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 January 6, 2023

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

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This week, we have a special show about how people interact with wildlife and other animals. Our first story looks at what happens when urban and suburban deer populations get out of hand. Some cities and towns opt for bow hunting or bring in sharpshooters. But one community went another way: sterilizing female deer. Plus, a new book looks animals that can be classified as post-natural - those living things that have been intentionally altered by people, through domestication, selective breeding and genetic engineering. We have news about a bill passed by the Pennsylvania Senate that would let energy companies bypass state agencies when securing a permit to build. Critics say the move would violate federal and state laws. The Maryland National Guard dropped plans to fly fighter jets just 100 feet above the ground in an area known as the Pennsylvania Wilds.

Episode for May 24, 2024: Managing deer through sterilization, and what the heck is post-natural history?

The federal government is betting big that creating hydrogen with solar and wind will be climate solution for hard to decarbonize industries. Some experts are skeptical. A shocking new book looks at radioactivity in oil and gas waste, and its impacts on workers who have experienced symptoms like their teeth falling out, strange rashes and cancer. Meanwhile, two fracking waste disposals facilities in Eastern Ohio are facing consequences for noncompliance. Residents in Westmoreland County are frustrated that a hazardous waste facility wasn't shut down despite violations. We head to a fish hatchery that is key to Pennsylvania's walleye population. We have news about the removal of small dams across the region to help fish and other aquatic life, and grants for schools to address lead, mold and asbestos.

Episode for May 3, 2024: Green hydrogen, radioactive frack waste and dam removals

As a coal plant winds down, its gradual closure has had ripple effects in the community, including local businesses, like restaurants. A community group rallied around stopping a chemical recycling plant in Central Pennsylvania, saying it's not the answer to slowing plastic pollution. The Energy Secretary visited the area to tout energy efficiency and union jobs. And Shell is hit with misdemeanor charges for allegedly underreporting spills along its pipeline. We have news about new EPA rules for CO2 emissions for power plants, residential solar for disadvantaged and low-income communities, and the state of the air.  

Episode for April 26, 2024: The scrapping of a chemical recycling plant, new power plant CO2 rules, charges for Shell

This week on The Allegheny Front, as the transition to cleaner energy ramps up, a port is being built in New Jersey for the massive wind turbines headed into the Atlantic Ocean. And we talk with the author of a new report on tiny pieces of plastic litter on Great Lakes beaches. Plus, teens in Pittsburgh look to one another to solve the climate crisis. Also, the Environmental Protection Agency releases new rules to reduce cancer risk from hazardous air pollution near chemical plants. Federal mine regulators publish a long-awaited rule to the amount of toxic silica dust mine workers can legally be exposed to. And a look at a few examples from the more than 70 projects that have been funded through a plan to close a coal plant in Centralia, Washington. 

Episode for April 19, 2024: Offshore wind energy, teens & climate action, plastic on Great Lakes beaches

Centralia, Washington, has been cited as a model for how to successfully transition away from coal.  What can the Appalachian region can learn from its example? And the new Farm Bill is being held up in Congress, but conservationists are pushing legislators to get it passed. Plus, the threat of Lyme disease doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy the outdoors. News about a $1 million-dollar fine for a gas leak that was called the country’s worst climate disaster in 2022, EPA’s new rule for PFAS in drinking water and a class action settlement with Norfolk Southern.  

Episode for January 6, 2023

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