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The Allegheny Front
3rd Sunday of every month, 4pm - 5pm

The Allegheny Front podcast from 90.5 WESA brings you all the environmental news and stories to keep you in the know in Pennsylvania.

  • Sign up for our newsletter! On this week's episode: How last year's fatal blast at the Clairton Coke Works has impacted the community there. A new study shows how many deaths can be attributed to air pollution in the Pittsburgh region. Opposition to data centers is growing as dozens of the facilities are proposed for the region and they could impact the water supply. State agriculture officials are trying to stem a spike in avian flu cases among Pennsylvania poultry flocks. Ski ballet is no longer an Olympic sport, but it's an art still being practiced on the slopes. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today. Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203. And thanks!
  • Sign up for our newsletter! On this week's episode: How the Trump adminstration's move to rescind the the scientific basis for regulating greenhouse gases could impact states' climate initiatives. High levels of PFAS, known as forever chemicals, are being released into streams surrounding the Pittsburgh Internatiuonal Airport. The Conestoga in Lancaster County is Pennsylvania's River of the Year. The environmental watchdog group Three Rivers Waterkeeper intends to sue U.S. Steel over an oily sheen on the Monongahela River. State lawmakers are hoping to strengthen energy efficiency standards for appliances at the same time federal lawmakers are trying to weaken them. A group of Blair County volunteers is asking for help to restore a nearby abandoned town. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission wants people to stay off icy rivers, streams and creeks. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today. Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203. And thanks!
  • Sign up for our newsletter! On this week's episode: Council members in an Ohio town were concerned when a company planned to store fracking wastewater deep underground near their source of drinking water. The industry says stopping the operation would be government overreach. Why some impacted by the East Palestine train derailment still haven't been compensated almost two years after a settlement with the railway company. A new symptom tracker for East Palestine residents is helping researchers document health changes stemming from the derailment. Federal regulators will no longer consider the economic costs of harm to human health when regulating certain air pollutants. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro touted the benefits of new data centers in his annual budget address but wants them to generate their own power. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today. Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203. And thanks!
  • Sign up for our newsletter! This week, numerous health studies are ongoing following the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio 3 years ago. When conventional oil and gas operators in Ohio started seeing fracking wastewater come up through their wells, they knew there was a bigger problem. January is national Radon Action Month, and that means it's time to test your home for the radioactive gas. There is a relationship between heavy snowfall and global warming. The Nature Conservancy is working to help species adapt to climate change by acquiring land to serve as a critical rest stop for increasingly rare, migrating grassland birds. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is pausing its proposal to move up the start of firearms deer season. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today. Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203. And thanks!
  • Sign up for our newsletter! This week, a new project will take on studying the risks of wildfire in Eastern states. Residents of an eastern Ohio town have concerns about fracking wastewater fouling their own water supply. As the Pittsburgh newspaper of record announces its closure, former employees look back and ahead at environmental coverage in the region. Pennsylvania lawmakers and consumer advocates blamed new data centers for rising home energy prices at policy hearing in the state Capitol. Researchers are trying to find new ways to remove microplastics and PFAS chemicals from drinking water. The arguments for and against starting deer season for firearms early in Pennsylvania. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today. Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203. And thanks!
  • Sign up for our newsletter! This week, demand for electricity is growing, largely from data centers. Meanwhile the Trump administration is making it harder to produce more renewable energy. Meta wants to purchase nuclear power from a power plant in western Pennsylvania. An Ohio commission approved another oil and gas lease under a state-owned wildlife area. Climate change might be causing native wildflowers to bloom earlier in Pennsylvania. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today. Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203. And thanks!
  • Sign up for our newsletter! This week, Inside Climate News tells us about their three-part investigation of solid fracking waste in Pennsylvania. We also look at the climate impacts of concrete, and talk with a couple that's taken their fascination with birds into the studio. We have news about environmental groups objecting to an air quality permit for a natural gas plant at the site of the former coal plant in Homer City, Indiana County, and research shows that salt used for winter de-icing is being found in Pennsylvania waterways throughout the year. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today. Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203. And thanks!
  • We're asking our listeners to become members with a donation of any size. Your membership will help us keep the lights on and the environmental news flowing. We're independent and non-profit, and we don't get money from WESA, WPSU or any other radio station. So we must turn to you, our listeners, for support. Take action today so we can continue to keep you informed. Donate today. Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203. And thanks! On this week's episode: Some of our favorite stories from 2025 from across Pennsylvania: A nonprofit hopes to help landowners reclaim mineland in Appalachia by planting trees and selling carbon credits. The site of a recently retired coal plant in Indiana County is getting a new life – as a data center. What impact will this have on the electric grid, and the local community? River otters have made a comeback in Pennsylvania. Trout in the Classroom participants said goodbye to their aquatic classmates. Students learn the power of farm to table. Proponents of sustainable clothing hope U.S. tariffs will persuade people to buy second hand. Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story.
  • It's our end-of-year membership drive! Become a member today. Our nonprofit newsroom is powered by our members. Now through December 31st, every donation up to $1,000 will be matched. One-time donations will be doubled and monthly donations matched 12 times. Another $1,000 will be unlocked if we gain 50 new members at any amount. Donate today. Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203. And thanks! On this week's show: A former dairy farmer turned musician uses his story to get others in agriculture to talk about their feelings and find healing. And how a man has kept his appointment with the sunrise every morning, for years. Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story.
  • It's our end-of-year membership drive! Become a member today. Our nonprofit newsroom is powered by our members. Now through December 31st, every donation up to $1,000 will be matched. One-time donations will be doubled and monthly donations matched 12 times. Another $1,000 will be unlocked if we gain 50 new members at any amount. Donate today. Or send us a check to: The Allegheny Front, 67 Bedford Square, Pittsburgh, 15203. And thanks! On this week's show: How nature-based learning inspires human creativity. Pennsylvania is among the states suing the Trump administration over funding for electric vehicle chargers. We head out into the wilds of Pennsylvania with the people who keep an eye on the state's bears. We speak with the author of a collection of stories where bears are recurring characters. The US Environmental Protection Agency heard testimony in Pittsburgh about proposed changes to the Clean Water Act. A controversial data center has the green light to move forward with construction at the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Allegheny County. Three Mile Island is at the center of the Trump administration's push for new nuclear energy projects to power the ongoing race to advance artificial intelligence. Sign up for our newsletter! Get our newsletter every Tuesday morning so you'll never miss an environmental story.