Shell’s $6 billion ethane cracker in Beaver County could be the first of several large chemical plants in the region. That’s because there’s enough ethane being produced to provide the chemical industry with the raw material without any additional drilling.
Scientists have linked fracking with health issues for people who live near gas wells. Many wonder whether the fracking process itself is to blame. But one researcher thinks the problem might have nothing to do with fracking, but rather something we see so often, we hardly ever notice it.
President Trump fulfilled one of his biggest campaign promises in taking the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord. But could his decision lead to more climate action, not less?
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."
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.
