Environment & Science

State lawmakers on Monday held a committee hearing titled “Minimizing Risk & Harm: Preparing for Pennsylvania’s Hydrogen Future.” It comes almost two months after President Joe Biden announced seven regional clean hydrogen hub projects, including two in Pennsylvania.

Your name can travel to space on the Europa Clipper Spacecraft. NASA’s ‘Message in a Bottle’ program is open through the end of December.

The state Department of Environmental Protection's Energy Programs Office will host five public engagement sessions in December, four in-person and one virtual, as officials work to create a priority climate action plan to address the negative effects of climate change.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Residents from the Lehigh Valley and beyond on Thursday attended the state Department of Environmental Protection’s last public comment meeting on the commonwealth’s interim environmental justice policy. The majority said the policy doesn’t go far enough.

Blue Mountain Resort took full advantage of a recent cold snap across the region to fire up the snow guns — and schedule Opening Day on Friday.

While plans for the site include homes, offices, restaurants and other facilities at the 200-acre East Side property, regulations call for at least 35%, or about 70 acres, to be preserved as open space for outdoor recreation.

Wildlands Conservancy’s first fall photography contest is underway, with entries due just before midnight Thursday. Officials said the contest aims to encourage residents to explore the outdoors, as well as share their interest in nature with others in the community.

The Lehigh County Authority used municipal meetings to highlight what upgrades were currently planned to Lehigh County's sewer system, and what might be needed form the local governments

The coldest air of the season thus far is arriving in the Lehigh Valley, with forecasters touting conditions favorable for snow showers and squalls this afternoon.

Bird flu has arrived in the Lehigh Valley, contributing to the deaths of about 5,000 migrating snow geese at sites Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Letters of application for renewals of existing wastewater treatment plants and related discharges at Lehigh Township Municipal Authority-Pennsville and Lehigh Carbon Community College were approved by the LVPC Environment Committee on Tuesday morning.

The wind chill was minus 11 on Tuesday morning, and a cold weather advisory remains in effect in the Lehigh Valley until Wednesday. With those temperatures, we're more like Buffalo and colder than parts of Siberia.

The National Weather Service has issued a cold weather advisory for the Lehigh Valley and other parts of eastern Pennsylvania through noon Wednesday, with wind chills dropping to as low as 13 degrees below zero.

This week, WLVR's Brad Klein explore the prominent winter constellation Orion wit Marty McGuire, offering insights on its star patterns. Klein prefers to reimagine it as Orion the Dogwalker alongside the bright star Sirius.

While the snow took a few hours to start piling up, by mid-afternoon it was falling at rates of two inches per hour in some parts of the Lehigh Valley. Dangerous cold will follow the snow, forecasters say.

Following a Winter Storm Warning, The National Weather Service at Mount Holly, New Jersey has now issued a cold weather advisory for the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas, warning of "dangerously cold" temperatures this week.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering the eastern hellbender for protections under the federal Endangered Species Act. Find out why habitat loss and the pet trade are contributing to population declines.

A new bridge in Lower Saucon Township allows pedestrians to navigate from Hellertown to Quakertown uninterrupted. A grand opening ceremony was held Saturday.

If predictions stay true, the Lehigh Valley would be on the higher end of the 4- to 7-inch range of snowfall. PennDOT and the PA Turnpike Commission have set vehicle and road restrictions.

Depending on how the system evolves, a robust and plowable storm seems like the more likely scenario for the region, with the timing on potential snowfall beginning to lock in for Sunday afternoon.

Confidence has increased for a clipper system to bring light snow to the region on Thursday, with potential for additional accumulation Sunday into Monday. The coldest air mass of the season arrives behind it, forecasters say.