The Allegheny Front

After last year's train derailment in East Palestine, a local stream remains contaminated. We'll examine why residents living about the polluted water are still concerned. We talk with a Pennsylvania resident just over the Ohio border who decided not to live full-time in her home. We find out what led to her decision and how she became an activist pushing for answers. And, people in East Palestine feel like the derailment fractured their community - they disagree about politics, the environment and health impacts.

Plus, a study of East Palestine residents' health and Pennsylvania's River of the Year.

East Palestine, Ohio, is not the same place it was a year ago. Last February, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed there, near the Pennsylvania border, close to people's homes and businesses. Then, a few days later, 900,000 lbs of vinyl chloride was intentionally vented from 5 railcars and burned, leading to an explosion and a dark plume seen for miles around.

Over the next three weeks, we'll explore what happened and what the fallout has been for residents. First, we hear from a mother who evacuated the town with her son, who was experiencing horrific symptoms, and why they haven't gone back. We examine the decision by health officials not to test residents for chemical exposure. We'll also hear from a researcher who thinks environmental regulators were too hasty in their assessment that the town was safe. And finally, we visit businesses trying to keep their shops open, some more successfully than others.

Since the East Palestine train derailment, local fire companies and first responders are looking at their own resources and training, and how they can prepare for the next derailment or environmental disaster. A new study looks at whether fossil fuel workers have the right skills and live in the right places for future clean energy jobs. Plus, a new study identifies hundreds of chemicals in everday products that increase breast cancer risk.

We have news about Philadelphia's renewable energy goals, Norfolk Southern's progress, Future Farmers of America and solar jobs.

Sometimes a highway map or an app isn't detailed enough for outdoor explorers. So, a State College company created a new map featuring Pennsylvania's parks, forests, and hiking trails. Also, it's the final week of voting for Pennsylvania's River of the Year. We'll learn more about the Allegheny, Youghiogheny and Lackawaxen rivers. Plus, a dance troupe in Reading, Pa. is trying to do their part to improve a riverside park that has an uncertain future.

News about Pennsylvania solar energy milestone, a $2 million fine for U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works, clean school buses, new PFAS rules and jobs in the outdoors.

New federal rules for hydrogen projects aim to ensure tax credits go to clean hydrogen production, but some Pennsylvania lawmakers aren't happy. We'll also hear about how railway workers and safety advocates are pushing for new solutions to prevent derailments like the one in East Palestine, Ohio. Plus, to help injured birds recover, a sanctuary is building natural habitats with plant waste from a nearby botanical garden.

We have news about a Pennsylvania bill to increase the renewable energy standard, new federal methane rules, low natural gas impact fees and two tick studies.

This week on The Allegheny Front, a look back at stories from 2023. We'll revisit a story about how people in East Palestine, Ohio are working through their anxiety with few mental health resources available after the Norfolk Southern train derailment.

Hydrogen was a big energy transition story in 2023. After the announcement that Pennsylvania will have a part in two hydrogen hubs meant to reduce carbon emissions, we asked what's next? And in considering the energy transition, what about the people left behind in communities after fossil fuel plants shut down? We visited a community in Ohio where a coal-fired power plant closed, and people gathered to memorialize what it meant to the community.

Plants can make music, with a little help from a device that captures electric impulses. This week, we'll hear some of the beautiful music they can make. We'll also learn about an urban farmer who created a children's book about how a tomato plant grows. She worked with a group of little kids to do it. Plus, an author revisits the Youghiogheny River of his youth to find some changes for the better.

For the first time, health was a focus at the UN climate conference and advocates were pleased. We'll also learn how climate-related weather like flash floods and extreme heat impact people experiencing homelessness. Plus, people who live near a proposed campground at a state park are circulating a petition to stop the plan.

We have news about whitewater recreation in Clearfield County, combating a deadly insect threatening hemlocks in the Allegheny National Forest and how you can vote for Pa.'s 2024 River of the Year.

As the timeline for meaningful action on reducing carbon emissions grows shorter, how is the transition to cleaner forms of energy going? And as climate change creates more intense storms, Pennsylvania wants to make it easier for more residents to buy flood insurance. Plus, a look at some state and federal actions that might finally help reduce kids' exposure to lead in water.

We also have news about the electric grid in the Mid-Atlantic, a solar project in Adams County, polluted streams in Pittsburgh and fracking in Ohio state parks.

Governor Josh Shapiro is appealing a court decision that stopped Pennsylania from joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. We'll find out why and what it means for climate action. As more solar projects are planned in rural areas, farmers are signing their sheep up for something called solar grazing. Plus, environmental activists from the Gulf Coast met up with anti-fracking activists in Appalachia to strategize and build solidarity.

We have news about COP28 climate talks, calls for more radon testing in Pa., hydrogen, fracking and more.