The Allegheny Front

This week on The Allegheny Front, many of us are feeling the heat this summer, and climate change is fueling the soaring temperatures. A new book tells the stories of people who are working to reduce climate-warming emissions in novel ways. Birds, like the bobolink that need grassland habitat to nest are losing ground. What conservationists and farmers are doing about it. Plus, Pennsylvania is home to a prairie that is just now bursting with blooms. Also in the episode, a section of Clear Creek State Forest in western Pennsylvania has been inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network and money from the Inflation Reduction Act is coming to Pennsylvania to fight climate change. 

This week, a stream polluted by an old coal mine at a former golf club is getting cleaned up thanks to a land trust and a new pot of federal money. Plus, we have news about why it's hard for states to access other federal mine reclamation money. We also talk with an author of a new report that says chemical recycling of plastics isn't all it's cracked up to be for the economy or the planet. We head to a festival celebrating a very special population of fireflies in Pennsylvania that flash in a pattern. We have news about Pa.'s budget, heat islands in Pa. cities, and a new dark sky park in the works.

Just over a year ago, the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania closed. For some, it's been hard to accept. We'll visit Homer City to hear how it's going. A US Supreme Court decision to put a cross-state air pollution rule on hold could impact clean air in Pennsylvania. And, we tag along with a crew trying to save hemlock trees from an invasive pest. Plus a new report outlines ways to keep kids playing outside in the warmer months. As fossil fuel production has gone up in the U.S., greenhouse gas emissions have gone down as, except in the region that includes Pennsylvania. The miles of trails along Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers have a significant economic impact.

Commercial fisheries in the Great Lakes hope to follow an example set in Iceland. It calls for using every part of the fish to increase the value of each one caught while decreasing waste.  And, Central Pennsylvania is one of the best places for fly fishing, but there is a need to protect its prized streams from farm pollution. Plus, as coyotes move into cities, we have to face our myths about them. Also, Pennsylvania American Water will not pay a state penalty for polluting Roaring Brook and the Lackawanna River while the company was rehabbing a more than 150-year-old dam near Scranton. Instead, the utility company will put money back into the community.

The National Transportation Safety Board approved its investigative findings into last year's train derailment in East Palestine. It issued recommendations on rail safety and emergency response, criticizing Norfolk Southern for keeping critical information away from responders. Former workers at an oil refinery in Philadelphia remember the fire and explosion five years ago that shuttered the plant. Plus, giant wood sculptures at a botanic garden help visitors understand the bees and other pollinators that live among us. We have news about pollution from gas stoves, another mishap at the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a new director of the Allegheny County Health Department and a debate in the state legislature about renewable energy goals.

This week, the first town in Allegheny County commits to creating a bird-friendly community as an official Bird Town. We also talk with a climate scientist about how this week's heat wave is related to climate change. We have a preview of next week's release of the final report of a federal investigation into last year’s Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, which will include insights into the decision to vent vinyl chloride from some of the railcars and burn it, which caused chemical contamination. We have news about toxic PFAS in school drinking water, concerns about a possible new gas pipeline and an innovative hive to encourage beekeeping.

CNX plans to use methane from coal mines to make hydrogen and clean jet fuel. To pay for it, they want to use new clean energy tax credits. Inside a brewing fight over billions of dollars in hydrogen subsidies. Some residents of Greene County want answers from EQT and state regulators about why their well water is giving them rashes after showers. They blame an event two years ago for their dirty water. Plus, we talk with a family participating in Black Birders Week for the first time. We have news about a whistleblower's claim against EPA's East Palestine clean-up, PFAS in Pennsylvania's water systems and the Mountain Valley Pipeline's approval to begin transporting gas to Virginia.

This week, hospitals have a big carbon footprint. We report on how local medical professionals are fighting climate change. Some politicians and advocates are calling for a ban on the longtime practice of spreading drilling wastewater on dirt and gravel roads. We talk to a former DEP secretary who says this practice should remain illegal. Flooding can be devasting for communities. We look at what one Ohio River town is doing to prevent future disasters. Plus, the latest problem for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We have news about how a new coke oven rule will impact the Clairton Coke Works, a celebration at Raystown Lake and a water trail along the Schuylkill River.

This week on The Allegheny Front, Norfolk Southern will invest $200 million in rail safety as part of a settlement with the federal government over last year's train derailment in East Palestine. Earlier this month, a controversial natural gas pipeline that will soon go online failed a crucial safety test. We speak with a reporter who is following the story. Some student entrepreneurs looked for alternatives to firefighting foam and equipment which commonly contain PFAS, those forever chemicals linked to increased cancer risk.