PA Environment Digest Blog: 139 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 139 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!

-- We Remember Sept. 11, 2001 - DEP Responds To A National Tragedy [PaEN]

-- Tribune-Democrat: Gov. Ridge, Now 80, Will Be Dedicated To 9/11 And Flight 93 ‘Until His Last Breath’

-- TribLive: Gov. Shapiro Joins Families To Mark 24th Anniversary Of Crash Of Flight 93 In Somerset County

-- TribLive: Anniversary Of 9/11 Attacks Draw Hundreds To Flight 93 Site In Somerset County

-- PennDOT, DCNR Working To Establish 9/11 National Memorial Trail Across Pennsylvania Ahead Of 25th Anniversary [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Interest In Flight 93 Memorial Remains Strong On 24th Anniversary Of 9/11 Attacks

-- Altoona Mirror: Friends Of Flight 93 Work To Ensure Heroism Aboard Doomed Plane Is Never Forgotten

-- Penn State Master Gardeners Honor Flight 93 Heroes Through Day Of Service At Flight 93 National Memorial In Somerset County [PaEN]

-- Tribune-Review: Flight 93 Friends Group Now Offering Virtual Daily Education Sessions

-- Tribune-Democrat: Retired Letter Carrier Paul Donati Now Ambassador For Flight 93 Story

-- TribLive Editorial: What Was Forged On Sept. 11 - ‘It Didn’t Take Long For Us To Revert To A Path Of Enmity’

-- WTAE: Legacy Of Flight 427: A Look At PA’s Deadliest Plane Crash 30 Years Later

-- Westmoreland Conservation District Recognizes Terry Matty As Farmer Of The Year, John N. Ward With J. Roy Houston Conservation Partnership Award [PaEN]

-- Amy Brown Named Executive Director of PA Association of Conservation Districts [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette: Chesapeake Bay ‘Champion’ The Late David Schulte From Beaver County Is Honored For His Work As A Federal Marine Biologist

-- Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center Alum Celia Graef Establishing School-Based Agricultural Education Program In Ghana

-- The Derrick: Volunteers Get To Work While The Weather’s Still Nice In Oil Creek State Park [PDF of Article]

-- TribLive: Chris Bason Ready To Soar With New Role At Western PA Audubon Society, Headquartered In Fox Chapel Allegheny County

-- Northeast Recycling Council Recognizes UPMC's Dr. Isabela Angelelli For Sustainable Healthcare Leadership At Pittsburgh’s Children's Hospital [PaEN]

-- Spotlight PA: Meet A Berks County Teen Ruth DeLoretta Inspired By Church Mission Trips To Advocate For Single-Use Plastic Bag Ban Legislation

-- TribLive Editorial: Laurels To Mountain Watershed Assn. Waterway Cleanup Efforts

-- Warren Times: Allegheny National Forest Ranger Rich Hatfield Honored By North Country Trail Association [PDF of Article]

-- Indiana Gazette: Rosebud, Robindale Mining Honored By PA Coal Alliance During Recent Mine Safety, Reclamation Award Event

-- Indiana Gazette: Robindale Mining Site After Reclamation

-- TribLive: Unity Twp. Officials Recognize Dozens Of Firefighters For Response In Marguerite Mine Sinkhole Search

-- Morning Call: 3 Lehigh Valley Firefighters Died Of Service-Related Cancer; What Can Be Done To Combat Health Threat?

-- PA Capital-Star: PA DEP Secretary Asks US Health & Human Services Not To Cut Mine Safety Research Jobs

-- The Allegheny Front: Pennsylvania Schools Continue Solar Energy Projects Despite Federal Tax Credit Rollbacks

-- TribLive: Solar Canopy Proposed At Arnold Palmer Regional Airport In Westmoreland

-- Observer Reporter: 2 Townships In Greene County Declare Disaster Emergencies Over Contaminated Water Wells [PDF of Article]

-- WTAE: 2 Greene County Townships Issue Emergency Declarations 3 Years After Water Well Contamination From Fracking

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Two Greene County Townships Declare Disaster Emergencies, Seek Public Funding For Drinking Water Systems Amid Claims That Shale Gas Industry Contaminated Wells

-- PA Capital-Star/Inside Climate News: Two Greene County Townships Declare Disaster Emergencies, Seek Public Funding For Water Systems Amid Claims The Gas Industry Contaminated Water Wells

-- Environmental Quality Board Adjourns Without Discussing Or Acting On Any Of 3 Pending Oil & Gas Rulemaking Petitions [PaEN]

-- Center For Coalfield Justice To Host 500 Feet From Fracking Tour Sept. 20 In Washington County [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Sept. 6 to 12 - Disposing Of 4.6 Million Gallons Of Oil & Gas Wastewater; 18,000 Gallon Drilling Spill; Failure To Restore Pipeline Right-Of-Way - Again [PaEN]

-- DEP: Eureka Resources Submits Plan To Cleanup, Close All 3 Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Facilities, Remove 4.6 Million Gallons Of Wastewater Left In Lycoming & Bradford County Facilities [PaEN]

-- DEP: Cleanup Continues At Repsol Shale Gas Well Pad After A Well Control Incident In July Caused A 34-Hour Uncontrolled Wastewater Release In Bradford County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Blackhill Energy Pipeline Horizontal Drilling Accident Results In 18,000 Gallon Spill In Granville Twp., Bradford County [PaEN]

-- DEP Provides Update On Energy Transfer/Sunoco Petroleum Pipeline Rupture Cleanup In Upper Makefield Twp., Bucks County On Sept. 9

-- Energy Transfer/Sunoco To Host Sept. 15 Public Meeting To Accept Comments On Interim Site Characterization Report For Pipeline Rupture In Upper Makefield Twp., Bucks County [PaEN]

-- DEP Releases Companies, Individuals Receiving $7.24 Million In Federal Funds To Plug 329 Conventional Gas Wells In 13 Counties [PaEN]

-- PUC Finalized Plan To Accelerate Replacement Of Older At-Risk Plastic Pipe And Components In Natural Gas Distribution Systems [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PUC Orders PA Natural Gas Utilities To Catalog Older Plastic Pipes For Safety Concerns [PDF of Article]

-- The Derrick: Aqua Pennsylvania Issues Boil Water Advisory For Village Of Reno In Venango County Due To Bacteria In Water Hauled To The System To Make Up For Water Contaminated By Conventional Oil Well Spill In July 2023 [PDF of Article]

-- The Derrick: Boil Water Advisory Lifted For Village Of Reno In Venango County; Aqua PA Still Hauling Water To Make Up For Lost Supplies After Conventional Oil Well Spill In 2023

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Low Flow Water Conditions Trigger Water Withdrawal Restrictions On 39 Shale Gas Water Withdrawal Points In PA, 20 More In Caution [PaEN]

-- Delaware River Basin Commission Approves Extension Of Permit For Proposed Docks At Gibbstown LNG Gas Export Terminal In NJ [PaEN]

-- Delaware Currents: DRBC Grants 5-Year Extension For Gibbstown, NJ LNG Gas Export Facility Dock Project

-- Delaware Currents: Concerns About Water, Power Demands Surface As A.I. Data Centers Boom In Delaware River Watershed

-- DEP Sets Advisory Committee Meetings On State Water Plan Starting Oct. 7 [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Allegheny County Air Polluters Must Help Pay To Improve Our Air Quality - By Paul Klein, Allegheny County Council

-- Inquirer: Penn Study Finds Air Pollution Linked To More Severe Alzheimer’s Disease

-- WESA/NPR: Scientists Link Hundreds Of Severe Heat Waves To Fossil Fuel Producer’s Pollution

-- EPA To Allow Construction Of Power Plants, Industrial Facilities Before Air Quality Permits Are In-Hand [PaEN] [Warning]

-- EPA Releases Proposal To End Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Program [Warning]

-- PUC Electric Power Outlook: Risks To Adequate Electricity Supplies May Emerge In PJM By 2033; Extreme Cold Constraints On Natural Gas Availability Could Risk Outages As Early As 2026 [PaEN]

-- AP: US Electric Grids Under Pressure From Energy-Hungry A.I. Data Centers Are Changing Strategy - Bumping Data Centers Off Grids During Power Emergencies [PJM Included]

-- Reuters: US Power Use To Reach Record Highs In 2025 And 2026 Due To A.I. Data Centers, Cryptocurrency, EIA Says

-- The Center Square: Report - PA Electric Companies Struggle With Outages

-- US Energy Information Administration Expects Nearly 48% Increase In Natural Gas Prices Into Next Year Due To Flat Gas Production, Increased LNG Gas Exports [Warning]

-- PUC Approves 6.7% Increase In UGI Gas Monthly Bills Effective Oct. 28 [PaEN]

-- Inquirer: Electric Bills Hit Record Highs This Summer; Prices Increase 11% In SE PA Over Last Year

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal Forum: PJM Interconnection’s Fossil Fuel Bias Is Giving Us Pollution, High Electric Bills - By Jake Schwartz, Chesapeake Climate Action Network

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: The Risk And Reward Of Having A.I. Data Centers As Electric, Water Utility Customers

-- In Case You Missed It -- A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week - September 15 [PaEN]

-- PA Council Of Trout Unlimited: Healing The West Branch Of The Susquehanna River, The Sum Of Its Parts - By Ben Moyer, President, Chestnut Ridge TU Chapter [PaEN]

-- Republican Herald: Project To Fix Abandoned Mine Lands, Stream In Branch & Reilly Townships, Schuylkill County Advances With DEP Grant [PDF of Article]

-- Penn State EarthTalk Sept. 15 - Turning Abandoned Mine Drainage Into Sources Of Critical Minerals, Rare Earth Elements [PaEN]

-- North Branch Land Trust/Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation: Sept. 27 Natural Tie Dye - Iron Oxide Pigments From Local Mine Drainage, Picton Wildlife Sanctuary, Luzerne County, Noon to 2:00 p.m.

-- Call For Proposals: Bucknell University 20th Annual River Symposium Nov. 7-8 [PaEN]

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Nearly 50 People Learn About Importance Of Riparian Buffers, Plants During Floating Classroom In Williamsport

-- Dept. Of Agriculture Now Accepting Applications For Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grants, Deadline Oct. 31

-- Horn Farm Center For Agricultural Education Sept. 18-21 Paw Paw Festival, York County

-- Delaware Highlands Conservancy: Vote For Your Favorite Photo In People’s Choice Competition

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: Susquehanna River Hit Record Flood Crest 14 Years Ago In Luzerne County

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: In PA And Across The Nation Small Towns Need Federal Help To Address Catastrophic Flooding - By Paige Cognetti, Mayor Of Scranton

-- AP: Major Disaster Declarations Taking Longer Under President’s Administration

-- PUC Sets Sept. 30 In-Person Hearings On Future Of The ‘Troubled’ Private Rock Spring Water System In Centre County [PaEN]

-- WHYY: Horsham Twp. Has Big Plans To Redevelop Former Willow Grove Naval Base In Montgomery County [PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’]

-- Morning Call: Radon Testing In Bethlehem Schools Is ‘Overdue,’ But Some Board Members Worried About Cost

-- WESA: Pittsburgh-wide ‘Immaculate Collection’ Cleanup Effort Kicks Off Ahead Of 2026 NFL Draft

-- Post-Gazette: The ‘Immaculate Collection’ Aims To Clean Up Pittsburgh Ahead Of NFL Draft In April

-- Independence Conservancy To Host 3 Tire Collection Events In Allegheny, Beaver Counties Starting Sept. 20 [PaEN]

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Hazelwood Recycling Center Looks To Expand To Include Waste Transfer Station, Worrying Residents

-- LehighValleyNews.com: City Of Allentown Environmental Advisory Council Partner For City-Wide Trash Container Survey

-- The Allegheny Front: How To Start Composting At Home

-- The Allegheny Front: It’s Easy To Compost, Just Drop Off Your Food Waste At A Pittsburgh Farmers Market

-- The Allegheny Front: Pittsburgh Startup Aims To Make Food Waste Recycling Easy And Affordable

-- The Allegheny Front: Composting And Feeding Food Waste To Animals Have Big Climate Benefits, Study Finds

-- Chesapeake Bay Program: Historic Number Of Trees Planted In Bay Watershed Committees In 2024, Overall Tree Canopy Declines Across The Region

-- Williamsport Sun: DCNR, Willsboro Parks, Western PA Conservancy Community Tree Workshops Offered Sept. 24 In Wellsboro, Tioga County

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Disease Threatens Beech Trees In All Chesapeake Bay States

-- Penn State Extension 4-Part Pennsylvania Forest Webinar Series Starts Sept. 9 With Managing Unwanted Vegetation; Other Educational Opportunities [PaEN]

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Plant ID Walk Kicks Off September Community Science Bioblitz At Centre County’s Musser Gap Greenway

-- Penn State Extension Sept. 26 In-Person Workshop On Managing Invasive Plants, State College, 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

-- Penn State Extension Oct. 3 In-Person Workshop On Managing Invasive Plants, Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, Huntingdon County, 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

-- Penn State Extension Oct. 8 In-Person Workshop On Managing Invasive Plants, State College, 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

-- TribLive: Goats Tackle Baa-d Overgrowth In Shaler With Such Gusto, Township Is Considering Having Them Back In The Spring

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: Most Earthworms Are Not Native To Pennsylvania; Here’s How They Got Here

-- PennLive: Pennsylvania’s Top 10 ‘Power Plants’ For Pollinators

-- Inside Climate News: President’s Administration Moves To Dismantle Conservation As An Official Use Of Public Lands [Warning]

-- The Allegheny Front: President’s Administration Wants To End ‘Roadless Rule,’ Including In The Allegheny National Forest [Warning]

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Save Our Old Growth Forests From President’s Administration - By Stephanie Wein, PennEnvironment & Christopher Borgatti, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers [Roadless Rule, Allegheny National Forest]

-- Shapiro Administration Investments, Support Helped Expand PA’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Creating Over 4,000 New Jobs And A New Outdoor Business Alliance of PA [PaEN]

-- DCNR, Health, Dept. Of Drug & Alcohol Programs Host Recovery In Nature Wellness Event At Sinnemahoning State Park In Cameron County [Video + Photos]

-- From Peaks To Pennsylvania Trails: Kate’s Real Food Extends State Park Adventure Series With PA Fall Travel Guide [PaEN]

-- PA Wilds: A-Maze-Ing Partnership Between PA Wilds Center And Pine Creek Corn Maze In Lycoming County

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Guest Essay: America’s Outdoor Future Needs A Bold New Funding Model, Lori McCullough, The Great Outdoors Fund