The Allegheny Front show

The Allegheny Front

Summary: Each week, The Allegheny Front, an award-winning public radio program hosted by Matthew Craig, explores environmental issues and the natural history of Western Pennsylvania and beyond with interviews, feature stories and commentary.

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  • Artist: The Allegheny Front
  • Copyright: Copyright 2021 Allegheny Front

Podcasts:

 Episode for January 20, 2023 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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.

 Episode for January 13, 2023 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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.  

 Episode for January 6, 2023 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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.

 Episode for December 30, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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.

 Episode for December 23, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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.

 Episode for December 16, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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.

 Episode for December 9, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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. 

 Episode for December 2, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

A massive leak at a natural gas storage facility in western Pennsylvania raises a lot of questions. We’ll also hear about a genetically modified American chestnut tree that can resist a deadly blight that’s on track to be deregulated by the federal government. And testing is crucial on farms and at wildlife centers to make sure that birds are not infected with a highly contagious avian flu that’s already led to the deaths of more than 4 million birds in Pennsylvania.  We also have news about air pollution rules for conventional (not fracked) gas and oil wells, and the failure of Pennsylvania to meet its Chesapeake Bay goals. Plus, Rutgers University develops an oyster reef ecosystem to prevent beach erosion.

 Episode for November 18, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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.

 Episode for November 11, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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.

 Episode for November 4, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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.

 Episode for October 28, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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.

 Episode for October 21, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:17

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.

 Episode for October 14, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:58

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.

 Episode for October 8, 2022 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 28:59

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.  

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