to tag black bears. News about conservation funding and a fine for a pipeline company.
Green infrastructure uses natural systems to steer rainwater away from aging sewer systems, but it could lead to gentrification. Indigenous tribes, forcibly removed from Appalachia 200 years ago, are reconnecting with a traditional food: pawpaws. News about Pa. state parks, air quality, and a mysterious bird disease.
While bald eagle populations are increasing, other birds of prey seem to be declining. Some Philadelphia residents are accusing the city of racism over permitting a new natural gas plant. How homeowners can join foresters in stopping the hemlock wooly adelgid. Plus news about air quality and fracking.
How tourism impacts local communities and their natural resources. Plus, an environmental group is calling for stricter regulations on how companies handle radioactive oil and gas waste. And a network of physicians, researchers, activists and cancer survivors issues a declaration on reducing pollution so fewer people get cancer. And finally, we take a trip to Pennsylvania’s very own prairie.
This week, we take a hike in one of the region's most unique landscapes: the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Plus, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a rule to help Pennsylvania cut carbon emissions from power generation and meet its climate goals, has cleared another hurdle. But some who represent power plant communities have questions. And, Pittsburgh's riverfront trails are where its industrial past and its future meet
Researchers are racing to find the cause of mysterious bird deaths being reported across the eastern US. We have answers to your questions on Biden's climate plan. Don Hopey, a longtime environmental journalist reflects on his beat in Pittsburgh. Plus news about U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works.
Despite decreasing pollution, climate change is making air quality worse. We'll hear from climate expert Michael Mann who says climate deniers have a new tactic: doom and gloom. A psychologist discusses managing our climate fears and moving towards solutions. The next energy boom in Pennsylvania: solar power.
Manufacturing of electric cars and batteries will take a new kind of worker. If Pennsylvania joins RGGI, a cap-and-trade program for power plants, will your electricity rates go up? An experimental treatment is helping bats fight off a deadly fungus. Pa. has the first dog in the nation to sniff out spotted lanternflies.
US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm talks about jobs for the region in a clean energy future. A local project trains volunteers to keep an eye on bees and other pollinators. An environmental justice organizer is hopeful about young people in the movement. News about air quality in Allegheny County.
The EPA heard from Pittsburgh communities concerned about lead in drinking water. Good news for dragonflies on the Ohio River. Bad news for coal with closures of a coal mine and coal-fired power plant. We tag along on a bike ride that has its own soundtrack.
Ohio's Steel Valley sees a future in clean energy as 'Voltage Valley.' We ask an expert what will it take to get consumers to buy electric vehicles. The Allegheny National Forest gains critical land along the Clarion River. A tick researcher has tips to stay safe in the outdoors.
This week, candid interviews about what a "just energy transition" means. We hear from Biden's National Climate Advisor about how the administration will help coal communities in the transition to clean energy, and from the head of the United Mine Workers who says coal workers have sacrificed enough. The push for more accountability for the gas industry in Pennsylvania.
The landmark environmental rights amendment in Pennsylvania turns 50 this week. Central Pennsylvania is one of the best places for flyfishing but there is a need to protect these prized streams from farm pollution. A bill in the statehouse aims to help communities affected by Pennsylvania's industrial legacy.
Billions of Brood X cicadas are emerging! Learn how to go on a Cicada Safari. A local artist is creating a portal to an underground stream. How U.S. Steel's decision to nix a $2 billion upgrade will impact air quality and the economy in Allegheny County. What West Virginia's New River Gorge can expect this summer and beyond.
Branding gas as “responsibly sourced” by cutting methane leaks. A fight is brewing over another source of methane, the meat and dairy industry. Climate change report predicts more heatwaves, floods, and droughts in Pennsylvania’s future. Choosing native plants helps create more habitat for birds and bugs.
The efforts to get farmers the mental health resources they need. Pittsburgh mayoral candidates have some similarities and many differences about the environment. Pa. GOP is trying to stop Gov. Wolf from joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. U.S. Steel reneges on a promise to upgrade its polluting Mon Valley Works. How to build your own trap for invasive lanternflies.
The chair of Pa. House's environmental committee is a climate denier. How could this impact climate action? The author of a new book that centers on Pa.'s gas country says fracking's impacts are challenging rural values of individual liberty and private property rights. Scientists are working to reverse damage to wildlife habitat from fracking. Meet the brother-sister duo of Can Crushers.
President Biden’s plans to invest in clean energy could create high-paying union jobs. But not everyone's on board. New reports outline thousands of new jobs to clean up old mines and gas wells. A new project in the Laurel Highlands gives amphibians a place to breed in peace. Some local concerns over the newly designated New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
Why fracking is a tricky issue for Senate candidate John Fetterman. An environmental justice leader says vacant land in communities of color is "an environmental emergency." A citizen science project for the whole family can help save frogs. Plus, syrup for your pancakes doesn't only have to come from maple trees.
How federal and local policies look to address aging infrastructure from stormwater pipes to bridges. Pittsburgh wants a more equitable water system. Plus, state health officials visit Shell's ethane cracker in Beaver County because of an uptick in Covid-19 cases there.
Bald eagles are bringing joy to Philadelphians, while one artist shows off her love of the Delaware. Climate change is causing many plants to leaf out or bud early. This mismatch could wreak havoc on the ecosystem. Why a new air permit at the Clairton Coke Works could increase pollution emissions.
Why fracking wastewater injected deep underground could come back to the surface. A whistleblower claims there are safety issues with the pipeline that will supply Shell's ethane cracker. A look at life along the Delaware River.
Sales of special license plates help fund research for rare species. Conservationists plant a red spruce forest for northern flying squirrels, ready in 50 years. Settlements with energy companies will pay some landowners and protect a nature preserve. And one man's love of wetlands.
An investigation finds fracking chemicals in the bodies of people living near gas wells in SW Pa. Fossil fuel reps say gas and coal are part of the climate solution. Some Pa. Democratic lawmakers agree. For our First Person series, we talk with a young forester about how she came to love the outdoors. News about plastic bag bans, a tax on gas, and the Revolution pipeline.
Fracking is banned in the Delaware River watershed. Farmers can help reduce carbon in the atmosphere. But what's in it for them? A contentious budget hearing for the Pennsylvania DEP brings up RGGI and falsehoods. The plot to get Americans to cook with gas. We head out for some winter fun.
Redlining has led to fewer green spaces in many communities across the country. We kick off a new series talking with Black leaders in environmental organizations with Grow Pittsburgh's new executive director. People in counties with drilling activity haven't seen the economic benefits of the industry. Citizen science projects you can do from your couch.
Some in Ohio say frack waste injection wells are being permitted in places where they don’t belong. Activists want a permit revoked for an injection well near Pittsburgh. A local practitioner shows us his version of ski ballet. There may be snow on the ground, but we're planning for that summer garden now.
What you need to know about Allegheny County meeting federal air standards for the first time ever. Meanwhile, Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf's budget address doesn't mention climate, a gas well spews wastewater in Ohio, and New River Gorge rock climbers reckon with racist route names.
Reports of illegal dumping are up in Pennsylvania. Why? A wastewater authority is promoting solar energy in Centre County. A report criticizes DEP for allowing coal mining to damage streams. Allegheny County finally meets air quality standards.
Fears of harms from solar panels have been disproven by scientists. The Biden administration's policies on public lands will be be very different from Trump's. We look at environmental issues in the Pennsylvania legislature in the coming year. Climate scientist Michael Mann discusses new tactics by climate deniers, and why he's so optimistic for the future.
We've come to the end of our Trump on Earth podcast. After four years and 100 episodes, we take a look at the biggest rollbacks of the Trump administration, and the impacts on climate change, science and public lands. It's an episode you don't want to miss!
Pennsylvania is on the cusp of a solar boom, but are some against rows of solar panels in their backyards. Efforts in Ohio to create heavier penalties for trespass of infrastructure like gas pipelines. A former Trump EPA official shares his story and concerns about the role of science at the agency.
A look back at environmental stories of 2020. Blaming the pandemic, some people doubt that a petrochemical boom will come to the Ohio Valley. The boom and bust of the coal industry means Appalachia needs new economic solutions to undo decades of neglect. And the massive protests against racial discrimination last year brought more attention to environmental justice.
A look back at environmental stories of 2020. Blaming the pandemic, some people doubt that a petrochemical boom will come to the Ohio Valley. The boom and bust of the coal industry means Appalachia needs new economic solutions to undo decades of neglect. And the massive protests against racial discrimination last year brought more attention to environmental justice.
We slow down and revisit some stories from 2020. An author discusses the last frontier of the farm-to-table movement: local flour. Researchers hope to restore the American chestnut with the help of genetic engineering. We take a hike that learn what to see and hear in winter. A car accident causes climate activists to hit "pause" and explore their feelings of anger and hope.
Local communities take climate action, with the help of a state program. Scientists combat an invasive insect killing hemlocks by introducing a new beetle. The sounds of nature are good for our health.
The human costs of natural gas development: Residents say living next to the construction of a new natural gas power plant is causing distress, while neighbors of a planned liquified natural gas export terminal are worried about risks of explosions. Advocates lay out a new agenda for the Lake Erie Watershed.
Meat from wild game shot with lead bullets pose a risk to hunters, and families who eat the meat donated to food banks. The Trump administration will sell leases to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Can Biden stop it? How will Biden's climate plan fare in Pennsylvania?
Seeking refuge from the upheaval of 2020 on a 70-mile hike. We also revisit stories about native plants in Pennsylvania: Saving a plant so rare, few have seen it; gardening with native plants; and how an invasive shrub and foraging mice could be bad for forests. Plus, residents speak out after an air inversion caused a string of bad air days in Allegheny County.
The call for a reimagined Civilian Conservation Corps to solve today's problems. Researchers work to develop a Lyme disease vaccine, while the tick's range increases, including urban parks. Pa bills would loosen rules for pollution reporting and conventional drilling. Federal charges against the Pittsburgh water agency.
What Biden’s win means for the environment and climate. Students hold a climate action summit, while youth in coal country contemplate their future without coal. Kids living near industrial plants in Allegheny County have nearly triple the rate of asthma of kids nationwide. DEP orders steep slopes along the Revolution pipeline to stabilized. A "Marshall Plan" for Appalachia.
An election post-mortem on hopes to flip the GOP-controlled Pennsylvania General Assembly to blue. The US Senate will likely stay under GOP control. So what could a (potential) President Biden do on climate and environment? What some Pennsylvania voters had to say about the environment.
The stark differences between Trump and Biden on the environment and climate are splitting voters. We hear from coal miners, natural gas industry supporters, environmentalists and farmers across Pennsylvania. The Environmental Voter Project is targeting non-voting environmentalists. They've turned a quarter of a million of them into regular voters since 2016. Could this be the year of the climate voter?
The stark differences between Trump and Biden on the environment and climate are splitting voters. We hear from coal miners, natural gas industry supporters, environmentalists and farmers across Pennsylvania. The Environmental Voter Project is targeting non-voting environmentalists. They've turned a quarter of a million of them into regular voters since 2016. Could this be the year of the climate voter?
The stark differences between Trump and Biden on the environment and climate are splitting voters. We hear from coal miners, natural gas industry supporters, environmentalists and farmers across Pennsylvania. The Environmental Voter Project is targeting non-voting environmentalists. They've turned a quarter of a million of them into regular voters since 2016. Could this be the year of the climate voter?
A sweeping new plan for restoration, recreation and commerce in the Ohio River watershed. This election season, we hear from voters on actions they want from lawmakers on climate change, and from an environmental group hoping to turn Pa.'s Republican-led legislature blue. Plus, climate change could already be impacting the safety of boats, barges and their operators on the the Ohio River.
Researchers are hoping a genetically modified American chestnut can help restore this giant to eastern forests. Others are opposed. Emergency planners in communities along the Mariner East pipeline say they've been left in the dark. A psychologist discusses how to cope with the anxiety of climate change. Plus news about radioactivity from gas wells.
Why Trump keeps losing in court. How will the issue of fracking influence the 2020 election? A coal magnet who fought mine safety rules filed for black lung benefits. Allegheny County improves its handling of applications for air pollution permits.
A rare bird, both male and female, is banded during fall migration. What a more conservative Supreme Court means for climate and environmental cases. How cities should prepare to welcome people escaping climate-related disasters. Plus, Ohio's complaint system for gas industry is 'impossible' to use.
A rare bird, both male and female, is banded during fall migration. What a more conservative Supreme Court means for climate and environmental cases. How cities should prepare to welcome people escaping climate-related disasters. Plus, Ohio's complaint system for gas industry is 'impossible' to use.
Remembering the environmental legacy of RBG. Will massive wildfires finally convince the public climate change is real? Plus, one way to get office buildings to reduce their carbon footprints could be to make energy use public. Proposed Ohio cracker plant to get ethane from Pa. driller.
Remembering the environmental legacy of RBG. Will massive wildfires finally convince the public climate change is real? Plus, one way to get office buildings to reduce their carbon footprints could be to make energy use public. Proposed Ohio cracker plant to get ethane from Pa. driller.
Remembering the environmental legacy of RBG. Will massive wildfires finally convince the public climate change is real? Plus, one way to get office buildings to reduce their carbon footprints could be to make energy use public. Proposed Ohio cracker plant to get ethane from Pa. driller.
Remembering the environmental legacy of RBG. Will massive wildfires finally convince the public climate change is real? Plus, one way to get office buildings to reduce their carbon footprints could be to make energy use public. Proposed Ohio cracker plant to get ethane from Pa. driller.
How realistic is a petrochemical boom in the Ohio Valley? Authors of Appalachian Fall say lessons from coal country can help what's ailing America. Groups challenge new federal air rules for ethane crackers. Plus, a study links air pollution and risk of stroke in heart patients. Pa. is a step closer to joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
How Appalachia reimagines itself, with an equitable, carbon neutral future. An Obama-era climate rule that Big Oil actually liked is gutted by the EPA. Why? Will a controversial cap-and-trade program reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Pennsylvania?
This Labor Day: Why a coalition of environmental groups and unions endorsed Joe Biden. Coal miners are suffering from an epidemic of Black Lung disease, COVID is making it worse. Federal judges throw out Pa.'s air rules for coal plants that address smog. Rare bipartisan support for community solar projects.
What's better in a pandemic -- plastic or reusable bags? Farmworkers' jobs are becoming more dangerous from heat, coronavirus, and smoke from wildfires. Despite decreasing emissions, climate change is making air quality worse. "Bomb trains" get federal go-ahead.
The pandemic is delaying climate and environmental research at Penn State. Outdoor Afro works to connect Black people to nature, while one expert says nature groups need to do more to engage communities of color. Opening up the National Arctic Wildlife Refuge to drilling.
The pandemic is delaying climate and environmental research at Penn State. Outdoor Afro works to connect Black people to nature, while one expert says nature groups need to do more to engage communities of color. Opening up the National Arctic Wildlife Refuge to drilling.
Drilling mud from Mariner East pipeline construction gets into a state park lake. Why Pennsylvania's GOP-led legislature isn't acting on climate. EPA rolls back rule on methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. Meanwhile, a TIME journalist says 2020 may be our last best chance to stop climate change. Landscaping with goats.
An alleged bribery scandal at the highest levels of Ohio politics produced a clean air bill that benefitted nuclear and coal plants over renewables. Plus, how important are environmental issues for voters as they head to the polls in November? And a one-of-a-kind prairie habitat in Pennsylvania is home to an endangered rattlesnake and a lot of wildflowers.
Following Pennsylvania shale gas to Scotland, where ethane is being made into plastic. We also delve into the Scottish fracking debate and how they're dealing with plastic pollution. News about a green stimulus plan for Pennsylvania and reimagining Appalachia with a clean, sustainable future for all.
Changing bird names tied to racism and colonialism. What recent court rulings against major pipelines mean for 'energy dominance,' the environment and Indigenous rights. A trip to Ice Mountain where rare plants grow and cool air seeps out of ice vents deep in the rocks.
Changing bird names tied to racism and colonialism. What recent court rulings against major pipelines mean for 'energy dominance,' the environment and Indigenous rights. A trip to Ice Mountain where rare plants grow and cool air seeps out of ice vents deep in the rocks.
The race to save a plant so rare, few have ever seen it. Native plants can create habitat yard by yard. The combo of an invasive shrub and mice could be bad for future forests. News about the Ohio ethane cracker, tax breaks for natural gas and one of Trump’s biggest environmental rollbacks yet.
Environmental health advocates weigh in on the grand jury report that says the state didn’t do enough to protect residents from the industry. Plus a court says the federal government needs to step up to regulate coke ovens. And climate activist Bill McKibben on why divesting from fossil fuels makes financial sense.
Kayaking gives a new appreciation for rivers. Coal communities banking on recreation face the pandemic. How Moraine State Park was formed out of the ashes of industry. Pa. Department of Health reacts to a scathing grand jury report on fracking and U.S. Department of Energy touts coal and natural gas. Plus, Mud Day!
The results of a grand jury investigation into Pa.'s natural gas drilling industry calls out the entire state government in both parties for the last 12 years for being negligent on fracking. How the environmental movement, from organizations to funders, are responding for calls for racial justice.
What's the legacy of the Trump administration's 100 environmental rollbacks? We talk with a lawyer tracking the changes. Pennsylvania attorney general charges two companies with crimes related to their fracking operations. Minerworkers' unions sue Trump admin. over a lack of safety rules for COVID-19.
Reforesting minelands, a second time around. Why the Yough River is on the Most Endangered Rivers list. A 16-year old activist says there's no time left for moderate climate policies. Pa. GOP wants to stop the state from joining a trading for carbon emissions.
BlackBirdersWeek sparks joy for black birders. Can the environmental movement address racism? We talk with an environmental justice leader. Ticks that carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease are in Pittsburgh parks. Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai accepted $11K flight from businessman with fracking-related companies.
BlackBirdersWeek sparks joy for black birders. Can the environmental movement address racism? We talk with an environmental justice leader. Ticks that carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease are in Pittsburgh parks. Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai accepted $11K flight from businessman with fracking-related companies.
Offshore wind project gets approval for Lake Erie, but has to protect birds, bats. Is Joe Biden's climate plan progressive enough? Wood smoke from backyard fires is bad for your health.
During the coronavirus shutdown, people are noticing a change in the air. Does this line up with pollution data? We talk with a self-described "Flour Ambassador" who says this ingredient can be local. Plus, state officials brace for throngs of campers at state parks. Four environmental issues to watch during the pandemic.