The Allegheny Front

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 in the nation. Calls for stricter rules for coke ovens in Allegheny County, while everyday people learn to monitor smokestacks for air pollution. 

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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 the largest underground coal mining company goes bankrupt.

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

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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 focusing on climate change this week with a look at the state of 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 were injected nearly 11,000 times into fracking wells in a 5-year period. 

The post Episode for September 20, 2019 appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

How a loophole in the 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.

The post Episode for September 13, 2019 appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

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.

The post Episode for September 6, 2019 appeared first on The Allegheny Front.