Episode for August 8, 2025: Air pollution relief on hold
Release Date: 08/08/2025
Episode for June 19, 2026: Shapiro on data centers
The Allegheny Front
Never miss a story: 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...
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Episode for June 12, 2026: Balcony solar, frogs and Henry David Thoreau
The Allegheny Front
Never miss a story: 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....
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Bonus Episode: Thoreau documentary is a lesson for the modern era
The Allegheny Front
Never miss a story: 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 , 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...
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Episode for June 5, 2026: The Pigeons’ Last Passage
The Allegheny Front
Never miss a story: 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 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....
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Episode for May 29, 2026: Forever chemicals in a fishing stream
The Allegheny Front
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...
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Episode for May 22, 2026: Award-winning favorites
The Allegheny Front
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,...
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Episode for May 15, 2026: Big changes at the U.S. Forest Service
The Allegheny Front
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...
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Episode for May 8, 2026: EV savings and spotted lanterfly AI
The Allegheny Front
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...
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Episode for May 1, 2026: Greener steel and Great Lakes surfing
The Allegheny Front
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...
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Episode for April 24, 2026: Fracking anxiety and native hawthorn trees
The Allegheny Front
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,...
info_outlineThe 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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