The Allegheny Front

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.

The future of nuclear energy might be microreactors. With new air monitors, an environmental group is publishing real-time pollution data for people who live near the ethane cracker and other industries in Beaver County. How bird flu and the price of eggs are influencing Pennsylvania consumers. And, the new head of the EPA announced sweeping plans to roll back 31 separate environmental protections. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and a crypto mining company have agreed to speed the cleanup of the company’s unpermitted coal ash dumping. 

Provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made it easier for churches and schools to install solar panels. How will the Trump administration impact the growth of solar in Pennsylvania? A hazardous waste landfill in Westmoreland County has been a thorn in the side of nearby residents for decades. To fight plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, scientists are calling for a more unified effort in the region. Residents living within a mile of a U.S. Steel plant in Braddock, near Pittsburgh, have until March 17 to opt out of a class action settlement over alleged air pollution. Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources wants forest owners to help fight spongy moths. Conservationists look for Northern flying squirrels in the Poconos.

How word of a federal funding freeze disrupted efforts to clean up a century’s worth of abandoned mine pollution in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced the state again has access to more than $2 billion of federal money that had been frozen by the Trump administration. While some federal funding to Pennsylvania has been restored, other monies, like aid for farmers, are still in limbo. The Trump administration's recent firings of staff at the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service have conservation organizations concerned. Faith leaders, environmental advocates, and community organizers met for Pittsburgh’s first-ever Multi-Faith Community Forestry Summit. A unique partnership between a botanical garden and a bird rescue uses plant waste that would be composted to help injured birds.

Many people want to install solar panels on their homes to reduce costs and carbon pollution. Now a government program that makes solar more affordable is at risk. Environmental advocates applaud Governor Shapiro’s lawsuit against the Trump administration for freezing funds for infrastructure and climate programs. While it was very cold in much of the U.S., January was the hottest on Earth. An environmental education center in Northwestern Pennsylvania includes a distillery that makes alcohol from an unusual local product: sunflowers. Also, new research from Drexel University finds kids in Philadelphia continue to have elevated levels of lead in their blood. More than $15 million were awarded to projects across the state that protect land and restore local watersheds, and the Delaware River is the 2025 Pennsylvania River of the Year.