By all accounts, the coal industry is in a steep decline. Mines have been shutting down for about a decade. So why is one in Somerset County about to open?
Adding hydropower capacity to the region's many existing dams could be a big new source of renewable energy. But some worry about the impact on the Three Rivers' still-recovering fisheries.
Somewhere between 97 and 99 percent of scientists believe that climate change is real, caused by us, and a problem. But at a recent hearing held by the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, only 25% of the witnesses reflected that position. This guy:
Silas House writes about life in coal country through rich, complex characters steeped in history and tradition. His activism is rooted in seeing how mining affected his family and community.
If a petrochemical boom is heading to western Pennsylvania — as it now appears to be — there are some big lessons we can learn from residents living in the shadow of Louisiana's "Chemical Corridor."
The shale gas boom on the Gulf Coast has had a trickle down effect for the region's petrochemical industry. Could the same happen in western Pennsylvania?
As a petrochemical industry boom looms, Pennsylvanians could learn a lot from chemical capitals like Houston about how to keep air pollution under control.
Reid R. Frazier covers energy for The Allegheny Front. His work has taken him as far away as Texas and Louisiana to report on the petrochemical industry and as close to home as Greene County, Pennsylvania to cover the shale gas boom. His award-winning work has also aired on NPR, Marketplace and other outlets. Reid is currently contributing to StateImpact Pennsylvania, a collaboration among The Allegheny Front, WESA, WITF and WHYY covering the Commonwealth's energy economy.
