The Allegheny Front

While fracking is banned in Scotland, fracked gas from Pennsylvania is imported there to make plastic. The FBI is investigating the Wolf administration for its role in permitting of the Mariner East pipeline. The Pa. AG says climate change is costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars. A report from the borderlands: how the wall will impact wildlife.

The world's first certified EcoDistrict is a former steel town along the Allegheny River. As USEPA looks to loosen regulations for coal ash waste, what it's like to live near the largest of these toxic sites. Calls for stricter rules for coke ovens in Allegheny County, while everyday people learn to monitor smokestacks for air pollution. 

A researcher is calling for solutions to keep plastic pollution out of rivers. A new report shows worrisome levels of contaminants in drinking water across the U.S. and in Pittsburgh. How indigenous communities are looking to the sun and alternatives for affordable energy. Plus largest underground coal mining company goes bankrupt.

Backyard fires might be fun but ultrafine particles can get into lungs and bloodstream. A ballot initiative in Pittsburgh to repair, maintain parks has supporters and skeptics. Outdoor Afro celebrates a love of nature. President Trump came to town and ripped the Paris agreement and Democratic climate plans.

This week on The Allegheny Front, how toxic trash is finally being cleaned up. Plus a host of bills in the Pennsylvania House look to boost the state's economy by encouraging natural gas development. And why birds like the Great Horned Owl could become less common in Pennsylvania's forests.

A group of residents keep an eye on a polluting coke plant that a judge has allowed to stay open. New rules for pig slaughterhouses may put pork and worker safety at risk. Families of cancer patients want the state to look at fracking. Actors get into character as creatures of the night for family-friendly hikes. Plus, bad news for pumpkin lovers.

Pittsburgh restaurants are recycling oyster shells to help restore the Chesapeake Bay. We report from Scotland about how ethane from Pa.'s fracking boom is fueling the world's thirst for plastic.  Researchers are trying to figure out what's killing apple trees. Pennsylvania will join a regional cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions. Using artificial intelligence to predict landslides.

A special series looks at how fracking is impacting people there, from complaints about strange odors and traffic, to a push to establish a health registry for people who live near gas infrastructure. 

We're Covering Climate Now with a look at climate education in Pa. schools. One student grapples with her questions about climate change. Plus, we talk with a philosopher about how to combat climate denial.  In Ohio, "secret" chemicals injected nearly 11,000 times into fracking wells in a 5-year period. 

How a loophole in the Pa law allowed fracking pollutants to go to a landfill, through a sewage plant and into the Mon River. Democratic candidates laid out their climate plans at a town hall. We asked an environmental politics professor to evaluate them. A federal appeals court deals a blow to the PennEast Pipeline. Plus, when chimney swifts roost, it's quite a sight.

A clover thought to be extinct was discovered in the region and has rebounded. One Pennsylvania town passed a single-use plastic ban, despite a state law prohibiting local bans for a year. The Amazon is burning, and that's bad for birds. Pa lawmakers propose a cap-and-trade bill that could take years to pass.

For this Labor Day weekend: An epidemic of fatal black lung disease among coal miners, a ride along with a wildlife officer and a profile of an energy auditor. Hundreds of parents petition Pittsburgh's school district to stop spraying a controversial weed killer. News about Beaver County pipelines and the Clairton Coke Works.

This week on The Allegheny Front, coal fields are fertile ground for fast growing grasses that can be used for biofuel. And a fungus is changing the behavior of infected cicadas. Plus, renewable energy is making up a larger share of energy production as aging nuclear plants are decommissioned.

President Trump visits the Shell ethane cracker to tout his energy and economic policies. The secretary of the California EPA talks about Trump's roll back of fuel efficiency standards. PFAS contamination is likely at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Climate activists take stock after a tree falls on their car. Pennsylvanians support taxing gas drillers to pay for infrastructure upgrades.

A conservation group is working to keep purple martins in our region, but loss of habitat, invasive species and now climate change threaten the bird. A pioneering mussel researcher reflects on her career trying to save this freshwater animal.  A study links fracking and anxiety and depression in pregnant women. Climate change will cause people to have to leave their homes. We have the story of two brothers.