The Allegheny Front

A new outdoor recreation area in a Pittsburgh park is meant to include people of all abilities. When hikers make it to the halfway point on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, there’s a tradition of eating a half gallon of ice cream. An environmental reporter shifts his perspective by leaning into the landscape. A network of trails in Northeast Pennsylvania that follows old railroad corridors is now carrying economic development across the region. 

A nonprofit hopes to help landowners reclaim mineland in Appalachia by planting trees and selling carbon credits. Their first partner is the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. A bill in the Pennsylvania legislature would withhold funding from communities that try to restrict shale gas drilling because of pollution and disruption. De-paving parties involve hard hats, sledgehammers, and a lot of volunteers to create space for water drainage and gardens.

Last year, workforce development organizations in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were awarded a $15 million EPA grant to train people in landscaping and tree pruning, and to expand their services. But the federal government just terminated the grant. A new map shows there have been important federal investments in clean energy across Pennsylvania, but as federal dollars to support climate initiatives become uncertain, more action is needed. A reporter was stopped by police for asking follow-up questions at an oil and gas committee meeting.

The future of the Endangered Species Act is in question. A bill to amend it was recently introduced in Congress, and environmentalists are taking issue with it. Attacks by black bears are exceedingly rare, but they do happen. How proximity to humans and our pets could be pushing some species, like black bears, to act erratically. Pittsburgh International Airport is doubling the size of its solar field about a mile from the main terminal.

Cement is the glue that keeps concrete together, and it has a big carbon footprint. That's a problem for a warming planet. A Johnstown-based mining company has gotten the go-ahead to expand an underground coal mine in Westmoreland County. The site of a demolished coal-fired power plant is being redeveloped to build a massive gas-fired power plant and data center. The American Lung Association gave Pittsburgh’s air quality an "F" in its latest annual report.

President Trump gives coal power plants an extension on complying with new pollution standards. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is looking to roll back many other climate and environmental regulations faster than the normal process of appealing these rules allows. Invasive plant species like thorny multiflora rose are damaging Pennsylvania forests. A Pittsburgh natural history museum is taking a closer look at the problem.  The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has begun its annual Black Fly Suppression Program. Camping reservations are up at Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests.

The site of a recently retired coal plant in Indiana County is getting a new life as a data center. Plans have been scrapped for a controversial plastic recycling plant in Erie. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to boost coal production, but it may not do much to reverse the industry’s fortunes. A new book highlights the natural beauty of the Youghiogheny River.

Solar advocates fear a rider attached to a low-income solar bill in the PA House will upend roof-top solar. Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland responds to the Trump administration's plans to mine public lands for more energy resources. The owners of a recently demolished coal-fired power plant in Homer City, PA announced the site will become a data center powered by the largest natural gas plant in the country. The CEO of Appalachia’s biggest natural gas producer says more pipelines are coming as data centers expand. And we learn to make an egg alternative: scrambled tofu.

President Trump is a big supporter of coal, and that’s giving some in the industry hope for a comeback. But others don’t see any future for coal. EPA employees and people retired from the agency rallied in Philadelphia to protest the Trump Administration’s efforts to reshape the agency. How environmentalists are reacting to the Environmental Protection Agency's intention to rollback 31 regulations. We talk with a young climate organizer for her tips for moving the needle on the climate crisis. Governor Josh Shapiro says Pennsylvania will appeal a decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to abruptly end a contract for the state’s farmers and food banks. Advocates say a U.S. Supreme Court ruling chips away at clean water protections. 

Fracking under Ohio parks is moving forward, but park visitors have mixed reactions about the industry. The ethane cracker in Beaver County has only been operating for a few years, but its owners may be looking to sell. We talk with the lead author of a new study on the connection between infant mortality and lead exposure.  In another blow to the offshore wind industry, the Environmental Protection Agency has pulled a permit for the Atlantic Shores project in New Jersey. Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County is cancelling this year’s campground reservations, citing staff shortages amid recent federal job cuts and hiring freezes. To help protect wildlife and prevent vehicle collisions with animals, a environmental research group is calling on Pennsylvania lawmakers to better support wildlife corridor projects.