The world’s first certified EcoDistrict is a former steel town along the Allegheny River. Plus, as USEPA looks to loosen regulations for coal ash waste, what it’s like to live near the largest of these toxic sites in the nation. Calls for stricter rules for coke ovens in Allegheny County, while everyday people learn to monitor smokestacks for air pollution.
[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/11960282/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/87a93a/” width=”100%” height=”90″ scrolling=”no” class=”podcast-class” frameborder=”0″ placement=”top” use_download_link=”” download_link_text=”” primary_content_url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/alleghenyfront/AF110819_SHOW_Final_mp3.mp3″ theme=”custom” custom_color=”#87a93a” libsyn_item_id=”11960282″ /]
Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | TuneIn
- Clean Air Group Calls for Stronger Rules for Coke Ovens in Allegheny County - GASP wants the health department to make good on its promise to strengthen rules to deal with hydrogen sulfide, the stinky pollutant that smells like rotten eggs.
- The Smoke Readers Who Keep Tabs on Air Pollution - The smoke readers program gives citizens the skills to watch over smokestacks in their communities. “That is empowering."
- ‘Mighty’ Etna: The Greening of a Blue-Collar River Town - When a flood devastated the river town of Etna in 2004, the community set in motion a radical plan to cope with its stormwater problems using green infrastructure.
- Trump Administration Proposes Rollbacks for Two Obama-Era Coal Pollution Rules - The rules include an extension for the closure of unlined coal ash lagoons. A recent study has shown more than 90% of these sites are leaking arsenic and other toxins at levels exceeding EPA health standards.
- The Cautionary Tale of the Largest Coal Ash Waste Site in the U.S. - When it became clear that coal ash waste from a nearby power plant was making them sick, residents of one West Virginia town mobilized. But activists fear weakened regulations will make it harder for others to do the same.