The Allegheny Front

Some good news for a bat species in decline. Former US Fish and Wildlife officials speak out against decreasing protections for migratory birds. Calls for a 'just transition' for coal workers in West Virginia and a fine for a landfill that takes fracking waste.

What's the future of farming in Pa.? Environmentalists push for more monitoring of the petrochemical industry. A fear of winter camping turns into wonder. A final agreement with U.S. Steel to deal with air pollution.

We head out on a hike for a different perspective on winter. Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf wants to fight climate change but this support of petrochemicals will make that harder to achieve. A new poll splits support in Pa. for a fracking ban. Plus, internal documents show the Trump administration tried to spin climate data about wildfires to promote logging.

The Allegheny Front's Kara Holsopple talks with journalist Justin Nobel about his investigative piece, "America's Radioactive Secret," on the dangers of radioactive oil and gas waste, published recently in Rolling Stone. The piece focuses on worker and community safety and health concerns over the wastewater that comes up out of fracked oil and gas wells.

Removing dams in the Ohio River watershed improves safety and fish habitat, but some residents aren't on board. Shipping on the Ohio River has gotten more dangerous with climate change. Oil and gas workers are at risk from radioactive elements in fracking wastewater. 

The Trump EPA ends protections for nearly a fifth of the nation's streams and half of wetlands, proposes ending the requirement for environmental impact studies and public input for all kinds of projects. Plus, what's next for air quality in Allegheny County? A look at mercury pollution in the Ohio River.

The Trump administration's policies couldn’t keep the largest privately-held coal company from bankruptcy. A new report details impacts from coal mining in Pa., while state park officials say they can't keep up with maintenance needs. Plus, living on a Lake Erie island.

A study shows thousands of lives saved from switching from coal to natural gas for power. Air quality in Pittsburgh and a settlement with U.S. Steel. A proposed EPA rule would limit the kinds of scientific studies used to create environmental and public health regulations. Our Good River series about the Ohio continues.

Some of our biggest stories of 2019: 40th anniversary of the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island and links to thyroid cancer; environmental investigations involving the fracking boom; and a court order not publish the details of an agreement between a gas driller and residents. Plus, PFAS contamination of drinking water.

Some of our best conservation stories of 2019: Surveying Pittsburgh rivers for a salamander important for an endangered mussel. Hope for bats devastated by white-nose syndrome. What we know about insect die-offs. Plus, friendship in birdwatching.

In Scotland, efforts to keep plastic produced from Pa. shale gas out of the ocean. Climate change means more rain in our region. Will aging infrastructure protect towns from flooding? The strip mining and flooding connection in a warming world. Hemp growers have high hopes of turning a profit...someday. 

Shell’s ethane cracker in Beaver County will produce tiny plastic pellets that can spill or escape the plant. Will the Ohio River be protected? RiverWise is embracing sustainability in Beaver County. Plus, there's a new plan to keep sewage overflows out of Pittsburgh's three rivers. A CMU study finds economic value from natural gas in the region, but also premature deaths.

American natural gas is exported to 35 countries, including Japan. But some Pennsylvanians have been forced to give up their land in the process. We talk with Obama's chief climate negotiator on the future of climate action and a longtime environmentalist on advice to the new generation. Arrests made in a security scheme along the troubled Mariner East Pipeline construction project.

From talking to kids about the uncertainty of a warming planet to educating ourselves about climate science, we hear from people grappling with the enormity of the climate crisis.

Every week, our 29-minute podcast brings you all the environmental news and stories to keep you in the know in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania.