Full Episode

How a loophole in the law allowed fracking pollutants to go to a landfill, through a sewage plant and into the Mon River. Democratic candidates laid out their climate plans at a town hall. We asked an environmental politics professor to evaluate them. A federal appeals court deals a blow to the PennEast Pipeline. Plus, when chimney swifts roost, it's quite a sight.

A clover thought to be extinct was discovered in the region and has rebounded. One Pennsylvania town passed a single-use plastic ban, despite a state law prohibiting local bans for a year. The Amazon is burning, and that's bad for birds. Pa lawmakers propose a cap-and-trade bill that could take years to pass.

This week on The Allegheny Front, coal fields are fertile ground for fast growing grasses that can be used for biofuel. And a fungus is changing the behavior of infected cicadas. Plus, renewable energy is making up a larger share of energy production as aging nuclear plants are decommissioned.

President Trump visits the Shell ethane cracker to tout his energy and economic policies. The secretary of the California EPA talks about Trump's roll back of fuel efficiency standards. PFAS contamination is likely at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Climate activists take stock after a tree falls on their car. Pennsylvanians support taxing gas drillers to pay for infrastructure upgrades.

A conservation group is working to keep purple martins in our region, but loss of habitat, invasive species and now climate change threaten the bird. A pioneering mussel researcher reflects on her career trying to save this freshwater animal.  A study links fracking with anxiety and depression in pregnant women. Climate change will cause people to have to leave their homes. We have the story of two brothers.

Some hope a shutdown of an oil refinery can be an example of a just transition that benefits workers, community and environment. A new book tells the story of a clean energy pioneer trying to get wind power to where it's needed most. We fact-checked President Trump's environmental claims. The community sounds off on a clean air settlement with U.S. Steel.

Scientists are trying to learn more about unique wetlands full of carnivorous plants, rare birds and floating sphagnum moss.  A rare butterfly has found refuge at a military base. President Trump made good on a promise to fund the sandy restoration of popular beaches on Lake Erie. Plus, how to become a watershed steward.