Renewables in the Trump Era: Doomed or Too Big to Fail?
In the latest from our Trump on Earth podcast, it's no secret that the President is a big fan of fossil fuels. But where does that leave solar and wind energy?
Reid Frazier
Shell’s Pennsylvania Chemical Plant Brings Hope for Jobs, Fear of Pollution
Shell’s ethane cracker is scheduled to begin construction later this year. Many in the region worry what impact the plant--and others that might be built in the future--will have on the region’s air.
Is Fracking an Environmental Justice Issue?
Pennsylvania’s environmental justice program was created before the state’s fracking boom began. So none of the state’s more than 10,000 shale gas wells were ever subject to it. Some environmentalists think it’s time that changes.
There’s Enough Gas for Several More Crackers, Industry Says
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.
On Health Effects, Blame the Trucks, Not the Fracking?
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.
It’s Not Paris or Pittsburgh. It’s the Planet.
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?
Trump Touts a New PA Mine. But is Coal Actually Rebounding?
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?
Are We Heading for a Hydropower Boom on the Three Rivers?
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.
The Climate of Mann
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:
Why Solar Eclipsed Coal in Jobs
Solar jobs now out number coal jobs by more than 2 to 1. But can laid off coal miners find jobs in solar?
