Julie Grant

Shale gas pipes

Fracking is on the rise in Pennsylvania. So are radon levels. Are the two connected?

Pennsylvania homes have high levels of radon, a substantial risk factor for lung cancer. Is the fracking boom makings matters worse? Scientists aren't quite sure.

Fracking is on the rise in Pennsylvania. So are radon levels. Are the two connected?
Farming in PA

Wild swings in the weather mean that some farm crops will flourish, while others struggle

Wild swings in the weather mean that some farm crops will flourish, while others struggle
Clairton Coke Work

Residents sue US Steel over air pollution in Western Pennsylvania

Residents sue US Steel over air pollution in Western Pennsylvania
This is a view of vineyards on Seneca Lake in New York.

The war over wine, water and fuel in New York’s Finger Lakes

The war over wine, water and fuel in New York’s Finger Lakes
Mick Luber, Ohio

Natural gas companies are using hardball tactics to expand their network of pipelines

Natural gas companies are using hardball tactics to expand their network of pipelines
Teach climate rally

Politics and lack of teacher training are keeping climate science out of US classrooms

Young people will need to understand climate change to make informed decisions in the future. But in many school districts in the US, students receive little or no scientific information about it. Teachers who do try to bring climate science into the classroom can find themselves in trouble.

Politics and lack of teacher training are keeping climate science out of US classrooms
Monarch close up

Two environmental groups sue on behalf of the monarch butterfly

The steep decline in the North American Monarch butterfly population has won this beautiful and popular creature its day in court.

Two environmental groups sue on behalf of the monarch butterfly
New EPA legislation will require that school buses shut down their engines after 5 minutes of idling. Some newer buses automatically turn off after a few minutes of idling.

School bus pollution is dangerous, and efforts to control it are still uneven

Exhaust from diesel fuel contains thousands of chemicals and more than 40 toxic air contaminants. That's especially dangerous for children who ride diesel-fueled school buses and wait in line among their fumes. But while efforts to cut down pollution are working, more enforcement is still needed.

School bus pollution is dangerous, and efforts to control it are still uneven
PA gas pipeline

A proposed Ohio gas pipeline is raising safety and property rights concerns for landowners in Ohio

Believe it or not, the Keystone XL pipeline is not the only pipeline in North America. Pipelines that carry natural gas from wells to refineries stretch hundreds of miles in the US, crossing public and private land. Many of these pipelines are planned for densely populated areas, and in some states, local opposition has been fierce.

A proposed Ohio gas pipeline is raising safety and property rights concerns for landowners in Ohio

Pipeline Raises Safety and Property Rights Concerns for Landowners

Pipelines that carry natural gas from well to refinery stretch hundreds of miles in the US, crossing public and private land. But as the Allegheny Fronts Julie Grant reports, landowners who learned that the proposed Nexus pipeline from southeast Ohio to Canada was to run across their property and carried risks of explosion, they banded together to protect their safety and property rights.

Pipeline Raises Safety and Property Rights Concerns for Landowners

Cap and Trade Heats Up Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Race

Under the EPAs proposed rules states have to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, but Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates disagree on how to do it. Allegheny Fronts Julie Grant reports that one candidate favors joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative would help meet these goals, but his opponent and Pennsylvanias coal power industry says no.

Cap and Trade Heats Up Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Race
In Ohio, concerned citizens can bring water from their wells to a monthly water monitoring program.

Fearing pollution, some local governments are demanding back zoning control over oil and gas

Oil and gas wells in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania present risk for local residents, but in many places, local government have no say in the zoning decisions that govern those wells. Now a movement is growing to bring that control back down to towns and cities to ease pollution worries

Fearing pollution, some local governments are demanding back zoning control over oil and gas

Ohio Community Protests Fracking Wastewater Zoning

Fracking wastewater is trucked into Ohio from Pennsylvania, processed and injected into deep wells. Allegheny Fronts Julie Grant reports that many local residents are concerned about earthquakes and water contamination, and argue that the state legislation improperly overrules citizens input on well zoning and regulations.

Ohio Community Protests Fracking Wastewater Zoning

Rain Tax

To pay to repair storm drains to control run-off, some towns are charging residents what's being called a storm utility fee or "rain-tax."

Rain Tax
Wind turbines Denmark

One of offshore wind power's best hopes is fading on Lake Erie

Offshore wind power has huge potential in the United States, but few wind farm projects are being approved. Now, a project on Lake Erie that once looked promising has lost federal grant money and may also be in jeopardy.

One of offshore wind power's best hopes is fading on Lake Erie