172 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 172 new stories in the PA Environment Digest about individuals, groups, local governments, farmers, businesses, watershed groups and many more working all across Pennsylvania to restore and protect the environment and show others the beauty that surrounds us.

Thank you for your leadership!

-- Punxsutawney Garden Club Honored With Keep PA Beautiful’s Community Pride Award In Jefferson County  [PaEN]

-- Times-Tribune: Local DEP Teams Honored For Responses To Mine Subsidence, Dam Sediment Release In Luzerne County  [PDF of Article] 

-- DCNR Grants News: Celebrate Park & Recreation Professionals Day! July 18; Video Highlights Of Recreation Career Options; Heritage Song Playlist Competition 

-- The Allegheny Front - Julie Grant: Longtime FracTracker Alliance Activist Ted Auch Moves On, His Concerns About The Industry Persist 

-- Some Susquehanna University Students Focusing Their Summer Internship Experiences On Helping To Save The Environment  [DCNR]  [PaEN] 

-- Williamsport Sun: Partnering Opportunities, STEELS Standards At Core Of Inaugural Regional Environmental Literacy Ripple Effects Convening

-- Tribune-Democrat Editorial: First Waves Program Touts Environment For Local Kids  [PDF of Article] 

-- Observer-Reporter: Ellsworth Celebrates 125th Anniversary, Founded As A Coal Company Town In Washington County  [PDF of Article]

-- Delaware RiverKeeper, Better Path Coalition Urge Public To Oppose Federal Agency Proposal To Lift Ban On Shipping LNG Natural Gas By Rail; Comments Due Aug. 4   [PaEN]

-- Shale Gas Industry VP Attacks Credibility Of A Mom And Allegheny County Resident For Comments She Submitted In Support Of DEP Plan To Reduce Methane Emissions From The Oil & Gas Industry  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Why Pennsylvanians Must Speak Up For Reducing Oil & Gas Methane Emissions - Kim Anderson, Evangelical Environmental Network

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Patrice Tomcik, Mother, Butler County Resident And Moms Clean Air Force Member  [PaEN] 

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Kim Anderson, Evangelical Environmental Network - Rager Mountain Leak Of 1.1 Billion Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas  [PaEN]

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Sarah Hertweck, Indiana Township Supervisor - ‘I See Up Close How Hobbled We Are By The State To Make The Best Choices For Our Community’  [PaEN] 

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Rachel Meyer, Mother, Beaver County Resident - My Home Is Near A Natural Gas Compressor Station, 8 Shale Gas Well Pads, And The Shell Petrochemical Plant Is In My County  [PaEN] 

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Barbara Jarmoska, 77 Year Resident Lycoming County - The Degradation Is ‘Shocking And Tragic’  [PaEN]

-- Oil & Gas Methane Pollution Reduction Testimony: Vanessa Lynch, Mother, Allegheny County Resident - Its Been 5 Years Since A Grand Jury Report Said Pennsylvania Failed To Protect Families From Fracking, Let's Right Past Failures  [PaEN] 

-- The Derrick: Aqua Pennsylvania Details $5.5 Million Upgrade Costs For Rhodes Estates Water Systems In Venango County Area; Fallout Continues From Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill  [PaEN]

-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: Pennsylvania Needs A New Plan For Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells; Increasing Bond Amounts Only Part Of Solution  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Effort To Find Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Their Owners Coming To Allegheny County 

-- WTAE: Work To Identify Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Their Owners In Allegheny, Washington Counties Begins This Summer 

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 5 to 11 - Shale Gas Wastewater, Fracking Chemicals Release; Water Pipeline Rupture; Crude Oil Spills; More Abandoned Wells  [PaEN] 

-- Upper Makefield Twp. To Host July 15 In-Person Town Hall With DEP On Energy Transfer/Sunoco Petroleum Pipeline Contamination In Bucks County  [PaEN] 

-- July 28 Webinar: SLAPP Suits: Legal & Communication Strategies To Protect Your Voice In A Legally Risky Environment  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive Letters: Natural Gas Benefits Pennsylvania - By Patrick Henderson, VP Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition

-- Guest Essay: The Real Story Behind The Act 13 Shale Gas Drilling Impact Fee - It's Not Funding, It's Cleanup Money - By Mary Jo Simmen-Gray, Hempfield, Westmoreland County Resident  [PaEN]

-- Observer-Reporter: Study Finds Hundreds Of Miles Of Southwest PA Roads In ‘Poor’ Condition

-- Observer-Reporter: EQT Shale Gas Driller Sues Morgan Twp., Greene County In Federal Court Over Limits On Heavy Equipment Hauling On Local Roads To Prevent Damage  [PDF of Article] 

-- Beaver Times: As Western PA Loses Residents, Counties Prepare For The Future; Some Communities Offering Cash To Attract People 

-- PJM Interconnection Opens Next Electric Capacity Auction Bidding Window Of July 9 to 15 For 2026-27 Electric Delivery; Hold Your Breath!  [PaEN] 

-- Reuters: PJM, America’s Largest Power Grid, Is Struggling To Meet Demand From A.I.; Electricity Bills Are Projected To Surge 20% This Summer  [PDF of Article] 

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: As More A.I. Data Centers Connect To PA’s Electric Grid, Some Worry Prices Will Spike 

-- Financial Times: US Utilities Plot Big Rise In Electricity Rates As Data Centre Demand Booms 

-- Bloomberg: Electric Bills In US Set To Rise As Utility Requests For Rate Hikes To Accommodate A.I. Data Center Demands Double 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Market Monitor Urges FERC To Set Conditions On NRG Energy’s Plan To Buy 13GW In Gas-Fired Generation From LS Power To Avoid Market Abuses

-- US Dept. Of Energy Releases Report On Electric Grid Reliability, Security Saying Generation Growth Must Match Needs Of A.I. Data Centers;  But What About ‘Ordinary People’?   [PaEN] 

-- DEP Invites Comments On An Air Quality Permit For A Proposed 218 MW Natural Gas Power Plant For A Data Center In Bradford County; Site Originally Proposed For An LNG Gas Facility  [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times: Developer Looks To Build 30+ Data Centers In North Pocono Using 1.5 GW Of Power In Lackawanna County

-- Wall Street Journal: Can Pittsburgh’s Old Steel Mills Be Turned Into An A.I. Hub?  [PDF of Article] 

-- Philadelphia Business Journal: Massive 6 Million Square Foot Data Center Proposed In New Castle, Delaware 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship: Amazon Building 2 New Data Centers In Pennsylvania

-- Chester County Press: Kennett Township Supervisor Blasts PECO For Unreliable Power Service

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: PA Leaders, President To Meet At Carnegie Mellon On Natural Gas, Data Centers As A.I. Threatens To Worsen Climate Change   [July 15]

-- Post-Gazette - Chloe Jad/Anya Litvak: A Critical Energy And A.I. Summit Is Coming To Pittsburgh July 15; Is The City Ready For Its Close-Up? 

-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro To Attend McCormick’s Energy, A.I. Summit In Pittsburgh 

-- Post-Gazette: PA US Sen. McCormick In The Spotlight As He Brings Focus On PA Energy, A.K. To Pittsburgh 

-- TribLive: President’s Participation In Energy Summit At Carnegie Mellon Met With Backlash

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Business Groups Urge EPA To Support Plastics Industry Growth  [PDF of Article]  [Warning]

-- Observer-Reporter: New Study Links Chemicals In Plastics To Heart Disease Deaths

-- DEP Approves Permit For 400 MW, 2,716 Acre Mineral Basin Solar Energy Project On Abandoned Mine Land In Clearfield County  [PaEN] 

-- Spotlight PA: Popular Solar Energy For Schools Program Might Soon Go Dark

-- ReImagine Appalachia Hosts July 15-16 In-Person Workshop On Applying For RISE PA Industrial Decarbonization, Energy Efficiency Grants In Pittsburgh  [PaEN] 

-- MCall Guest Essay: Raising Clean Energy Requirement Good Move For Pennsylvania - By Flora Cardoni, PennEnvironment, & Jim Brown, Audubon Mid-Atlantic

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Proposed RESET Energy Facility Siting Board Must Be Scrapped - By Dr. Barbara Brandom, Concerned Healthcare Providers of PA & Mark Oseicki  [House Bill 502]

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: From Slag Heap To 70-Acre Solar Energy Facility: Pittsburgh Transforming Swisshelm Park Site 

-- Scranton Times: Solar Energy Facility Proposed In Scott Twp., Lackawanna County

-- TimesOnline: Tamaqua Boro Hears Lehigh Anthracite’s Solar Energy Facility Plans In Schuylkill County   [PDF of Article]  

-- The Derrick: Solar Developer Mum On Reason Behind Cancellation 325 Acre Project In Cherrytree Twp., Venango County  [PDF of Article] 

-- Altoona Mirror: Wind Turbine Makes Its Way To CPV Rogues Wind Farm In Cambria County 

-- TribLive: Massive Wind Turbine Blade Slices Into Westmoreland County Business 

-- Altoona Mirror: Cambria County Windmill Superloads May Slow Traffic Through Bedford, Clair, Cambria, Somerset Counties Thru Mid-September

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Investment In Pittsburgh-Based Module Design Sustainable Housing Company  [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Shapiro Announces Major Investment In Pittsburgh-Base Sustainable Housing Company

-- Reading Eagle: Reading, Berks Nature, Green Building Alliance Held Sustainability Roundtable On Green Buildings

-- PublicNewsService.org: PA Farmers Calculate Return On Climate-Friendly Ag Practices

-- Centre Daily Times: Climate Watch: Clean Energy Jobs, Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, More PA Climate Updates

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Energy Consortium Led By Western PA Universities Vie For $160 Million National Science Foundation Grant

-- TribLive: President’s EPA Delays Pollution Standards, Drawing Cheers From Nippon/US Steel In Pittsburgh, Jeers From Environmentalists 

-- Erie Times: Federal Judge Questions Feds’ Move To Drop Criminal Case Against Erie Coke [Coal] Supervisor For Illegal Air Pollution 

-- Black Appalachia Coalition Hosts July 10 Steel Sick Webinar: When Breathing Becomes A Battleground, Noon 

-- Clean Air Council, NRDC Sue EPA Over Toxic Refinery Chemical That Threatens Fenceline Communities  [PaEN]

-- Inquirer: Strong Odor Like Sulfur Or Gasoline Caused By Equipment Failure At Delaware County Refinery After A Power Outage

-- Inquirer: At Least 7 EPA Workers In Philly Office Placed On Leave After Signing Declaration Of Dissent 

-- Appalachian Voices: Urge Government Leaders To Continue Funding For Appalachian Regional Commission

-- Appalachian Voices: How The President’s Plan For The Federal Budget Hurts Appalachia [Warning] 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Appalachian Regional Commission Faces 93% Budget Cut, Sparking Outcry From Local Economic, Community, Education Organizations

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Support For Multi-Agency Resources Center For Those Impacted By Severe Storms In Susquehanna County; Center To Open July 14  [PaEN]  

-- WNEP: Flash Flooding In Wayne And Pike Counties

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Task Force 1 Heads To Texas To Assist With Rescue And Recovery Efforts 

-- Courier Times: Remembering 7 Lives Lost In July 2023 Upper Makefield Twp. Fatal Flood In Bucks County 

-- TribLive: When It Comes To Heeding Flood Warnings: ‘Overkill Is OK’ McCandless Father Says Whose Daughters Were Rescued From Flooding In Allegheny County 

-- TribLive: National Weather Service Taps Technology, Volunteer Network To Monitor Storms 

-- Allegheny County Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Public Input Virtual Workshop July 15, 6:30 p.m.

-- ReImagine Appalachia, Central Appalachian Network Host July 17 Webinar On Nature Based Hazard Mitigation To Reduce Flooding  [PaEN] 

-- Sustainable Pittsburgh Hosts Aug. 7 Webinar On Stormwater Management And Hazard Mitigation For Municipalities  [PaEN] 

-- Scranton Times: Olyphant, Mayfield In Lackawanna County Grapple With Flood Zone Designations  

-- WITF: Muddy Run Pump Storage Energy Generation Facility Siren Warning Test Thursday In Lancaster County

-- Bloomberg: Few Texas Homeowners Hit By Extreme Rains Have Federal Flood Insurance 

-- PA Dept. Of Insurance: Why Should I Consider Flood Insurance? 

-- PennLive Editorial: Texas Flood Tragedy Should Be A Wake-Up Call For Pennsylvania  

-- TribLive Editorial: Prediction, Prevention Critical To Natural Disaster Response 

-- Republican Herald Editorial: Government And Citizens Share Responsibility For Emergency Preparedness [PDF of Article]  

-- Inquirer Editorial: President’s Continued Denial Of Climate Change Helps Fuel Death, Destruction Across The Country [Texas Floods]

-- Inquirer: How Philly Is Keep Water Clean During Union Strike: Sleeping On Cots, 24/7 Shifts, Double Time

-- PA Capital-Star: After Last Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Plan Fell Short, New Proposal Aims To Be Flexible, Data-Driven 

-- PublicNewsService.org: PA Farmers Calculate Return On Climate-Friendly Ag Practices

-- WHYY: Composting And Feeding Food Waste To Animals Have Big Climate Benefits, University Of Pennsylvania Study Finds

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Capital Region Water Working To Reduce Untreated Wastewater Flowing Into The Susquehanna River - By Capital Region Water  

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: ‘Invaluable Service’: The Role Of Community Science In The Chesapeake Bay Region  [ALLARM - Dickinson College] 

-- Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance, Bucknell Post Presentations From Conference On Using Abandoned Mine Pools As Resources  [PaEN] 

-- Lock Haven Express: Trout Unlimited Hold Info Session On Beech Creek Mine Restoration Project 

-- Western PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation To Launch New Abandoned Mine Reclamation Chronicles Podcast, Sponsors Invited  [PaEN] 

-- Observer-Reporter: Ellsworth Celebrates 125th Anniversary, Founded As A Coal Company Town In Washington County  [PDF of Article]

-- DEP Sets Aug. 14 Hearing On A Stormwater Permit For The Proposed AAMPA Warehouse Project In Cumberland County  [PaEN]   

-- Penn State Extension July 31 In-Person Workshop In York On Watershed Friendly Lawns For Homes, Golf Courses And Parks  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Invites Comments On Air Quality Permit Renewal For The Max Environmental Yukon Hazardous/Residual Waste Treatment Facility In Westmoreland County  [PaEN]

-- Allegheny County Health Dept., PA Resources Council To Hold 2 Household Chemical Collection Events In Allegheny County  [PaEN] 

-- Altoona Mirror: Blair County-Based Intermunicipal Relations Committee Plans July 19 Household Hazardous Waste Collection

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Don’t Waste It:  This Is An Opportunity To Rethink Philly’s Trash Collection System

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Philly Exports Its Waste To Other Communities Disposal Of What  Could Be Composted Within City Limits Saving Money And Emissions - By Adam Bailey, Philadelphia’s Citizens Planning Institute

-- Hazelton Standard Speaker: Butler Twp. Supervisors Oppose Alterra Plastics Recycling Plant Planned For Sugarloaf 

-- WPXI: Smoldering Lithium-Ion Battery In Garbage Truck Prompts Proper Disposal Reminder From Firefighters 

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Cumberland County Farmer Wins Land Us Battle Sparked By Debate Over Land Application Of Food Processing Residuals He Never Used

-- The Allegheny Front: WV University Study Finds Microplastic Pollution In Appalachian Streams 

-- WHYY: New ResourcePhilly Online Tool Aims to Make Recycling More Accessible In Southeast PA

-- DEP: Updated Non-Regulatory Agenda Now Available Showing Technical Guidance Documents In Development  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR Conservation & Natural Resources Advisory Council Meets July 23 On Knowledge & Literacy Through Environmental Education  [PaEN]  

-- DCNR Seeks Members For NextGen Advisory Council  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR, Volunteers, Local Officials Celebrate Opening Of First Phase Of Rothrock State Forest’s Musser Gap Trail In Centre County  [PaEN]

-- Schuylkill Highlands Conservation Landscape Awards Nearly $100,000 in Grants for Parks, Trails, Land Stewardship  [PaEN] 

-- Inquirer: Some Federal Campsites Closed By President In PA Are Back Open, Others May Not Be Open All Summer 

-- Post-Gazette: Friends Of Flight 93 Launch $500,000 Fundraiser Campaign Ahead Of 25th 9/11 Anniversary 

-- Warren Times: State, Private, Tribal Forestry Division Proposed To Be Eliminated In National Forest Service That Helps Local Companies

-- Celebrate The Bloom! On The Prairie July 26 At Jennings Environmental Ed Center In Butler County  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Allegheny Island Provide Escape In The River: ‘Pittsburgh’s Hidden Gem’ 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Ebensburg To Unveil StoryWalk On Ghost Town Trail 

-- Courier Times: Bucks County Offers Plenty Of Scenic Sites For Health-Sustaining Walks

-- Hidden City: New Public Park Brings Bridesburg Back To The Delaware River In Philadelphia 

-- Inquirer: FDR Park Opens 1st Phase Of Comprehensive Overhaul: ‘Once-In-A-Generation Investment’

-- WHYY: Penn’s Landing Park Over I-95 In Philly Taking Shape 

-- TribLive: State Parks, Watershed Associations Monitor Rivers For E. Coli Contamination 

-- KDKA: Raccoon Creek State Park Closes Swimming Area Due To High E. Coli Levels

-- WPXI: Recreation Camp In South Park Twp. Closed Thru Monday Due To Tuberculosis Exposure Risk In Allegheny County

-- PennLive: Pennsylvania Kayaker Dies On Delaware River

-- TribLive: Ticky Business - How Pitt Researchers Hunt Ticks  

-- Post-Gazette: Warmer Weather, Milder Winters May Expand Mosquito Territory In PA; State Tracking 60+ Species In PA  

-- Altoona Mirror: Blair County To Conduct Mosquito Control Spraying To Help Limit West Nile Virus Transmission

-- TribLive: West Nile Virus Found In Mosquito Samples From Multiple Allegheny County Neighborhoods 

-- DEP West Nile & Jamestown Canyon Virus Monitoring, Control Program Website

-- Gov. Shapiro Signs Historic Bipartisan Bill To Repeal Sunday Hunting Ban

-- WESA: PA Lawmaker Says Bill To Repeal Sunday Hunting Ban Rooted In Environmentalism 

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: Law Repealing Centuries-Old Sunday Hunting Ban In PA Nears The Finish Line

-- WESA: Abandoned Boats Haunt Pittsburgh Rivers, New Law Could Help Remove Them Faster

-- PA Society For Ornithology Birding Festival Coming To Allentown Sept. 26-28: Field Trips; Awards; Holly Merker Co-Author Of Ornitherapy Keynote  [PaEN] 

-- WITF: Why Pennsylvania Is Removing Dams And How It’s Helping Fish, Rivers And Communities 

-- Scranton Times: Lackawanna Conservation District Seeks School For Trout In The Classroom

-- PA iMapInvasives Program To Hold 2025 Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt Aug. 1-31; Webinar Overview Set For July 23  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: Spotted Lanternflies Are Aback In The Pittsburgh Area, And They’ll Be Here A While 

-- Eire Times - Brian Whipkey: Are You Seeing Lots Of Fireflies In PA?  Here’s What’s Happening In Rural Areas 

-- TribLive: Fireflies Making Noticeable Return To Western PA  

-- Hollow Oak Land Trust: July 19 Bugfest At Montour Woods Pavillion In Moon Twp., Allegheny County, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 

-- WNEP: Kettle Creek Environmental Education Centers Hosted Bug Fest In Monroe County

-- Susquehanna Greenway: The Hatch Of The Mayflies - A Summer Spectacle On The Susquehanna River - By Darian Jones, Communications & Outreach AmeriCorps Assistant 

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

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[Posted: July 13, 2025]   PA Environment Digest