The Allegheny Front

This week on The Allegheny Front, as one local mine closes, coal miners struggle to maintain a way of life, and their livelihoods. And, how understanding the DNA of one little bird could help protect vulnerable species from a changing climate. Plus, fighting fake news with science literacy. (Photo: Kenneth Cole Schneider / flickr)

This week on The Allegheny Front, the Trump administration comes to Pennsylvania to talk about cleaning up abandoned mines. And, why some strike it rich in the natural gas patch and others strike out. Also, the state needs your help to track a new invasive species that is threatening PA's grape, hops and logging industries. (Photo: Reid Frazier)

This week on The Allegheny Front, how purple fields of lavender could bring some economic diversity to coal country. And, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University find that the Clean Power Plan might be less important than we thought. Plus, we learn a couple of moves from a unique winter sport enthusiast.

This week on The Allegheny Front, what's causing the recent surge in black lung disease in Appalachia? Plus, there's a delicate calculation that goes into environmental regulations for air pollution. . . but are the jobs saved worth the lives lost? 

This week on The Allegheny Front, there's a ban on fracking within the city of Pittsburgh. But the gas industry is moving into some of the city’s biggest suburbs. It's rekindling a debate about the risks and benefits of drilling. Plus, a conversation about savoring a food that has our heart….and protecting it from climate change. 

This week on The Allegheny Front, we're going all in on energy: how we make it, with either Chinese or American-made solar panels, and how we move it, with natural gas pipelines built through our region's unique topography.

This week on The Allegheny Front, when you live on an island like, say in the Great Lakes, everything from what you do with your trash to where you build becomes REALLY important. And a little gray bird that hangs around winter bird feeders has a diet many of us might envy--an all-day buffet.

This week on The Allegheny Front, a controversial new rule that would clarify how farmers treat organic poultry might never make it to the chicken coop. And to some people's dismay, natural gas production is ramping up in Pennsylvania, in part, because of a pipeline boom. Plus, the rock salt that you put onto your sidewalk is making our freshwater saltier. And that's not good. 

This week on The Allegheny Front, we're revisiting stories from our environmental health reporting over the last year. From fracking to urban sustainability, these are stories from our Hazardous to Your Health series--looking at pollution in Pittsburgh's communities--and solutions to those problems.