The Allegheny Front for the week of
November 14-20, 2014
Former DEP Head Tapped as Wolf's Chief of Staff
Former Pennsylvania DEP secretary Katie McGinty failed to win the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania Governor last spring, but she has nabbed one of the top spots in Governor-elect Tom Wolf's administration. That could have implications for how the state moves forward on energy and environmental issues.
Three Questions About the U.S. and China Climate Deal
This week the U.S. pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions down to about a quarter of 2005 levels in the next decade. This bumps up President Obama’s commitment to cracking down on emissions to stave off climate change. We check in with Bloomberg News' Washington reporter Mark Drajem.
Rossellini Finds Biodiversity a Sexy 'Green Porno'
Cole Porter let us know that birds do it and bees do it, but seldom if ever has pop culture broached the sex lives of worms or bed bugs. Leave that to the inventive Italian-born actress Isabella Rossellini. She's bringing her "Green Porno" show from the Sundance Channel to Pittsburgh.
Bird Files: Rufous Hummingbirds' Cold-Weather Journey
Hummingbirds are braving the cold and snow in growing numbers in late autumn and early winter in our region—especially a rust-colored bird known as the Rufous Hummingbird.
Extinction Focus of 'The Lost Bird Project' Film at Carnegie Museum
"The Lost Bird Project," a film about a hopeful response to the tragedy of modern extinction, is showing at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. The hour-long documentary charts the efforts of artist Todd McGrain to immortalize five North American birds that are no longer part of our landscape’s living fabric.
Bioswale Helps Millvale with Flooding Problem
Pennsylvania communities have some new tools to deal with stormwater. The state legislature passed a bill to encourage big property owners to create green infrastructure in exchange for reduction in storm water fees. One town is finding that a particular kind of green infrastructure called a bioswale could be part of the solution.
‘WV Host Farms’ Offers Researchers Birdseye View of Gas Drilling
An organization started in Doddridge County, W.Va. has been teaming with scientists to try to get a better handle on the impacts of horizontal drilling and the ancillary processes that support it. WV Host Farms brings together landowners, researchers, students, and news reporters to take a close look at what is locally referred to as “ground zero” of Marcellus shale fracking.