The Allegheny Front

One company is mining Bitcoin to keep two waste coal power plants running. But what's the climate impact? A new report concludes that coal plants aren't doing enough to clean up coal ash disposal sites that are contaminating groundwater. Plus, an urban farmer in Pittsburgh had to overcome big challenges to clean up her property to start her enterprise. We have news about microplastics in Pennsylvania waterways and funding to help coal communities.

Both John Fetterman and Dr. Mehmet Oz used to be in favor of a moratorium on fracking, but now both support it. But do voters care? The Pa. legislature just passed a $2 billion package of tax breaks meant to support the natural gas industry. Plus, as the Clean Water Act turns 50, some of its protections for wetlands and smaller bodies of water could be limited by an upcoming Supreme Court decision.

Voters in one Ohio county are deciding if wind energy will be built in their community, but experts say their views may be colored by misinformation. We'll hear how the Clean Water Act, which just turned 50, revived the Delaware River. Plus, the garden of a refugee community in Pittsburgh helps sustain its own members and the neighborhood where it grows. And, we report that a new rule in Allegheny County didn't stop air pollution from rising this month.

Fifty years ago, parts of the Delaware River stank, and fish couldn't survive in it. We look at how the Clean Water Act helped to revive this dead river. And, we have the first installment of a new series highlighting Black urban farmers growing food to sustain their communities. Plus, a new collection of climate fiction looks forward to a better world for the environment and for people.

We answer your questions about the impact of Shell's ethane cracker on the region's jobs, property values, and of course, air pollution. Meanwhile, the state health department is funding the University of Pittsburgh to study the impacts of fracking on health, but both groups pulled out of a public meeting about the work. We'll also hear about a nature preserve in Wyoming County that's now one of three new Pennsylvania parks.

In dozens of Pennsylvania towns, underground steam systems that heat buildings could be re-vamped to be powered by renewable energy. But there's competition: cheaper natural gas. We'll also hear from President Biden's climate envoy about what it will take to meet climate change goals. Plus, a new documentary tells the story of a small, rural town trying to keep a fracking waste injection well out of its community to preserve its drinking water and save a rare salamander. News about PFAS in fracking wastewater in Ohio.

This week, we learn about why white oak trees are in trouble and the lawsuit over a plan to cut them down in the Wayne National Forest. We also talk about the underground network that connects trees in forests. Plus, the story of a hunter who discovered a full-grown American chestnut tree in a Delaware forest. News about a global clean energy conference in Pittsburgh, pipelines, and spotted lanternflies.

Climate change is fueling more flooding in Pennsylvania and throughout the Ohio Valley. We'll look at the relationship between climate change, flooding and extreme weather. And we'll hear about how one town in Pennsylvania is trying to get ahead of the problem. Plus, it's the 60th anniversary of the publication of a book that questioned the indiscriminate use of synthetic chemicals and became an instant classic: Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring."

Street trees help cool cities, filter rainwater, and prevent flooding. We look at how Pennsylvania cities are overcoming barriers to planting more. In Huntington County, birders and naturalists oppose new development next to a wetland. Plus, the creation of the Flight 93 National Memorial to honor those who died there on 9/11 included treating mine pollution in the water nearby.

PFAS, called forever chemicals, is the latest worry over fracking. We talk to a reporter about how PFAS found in one man's well water could have come from fracking. One year later, the impacts of Hurricane Ida linger for people in Pennsylvania. And, we talk with a conservationist about purple martins, which need human-made birdhouses to keep them from going extinct in the eastern U.S.