The Allegheny Front
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. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. All donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar to double your impact. And thanks! This week's show: Steel is a major contributor to climate change. Companies in Sweden are starting to solve this problem by...
info_outline Episode for November 29, 2024: Saving the treesThe Allegheny Front
Our end-of-the-year campaign is in full swing and with your help, we can raise important funding to keep our independent, nonprofit newsroom strong. Through Dec. 31st, your monthly donation will be matched 12 times, or your one-time donation will be doubled! Democracy needs news. News needs you. Will you answer the call? And thanks! 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...
info_outline Episode for November 22, 2024: Christmas trees and droughtThe Allegheny Front
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. Through Dec. 31st, your monthly donation will be matched 12 times, or your one-time donation will be doubled! Democracy needs news. News needs you. Will you answer the call? And thanks! 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...
info_outline Episode for November 15, 2024: Environmental justice and the hydrogen hubsThe Allegheny Front
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...
info_outline Episode for November 8, 2024: The environment and the electionThe Allegheny Front
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.
info_outline Episode for November 1, 2024: PA Senate race, landslides and forest bathingThe Allegheny Front
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,...
info_outline Episode for October 25, 2024: Hydrogen, offshore wind and the electionThe Allegheny Front
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...
info_outline Episode for October 18, 2024: A small town pivots after coalThe Allegheny Front
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...
info_outline Episode for October 11, 2024: EVs and the presidential electionThe Allegheny Front
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...
info_outline Episode for October 4, 2024: Biogas, hydrogen buses and whitewater recreationThe Allegheny Front
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...
info_outlineThe 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.