PA House Energy Committee Sets Hearings On Regulating A.I. Data Centers, Warehouse Solar, Electric School Buses, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors

The House Energy Committee is tentatively scheduled to hold an October 22 hearing on House Bill 1834 (Matzie-D-Beaver) to provide for the regulation of A.I. data centers by the Public Utility Commission.

The legislation seeks to protect ratepayers from the costs imposed by data centers, sets 25% renewable energy requirement, provides for contributions to the Low-Income Energy Assistance program and other requirements.

The hearing will be held in Room G-50 of the Irvis Building starting at 11:00 a.m.

Other Tentative Hearings

The Committee is tentatively scheduled to hold these other hearings--

-- October 1: Hearing on House Bill 1539 (Madsen-D-Dauphin) establishing an Electric School Bus Grant Program. Room G-50 of the Irvis Building. 10:00 a.m.

-- October 6: Hearing on House Bill 1260 (Siegel-D-Lehigh) providing incentives to install solar energy facilities on warehouses. Room 60 East Wing. 11:00 a.m.

-- October 29: Informational meeting on small modular nuclear reactors. Room B-31 Main Capitol.  10:00 a.m.

Click Here to watch hearings online.

Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia) serves as Majority Chair of the House Energy Committee and can be contacted by calling 215-271-9190 or click here to contact.    Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-5075 or by sending email to: mcauser@pahousegop.com.

NewsClips This Week- PJM:

-- Gov. Shapiro: PJM Electric Grid Operator Is 'Not Working Anymore,' 'I Won't Stand For A Status Quo That Perpetuates Slowdowns And Rising Costs’  [PaEN]

-- Shapiro Administration: PJM Regional Electric Grid Operator Passed Over Qualified Candidates Suggested By A Bipartisan Coalition Of Governors To Fill Vacant Board Seats  [PaEN]  

-- Utility Dive: PJM Grid Operator Says States Must Address Electricity Generation Deficit Issues; Siting, Permit Reform Needed To Overcome ‘Hostile’ Opposition 

-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro Pummels PJM Regional Grid Operator In Call For Reforms

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: Pennsylvania Leaving PJM Regional Electricity Grid Is Still On The Table, Shapiro Says

-- Bloomberg: Pennsylvania Threatens To Go ‘Own Way’ If PJM Regional Electric Grid Operator Won’t Change 

-- Inside Climate News: PA Governor Threatens To Pull Largest Power Producer Out Of PJM Regional Power Grid Citing Need For ‘Significant Reform’

-- The Center Square: Shapiro: States In PJM Need More Power In PJM Regional Grid Management

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Gov. Shapiro Said Electric Grid Operator PJM Needs Reform To Put Consumers First 

-- Republican Sen. Yaw Issues Statement On Shapiro’s Changing PJM Summit [Yaw Has A Strong Record Of Holding Hearings On This Issue]

-- Republican Sen. Martin Calls For Accountability From Gov. Shapiro On Energy Policy [Criticizes Shapiro For RGGI Program That Never Went Into Effect]

Resource Links - A.I. Data Centers:

-- Gov. Shapiro: PJM Electric Grid Operator Is 'Not Working Anymore,' 'I Won't Stand For A Status Quo That Perpetuates Slowdowns And Rising Costs’  [PaEN]

-- Shapiro Administration: PJM Regional Electric Grid Operator Passed Over Qualified Candidates Suggested By A Bipartisan Coalition Of Governors To Fill Vacant Board Seats  [PaEN]  

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week -  September 29  [PaEN]

-- Team PA Releases PA Energy, Data Center, A.I. RoadMap, Includes ‘Aggressively Streamlining Permitting,' Establishing Regional Permitting Commissions  [PaEN]

-- NRDC: Another Proposed PJM Plan To Deal With Massive A.I. Data Center Electricity Demands Fails To Protect Consumers, Will Increase Electricity Bills Up To $100 Billion From 2028 To 2032  [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News: Shale Gas Was Supposed To Lower PA Electric Bills, Instead They’re Higher Than Ever And About To Get Worse [Due To LNG Gas Exports, A.I. Data Center Demand] 

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: PJM Grid Operator Eyes Reliability Amid A.I. Data Center Boom, But Advocates Say Cost Concerns Remain

-- PUC Chairman: Model Tariff For Connecting A.I. Data Centers To Local Electric Grid To Be Published For Comment By End Of September  [PaEN] 

-- Guest Essay: Rewriting The Energy Story — Together - By Stephen M. DeFrank, Chairman, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Provides Update On The Fight To Lower Energy Prices, Calls On General Assembly To Move His Commonsense Lightning Energy Plan  [PaEN] 

-- Gov. Shapiro: FERC Approves Settlement With PJM To Prevent Unnecessary Prices Hikes, Save Consumers Over $21 Billion On Electric Bills [PaEN] 

-- PA Senate Republicans Introduce Bill To Eliminate Need For Any State Permits, Any Public Review Of Permits Before Construction Of A.I. Data Centers, Related Power Plants  [PaEN] 

-- PUC: Brace For Higher Electric Bills As A Result Of Soaring Power Use; Consumers Should Review Energy Options  [PaEN]

-- Independent Fiscal Office: Residential Electricity Bills ‘Begin Surge:’ Natural Gas Prices Up 71%, PJM Prices Up Due To A.I. Data Center Demand  [PaEN]

-- PJM Electricity Auction: PJM Lost 2.8 Gigawatts Of Power Due To Reduced Reliability Rating Of Natural Gas Power Plants; Could Gain 12.2 Gigawatts By Increasing Reliability From Less Than 75% Now To An Achievable 90% [PaEN]

-- 30 Stakeholder Comments Received By PUC On Adequacy Of Electricity Supplies In Pennsylvania; Increasing Natural Gas Power Plant Reliability To 90-95% Would Mean No Imminent Capacity Problem

-- PJM Electric Auction Impacts: 1 In 5 PA Households Report Problems Now Paying Energy Bills; Electric Utility Shutoffs Up 38.1% So Far This Year [PaEN]

-- What The A.I. Data Center & Energy Summit Missed: Exploding Electricity Demand Already Raising Prices - Ratepayers Need Protection; No Longer An ‘All Of The Above’ Energy Strategy [PaEN]

-- What The A.I. Data Center & Energy Summit Missed: It’s Deja Vu - False Promises, Dirty Power - Our People And Communities Deserve Respect  [PaEN]

-- Senate Hearing: To Communities Facing Rapid A.I. Data Center Development: Review Your Zoning Ordinance NOW, Before It's Too Late To Have Meaningful Siting, Mitigation Conversations [PaEN]

-- Senate Hearing: DEP Primer: Recurring Challenges Of A.I. Data Centers: Frequent Site Plan Changes, Inconsistent Zoning, Outdated Sewage Facilities, Limited Community Outreach  [PaEN]

-- Senate Hearing: Susquehanna River Basin Commission - A.I. Data Centers Have A Dramatic Demand For Water, And The Potential To Be Among The Largest Water Consumers In The Basin  [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Sept. 20 to 26 - 128 Days Of Cleanup - Not Done Yet; 481 Abandoned Conventional Wells; Conventional Owner Builds 2 Illegal Well Pads  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - September 27 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 58 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In September 27 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

Related Articles This Week:

-- Part I - 500 Feet Isn’t Enough:  Michelle Stonemark Tells What It’s Really Like Living Next To A Shale Gas Well Pad - Nosebleeds, Headaches, Nausea, Air Pollution, Vibrating House, Sleepless Nights, Anxiety - In Cecil Twp., Washington County   [PaEN]

-- Part II - 500 Feet Isn’t Enough:  42 Scientific Studies, 20+ Years Of Experience With Shale Gas Drilling In PA; A State Grand Jury Report; Criminal Convictions; Public Complaints; Lawsuits; Media Reports All Document The Need To Increase Setbacks From Shale Gas Wells  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Day 128 - Seneca Resources Failed To Stop Wastewater Seeps, Cleanup Contamination From A May Spill At The Vandergrift Shale Gas Well Pad In Charleston Twp., Tioga County  [PaEN] 

-- Observer-Reporter: Study Shows Probable Link Between Freeport Twp. Water Well Contamination And Fracking In Greene County  [PDF of Article] 

-- EPA Issues Sandstone Development Permit For Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well Permit In Cyclone, McKean County  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro: PJM Electric Grid Operator Is 'Not Working Anymore,' 'I Won't Stand For A Status Quo That Perpetuates Slowdowns And Rising Costs’  [PaEN]

-- Shapiro Administration: PJM Regional Electric Grid Operator Passed Over Qualified Candidates Suggested By A Bipartisan Coalition Of Governors To Fill Vacant Board Seats  [PaEN]  

-- PA House Energy Committee Sets Hearings On Regulating A.I. Data Centers, Warehouse Solar, Electric School Buses, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors  [PaEN]  

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week -  September 29  [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News: Shale Gas Was Supposed To Lower PA Electric Bills, Instead They’re Higher Than Ever And About To Get Worse [Due To LNG Gas Exports, A.I. Data Center Demand] 

-- Inside Climate News: Natural Gas Was Pitched As A Stopgap Between Other Fossil Fuels And Renewables, Instead It Has Derailed Pennsylvania’s Transition To Clean Energy

NewsClips:

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Gov. Shapiro Don’t Sell Pennsylvania Out To Polluters - Public Facing Health Challenges From Oil & Gas Industry, Methane, A.I. Data Centers - By Josephine Gingerich, Physicians For Social Responsibility PA

-- TribLive: Using Drones To Find Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Allegheny County  [Conventional Well Owners Abandon More Wells Every Week - 469 Violations So Far In 2025]

-- The Center Square: Physicians For Social Responsibility PA Speak Out Against Governor’s Proposed RESET Energy Siting Bill To Override Local Land Use Controls  [House Bill 502] 

-- The Derrick: PA Assn. Of Township Supervisors Briefs Clarion County Leaders On Its Opposition To HB 502 RESET Energy Facility Siting Legislation  [PDF of Article]

-- The Derrick: PA Assn. Of Township Supervisors Updates Venango County Townships On Its Opposition To House Bill 502 Overriding Local Land Use Controls On Energy Facility Siting  [PDF of Article] 

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: How Will Brunot Island In The Ohio River Be Redeveloped After 50-Year-Old Gas Power Plant Shuts Down? Could Be A ‘Crown Jewel’ Of Pittsburgh 

-- WHYY- Susan Phillips: Philadelphia Gas Works Spends Millions To Promote Natural Gas, Advocates Accuse The Utility Of ‘Greenwashing’

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Your Electric Bill Is Subsidizing Big Tech’s A.I. Data Center Dreams - By Rep. Mandy Steele (D-Allegheny), Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes The Sun, Joe Morinville, EIS Solar 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Politicians Should Keep Their Hands Off PJM Power Grid - By Todd Snitchler, Electric Power Generators. [High Prices Are ‘Essential Market Signals’] 

-- SpotlightPA/Inside Climate News: The Natural Gas Boom In PA Was Supposed To Lower Energy Bills Here, Why Didn’t That Happen?

-- PA Capital-Star/Inside Climate News: Shale Gas Was Supposed To Lower Pennsylvanians’ Electric Bills, Instead, They’re About To Get Worse

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: PJM Grid Operator Eyes Reliability Amid A.I. Data Center Boom, But Advocates Say Cost Concerns Remain

-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro Pummels PJM Regional Grid Operator In Call For Reforms

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: Pennsylvania Leaving PJM Regional Electricity Grid Is Still On The Table, Shapiro Says

-- Bloomberg: Pennsylvania Threatens To Go ‘Own Way’ If PJM Regional Electric Grid Operator Won’t Change 

-- The Center Square: Shapiro: States In PJM Need More Power In PJM Regional Grid Management

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Gov. Shapiro Said Electric Grid Operator PJM Needs Reform To Put Consumers First 

-- Bloomberg: Spiraling Power Costs Are Now A Major Political Issue In The US [Gov. Shapiro]

-- Reuters Commentary: US LNG Gas Export Industry Build Out Poised To Create ‘Huge Global Supply Glut’

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: CNX’s Firebrand CEO Nick DeIuliss To Retire  

-- CNX Resources Announces Alan Shepard As Next CEO

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: CNX Resources Shale Gas Driller CEO Nick Deluliis To Retire, Alan Shepard To Take Helm  [PDF of Article]

-- Natural Gas Pipeline Pigging Facility Malfunction Dec. 27 Released 1.1 Million Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas; Same Facility Plagued Community With Blowdowns 3 Times A Day, 7 Days A Week For Nearly 10 Years Until Criminal Charges Brought Against CNX  [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Hearing Board Agrees There Is ‘Acute’ Danger In CNX Misusing A Deposition In An Appeal Before The Board To ‘Punish’ An Environmental Advocate For Her Advocacy Against CNX  [PaEN]

-- On Feb. 13 Dept. Of Health, Penn State Project ECHO Held A Webinar To Educate Medical Professionals, Public On Exposures To Natural Gas Facility Pollution; Real Washington County CNX Facility Case Study Used [PaEN]

-- Observer-Reporter: CNX Shale Gas Driller Proposes To Install Bat Boxes As Homes For Bats In Waynesburg, Greene County  [PDF of Article] 

-- Financial Times: US Shale Drilling Bosses Decry ‘Chaos’ In President’s Administration’s Energy Policy In Dallas Fed Energy Survey 

-- Reuters: Oil/Gas Execs Dour In Dallas Fed Energy Survey: ‘Right Now We Are Bleeding’

[Posted: September 22, 2025]   PA Environment Digest