On today’s episode of The Confluence: Some European nations rely on Russia for natural gas, but after its invasion of Ukraine, Pennsylvania oil and gas producers are looking to ramp up efforts to export their products to Europe; Giant Eagle is planning to bring “Mobile Markets” to neighborhoods lacking grocery stores, but a researcher and urban farmer say it will take more intentional, community-based efforts to fix what they call “food apartheid”; and a look at how the state’s new redistricting could impact upcoming elections.
Rising oil and gas prices in Europe ae prompting some local producers to try to increase their exports
(0:00 - 5:38)
A U.N. official says at least one million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded last week. Many others are looking to disinvest assets and cut business ties to Russia. At the same time, Pennsylvania gas producers are looking at how they can possibly supply natural gas to Ukraine and Europe.
The price of gas from European providers is rising as production has fallen, making U.S. exports more attractive.
“They [European countries] went into last year, they had a very cold winter and then they had a very hot summer. So, they went into last winter and last fall with very low reserves, so the prices were at record highs,” says Julie Grant, Managing Editor and reporter with the Allegheny Front. “You saw producers from around the world trying to fill that need and get those high prices.”
Grant spoke to the president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, Dave Callahan, who told her producers are trying to increase their output.
The gas industry, Grant says, is also trying to get Gov. Tom Wolf to support increased production, although President Joe Biden has canceled projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have helped transport oil and gas.
In the meantime, European nations that previously relied on Russia for oil are looking for alternative sources, concerned that the supply of oil and gas from Russia could become unreliable.
“We just heard on Wednesday that Germany is starting to look to diversify its sources of natural gas, its sources of energy. It's kind of starting to look toward coal as a substitute because it doesn't want to rely on Russia for its natural gas,” says Grant. “[Germany] also announced over the past week … that it intends to accelerate its move toward 100% renewable energy and push that goal to 2035.”
New mobile markets seek to increase food access in certain neighborhoods, but some say lasting change will require more work
(5:43 - 15:42)
Food insecurity means people don’t have reliable access to enough nutritious foods. For residents in Pittsburgh, particularly those in some predominantly Black neighborhoods, they face difficulty accessing fresh food and grocery stores.
Giant Eagle launched mobile markets in Braddock, Rankin and three city neighborhoods: Sheraden, Larimer and Homewood. The company says it’s an effort to address this lack of access.
“Lack of access to nutritious food is an issue of food justice. It's an issue of social justice. It's also an issue of neighborhood assets,” says Tamara Dubowitz, a senior policy researcher with the RAND Corporation.
Homewood is part of the RAND Corporation’s PHRESH study, which looks at the impact of neighborhood investment on diet, sleep, health and well-being.
“Many of the mobile markets that have started across the country have focused specifically on increasing produce consumption and increasing produce access, and the research has shown that mobile markets work,” says Dubowitz. “We've also seen that residents who use the mobile markets have decreased levels of food insecurity, as well as greater consumption of produce, which is great.”
Dubowitz says for Giant Eagle’s mobile markets, she wonders about the quality of the produce and other foods that will be provided, and hopes to get a better understanding of the cost and the variety of foods offered.
Raqueeb Ajamu-Osagboro is the executive director of the Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh, and resident of Homewood. She says although the pilot program for the markets will be helpful, they’re not a permanent solution.
“It's a pilot program that is just starting off, but not only is once a week not enough, but [neither is] just staying in one spot,” says Ajamu-Osagboro “We're grateful that they're here, they're at the YMCA and they're going to be at the YWCA in Homewood. But for instance, we have a neighborhood called Hilltop, right? And residents are stuck up there sometimes.”
Ajamu-Osagboro is one of many people working end what they call “food apartheid” in these communities. She explains access to nutritious, affordable food requires collaborative, community-centered solutions.
Newly drawn state House districts are attracting some newcomers to run for office
(15:45 - 22:30)
Every decade, an earthquake hits the Pennsylvania legislature in the form of redistricting. This year, the commonwealth got a new map of state House districts that makes Democrats more competitive than they’ve been in at least two decades, but also makes districts less likely to swing between parties.
WHYY’s Katie Meyer aims a spotlight on the ways those changes affect people in two different places: the blue-shifting Harrisburg metro, and moderate Bucks County.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
