Environment & Science

The Lehigh Valley ranks as the eighth-highest industrial market in the U.S., it was disclosed at a Lehigh Valley Planning Commission roundtable meeting on Friday.

This week, Megan Frank is joined by environment and science reporter Molly Bilinski, and Northampton County reporter Ryan Gaylor.

Northampton County Council on Thursday approved nearly $650,000 in Livable Landscapes grants, most focused on expanding or improving the public trails.

With more than two dozen species of fireflies that call Pennsylvania home, it’s no wonder one was adopted as the state’s insect. But, these flashy insects are threatened due habitat loss and light pollution.

The Delaware River Sojourn, an eight-day guided paddling and camping trip, is underway. About 100 paddlers are participating.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's General Duty Clause essentially says employees are entitled to a safe and healthy workplace. In some cases, that applies to workers that can endure excessive heat, like during a heat advisory.

Looking for relief from the heat in Easton? The city is opening up City Hall and turning on the fire hydrants over the next few days to alleviate the sky-high temperatures.

Over the last three decades, more than 400 farms have been preserved in Lehigh County. The program aims to ward off development and protect open spaces.

Grant applications for the Municipal Opportunities for Retrofits and Energy Efficiency, or MORE, Program are open. Loans are also available through a Lehigh Valley lender.

With temperatures expected to stay in the 90s this week, electric companies are sharing ways for customers to keep their bills low while keeping cool.

The free festival runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the center. The schedule includes nature walks, live animal presentations, monarch butterfly tagging, music and more.

Northampton County and its conservation district appear poised to split after a County Council committee meeting Wednesday showed deep distrust between them

Lehigh Valley Breathes, a Valley-wide effort, aims to measure air quality. From the collected data, officials said they will make recommendations for improvements.

It’s becoming increasingly probable that a subtropical storm develops off the Southeast coast this weekend, forecasters say, but expected impacts to the Lehigh Valley remain in question.

It took less than two weeks to fix operational issues at Kline’s Island Wastewater Treatment Plant on Union Street. Officials described the sewer odor as an ‘"earthy" or "rotten egg" smell but said it is not harmful to human health.

The average price for a gallon of gas in the Lehigh Valley was $3.87 this week. That's below the Pennsylvania average of $3.92 per gallon but up slightly more than 11 cents from last week, according to AAA.

The letter-writing campaign began Sept. 9. It is unclear how many emails city councilmembers have so far received.

Released Tuesday, results from Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion’s National Surveys on Energy and the Environment show Americans want to prevent future global warming, and also believe adaptation to climate change will require major lifestyle changes.

The biggest differences between tropical and subtropical storms are in the way they form and in the broad impacts. A subtropical system could target the region this weekend.

A heat map generated from PennDOT crash statistics shows a high rate of collisions involving deer and vehicles — the Lehigh Valley included. Pennsylvania also ranked No. 3 overall for the likelihood of having an animal-vehicle collision.

Several Lehigh Valley residents reported witnessing a string of lights in the sky in the Allentown and Bethlehem areas on Saturday night, Sept. 16.

High pressure originating from the Great Lakes is shifting offshore on Sunday, paving the way for an approaching cold front and unsettled conditions.