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Allegheny Front

Essential Public Media

Jennifer Szweda Jordan hosts The Allegheny Front - a weekly public radio program covering environmental issues in Pennsylvania. The half-hour program has a magazine format with sound-rich feature stories, in-depth news reports, interviews and commentaries that include voices from the community, experts in the field and elected officials to give a broad view of the environment and impacts to communities in Pennsylvania.

Jennifer Szweda Jordan hosts The Allegheny Front - a weekly public radio program covering environmental issues in Pennsylvania. The half-hour program has a magazine format with sound-rich feature stories, in-depth news reports, interviews and commentaries that include voices from the community, experts in the field and elected officials to give a broad view of the environment and impacts to communities in Pennsylvania.

Location:

Pittsburgh, PA

Description:

Jennifer Szweda Jordan hosts The Allegheny Front - a weekly public radio program covering environmental issues in Pennsylvania. The half-hour program has a magazine format with sound-rich feature stories, in-depth news reports, interviews and commentaries that include voices from the community, experts in the field and elected officials to give a broad view of the environment and impacts to communities in Pennsylvania.

Language:

English

Contact:

67 Bedford Square Pittsburgh, PA 15203 412-697-2933

Episodes

Future of farming; environmentalists push for more monitoring of the petrochemical industry; fear of winter camping turns into wonder

2/14/2020
What's the future of farming in Pa.? Environmentalists push for more monitoring of the petrochemical industry. A fear of winter camping turns into wonder. A final agreement with U.S. Steel to deal with air pollution. Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | TuneIn

Duration:00:28:57

Winter hiking; Gov. Wolf on climate and petrochemicals; manipulating data at USGS

2/7/2020
We head out on a hike for a different perspective on winter. Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf wants to fight climate change but this support of petrochemicals will make that harder to achieve. A new poll splits support in Pa. for a fracking ban. Plus, internal documents show the Trump administration tried to spin climate data about wildfires to promote logging.

Duration:00:28:57

Bonus Episode: Interview with Justin Nobel, author of "America's Radioactive Secret"

1/31/2020
The Allegheny Front's Kara Holsopple talks with journalist Justin Nobel about his investigative piece, "America's Radioactive Secret," on the dangers of radioactive oil and gas waste, published recently in Rolling Stone. The piece focuses on worker and community safety and health concerns over the wastewater that comes up out of fracked oil and gas wells.

Duration:00:28:17

Removing dams, shipping hazardous cargo and a radiation risk to oil and gas workers

1/31/2020
Removing dams in the Ohio River watershed improves safety and fish habitat, but some residents aren't on board. Shipping on the Ohio River has gotten more dangerous with climate change. Oil and gas workers are at risk from radioactive elements in fracking wastewater.

Duration:00:28:57

Trump Rollbacks, Air Quality in Pittsburgh, Mercury in the Ohio

1/24/2020
The Trump EPA ends protections for nearly a fifth of the nation's streams and half of wetlands, proposes ending the requirement for environmental impact studies and public input for all kinds of projects. Plus, what's next for air quality in Allegheny County? A look at mercury pollution in the Ohio River.

Duration:00:28:57

Future of coal, mining impacts and living on a Lake Erie island

1/17/2020
The Trump administration's policies couldn’t keep the largest privately-held coal company from bankruptcy. A new report details impacts from coal mining in Pa., while state park officials say they can't keep up with maintenance needs. Plus, living on a Lake Erie island.

Duration:00:28:57

Saving lives from the switch to coal to gas, air quality in Pittsburgh, Louisville's riverfronts

1/10/2020
A study shows thousands of lives saved from switching from coal to natural gas for power. Air quality in Pittsburgh and a settlement with U.S. Steel. A proposed EPA rule would limit the kinds of scientific studies used to create environmental and public health regulations. Our Good River series about the Ohio continues.

Duration:00:28:57

Revisiting 2019: Three Mile Island, criminal investigations into fracking and PFAS in water

1/3/2020
Some of our biggest stories of 2019: 40th anniversary of the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island and links to thyroid cancer; environmental investigations involving the fracking boom; and a court order not publish the details of an agreement between a gas driller and residents. Plus, PFAS contamination of drinking water.

Duration:00:28:57

Stories about saving bats, mussels, insects and birds

12/27/2019
Some of our best conservation stories of 2019: Surveying Pittsburgh rivers for a salamander important for an endangered mussel. Hope for bats devastated by white-nose syndrome. What we know about insect die-offs. Plus, friendship in birdwatching.

Duration:00:28:57

Pa. gas and the connection to plastic in the ocean; climate change and strip mining equals flooding; hemp growers with high hopes

12/20/2019
In Scotland, efforts to keep plastic produced from Pa. shale gas out of the ocean. Climate change means more rain in our region. Will aging infrastructure protect towns from flooding? The strip mining and flooding connection in a warming world. Hemp growers have high hopes of turning a profit...someday.

Duration:00:28:57

A focus on the Ohio River: plastic pollution, green infrastructure, sustainability

12/13/2019
Shell’s ethane cracker in Beaver County will produce tiny plastic pellets that can spill or escape the plant. Will the Ohio River be protected? RiverWise is embracing sustainability in Beaver County. Plus, there's a new plan to keep sewage overflows out of Pittsburgh's three rivers. A CMU study finds economic value from natural gas in the region, but also premature deaths.

Duration:00:28:57

Exporting Pa. Shale Gas, The Future of Climate Policy and Some Advice from a Longtime Environmentalist

12/6/2019
American natural gas is exported to 35 countries, including Japan. But some Pennsylvanians have been forced to give up their land in the process. We talk with Obama's chief climate negotiator on the future of climate action and a longtime environmentalist on advice to the new generation solving the climate crisis. Arrests made in a security scheme along the troubled Mariner East Pipeline construction project.

Duration:00:28:57

Grappling with the enormity of the climate crisis

12/2/2019
From talking to kids about the uncertainty of a warming planet to educating ourselves about climate science, we hear from people grappling with the enormity of the climate crisis. Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | TuneIn

Duration:00:28:57

The Good River, Ban Fracking, No More Petrochemical Plants

11/22/2019
One community along the Ohio River is using outdoor recreation to boost its economy, kicking off a new series about the wonder and worries of the Ohio River watershed. Plus, the fallout from Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto's announcement opposing more petrochemical plants in Pennsylvania. A Philly charter school didn't notify parents when high levels of lead where found in the school's water fountains.

Duration:00:28:57

Pa.'s fracked gas fuels plastics in Scotland; how the border wall is bad for wildlife

11/15/2019
While fracking is banned in Scotland, fracked gas from Pennsylvania is imported there to make plastic. The FBI is investigating the Wolf administration for its role in permitting of the Mariner East pipeline. The Pa. AG says climate change is costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars. A report from the borderlands: how the wall will impact wildlife.

Duration:00:28:57

First ever EcoDistrict, living next to a toxic coal ash site, reading smokestacks for pollution

11/8/2019
The world's first certified EcoDistrict is a former steel town along the Allegheny River. 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. Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | TuneIn

Duration:00:28:57

Episode for November 1, 2019

11/1/2019
A researcher is calling for solutions to keep plastic pollution out of rivers. A new report shows worrisome levels of contaminants in drinking water across the U.S. and in Pittsburgh. How indigenous communities are looking to the sun and alternatives for affordable energy. Plus the largest underground coal mining company goes bankrupt. Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | TuneIn

Duration:00:28:57

Episode for October 25, 2019

10/25/2019
Backyard fires might be fun but ultrafine particles in the smoke can get into lungs and the bloodstream. A ballot initiative in Pittsburgh to repair and maintain parks has supporters and skeptics. Outdoor Afro celebrates African American leadership and love of nature. President Trump came to town and ripped the Paris climate accord and Democratic climate change plans. Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | TuneIn

Duration:00:28:57

Toxic Trash, Great Horned Owls, Rick Perry and More

10/18/2019
This week on The Allegheny Front, how toxic trash is finally being cleaned up. Plus a host of bills in the Pennsylvania House look to boost the state's economy by encouraging natural gas development. And why birds like the Great Horned Owl could become less common in Pennsylvania's forests.

Duration:00:28:57

Bad news for pumpkin lovers

10/11/2019
A group of residents keep an eye on a polluting coke plant that a judge has allowed to stay open. New rules for pig slaughterhouses may put pork and worker safety at risk. Families of cancer patients want the state to look at fracking. Actors get into character as creatures of the night for family-friendly hikes. Plus, bad news for pumpkin lovers.

Duration:00:28:57

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