Air readings taken near XXXXX’s house in Monaca, Pa. Photo: Reid Frazier/The Allegheny Front

Episode for March 27, 2026

Pennsylvania regulators are deciding whether to give Shell’s ethane cracker a new air pollution permit. Some residents say the plant is making the air there worse. An environmental group wants a moratorium on data center development in the state until stricter laws can be passed. A recently proposed settlement in a central Pennsylvania electric utility rate case aims to protect average residential customers from rising rates connected to new data centers. A Lackawanna County commissioner wants to protect residents’ air quality from data centers that often use diesel-powered backup generators. A look at Pittsburgh’s deer managementt program, three years in. Why turkey vultures are environmental heroes.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and dozens of plaintiffs from around the country sued to block the EPA’s move terminating the federal government’s legal authority to regulate greenhouse gases. Pennsylvania’s outdoor recreation industry is growing faster than the national average.

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Additional links:

Commissioner seeks air quality ordinance to protect Lackawanna County residents from data center emissions

Avian education center prepares to take flight in Pittsburgh