Your Environment Update Archives

Trump’s Executive Order to Keep Meat Plants Open Could Be Risky. Here’s Why.

Julie GrantMay 8, 2020

On this episode of our Trump on Earth podcast, balancing worker safety with the food supply is risky business.

CoronavirusFood and AgriculturePodcastsYour Environment Update

Why the Rollback of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards ‘Foreshadows What’s to Come’

Reid FrazierApril 24, 2020

An Obama-era rule has already reduced toxic air pollution like mercury from coal-fired power plants. So why did the EPA roll it back now? In a word, co-benefits.

HealthPodcastsPoliticsPollutionYour Environment Update

Why One Writer Says Coronavirus is Like Climate Change on Steroids

Reid FrazierApril 10, 2020

There are some similarities: a reluctance to admit to the scale of the problem and the need to take radical action very quickly on a global scale. And we have to listen to the scientists.

Climate ChangeCoronavirusPodcastsYour Environment Update

Earth Day is Virtual This Year. Here’s How You Can Participate.

Kara HolsoppleApril 3, 2020

This year is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, but the coronavirus pandemic has moved celebrations online. Environmental groups have a month-long challenge for Pennsylvanians of all ages.

CoronavirusCultureYour Environment Update

Trump on Earth: EPA Suspends Some Enforcement During Coronavirus Pandemic

Julie GrantMarch 31, 2020

EPA has said it will not enforce monitoring and other reporting requirements on industry due to the coronavirus. Critics say this is just too broad.

CoronavirusPodcastsPoliticsPollutionYour Environment Update

State to Allegheny, Beaver and 10 Other Counties: Seek and Destroy Spotted Lanternfly Eggs

Julie GrantMarch 13, 2020

The pest, which has already damaged grape crops in eastern counties, is moving westward. Businesses will need permits to move goods in and out of quarantined counties.

Food and AgricultureWild PennsylvaniaYour Environment Update

Trump on Earth: A Dark History of Oil, Power and War

Reid FrazierMarch 6, 2020

One author examines the rise of oil as the dominant resource for power. "So we fought many wars for access to oil when oil was plentiful. You have to wonder what's going to happen when oil becomes a scarce resource."

EnergyHistoryPodcastsYour Environment Update

Trump on Earth: A New Rule Would End Penalties for Bird Deaths

Julie GrantMarch 4, 2020

A change to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act drastically weakens how birds are protected. A former official who managed the bird program for 30 years speaks out.

ConservationNewsPodcastsPoliticsWild PennsylvaniaWildlifeYour Environment Update

Why This Climate Scientist Says ‘No’ to Flying

Kara HolsoppleFebruary 26, 2020

Scientists do a lot of flying to meetings and conferences. For Peter Kalmus, flying 50,000 miles a year for his work was a huge chuck of his carbon footprint.

Climate ChangeYour Environment Update

Northern Long-Eared Bat Was Improperly Denied Endangered Status. What’s Next?

Kara HolsoppleFebruary 11, 2020

A judge’s ruling gives environmentalists new hope for the future of a bat that's quickly disappearing from Pennsylvania.

ConservationWild PennsylvaniaWildlifeYour Environment Update

Full Episodes

Episode for November 22, 2024

Episode for November 15, 2024

Episode for November 8, 2024

2024 Election

What Pennsylvania voters say about the environment

Longtime environmental official on Pennsylvania election results: People will need to be ‘as tenacious as the industry’

What can we expect from a Trump administration? Our reporters weigh in.

Your Environment Update