PA Senate/House
-- House Energy Committee Meets March 2 On A.I. Data Center Disclosure, Model Ordinance Bills; Sets Hearings On Net Metering; Virtual Power Plants; Geothermal Energy; Transmission Line Tech [PaEN]
-- Senate DEP Budget Hearing: Kudos To DEP For Improving Permit Review Times; A.I. Data Centers; Due Process For ICE Warehouse Detention Centers; How Energy Storage Can Add Capacity To The Grid; Chesapeake Bay Cleanup [PaEN]
-- DEP Budget Testimony: Our Mission Is To Protect Our Air, Land And Water, It Takes Capacity And Resources, And This Budget Proposal Supports That Mission [PaEN]
-- PA Capital-Star: State Senators Grill PA DEP Head On Efforts To Speed New Power Plant Permitting; Energy Affordability Key Concern Of Secretary
-- Quinnipiac University Poll: 68% Of Pennsylvanians Oppose Building An A.I. Data Center In Their Community
Grid
-- PJM Interconnection: PJM Stakeholders Begin Work On Board’s Plan To Reliably Integrate A.I. Data Centers, Large Loads Into Grid
-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: $2 Million Grant To Help Business Nonprofit Team PA Study Electric Grid Updates As A.I. Data Center Demand Grows
-- Utility Dive: PPL Spending Plan Jumps 15% To $23 Billion On Transmission, Grid Hardening To Supply Data Centers With 25.2 GW Of Electricity In PA, KY
-- Utility Dive: PJM Proposes Behind-The-Meter Reforms To Facilitate Colocating Power Generation For A.I. Data Centers [For Machines, Not People]
Energy Prices
-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: PECO’s Profits Skyrocket Almost 50% After 2025 Rate Hikes
-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports 2025 PA Natural Gas Production Up 5.1% Over 2024; Average Natural Gas Prices Up 70.9% From 2024 [PaEN]
-- TribLive - Jack Troy: 71% Natural Gas Price Increase In PA Could Mean Higher Utility Bills
-- PennLive Guest Essay: An A.I. Data Center Isn’t Just Another Factory - It Is A City That Never Sleeps Drawing Power 24/7 Impacting Grid Operations, Imposing Costs- By Rod Williamson, Industrial Energy Consumers Of PA
-- E&E News/Politico: Why The Cost For Powering A.I. Data Centers Will Keep Rising, Despite President’s Pledge
-- Reuters: Constellation Energy Tops Profit Estimates On Robust A.I. Data Center-Driven Power Demand [For Machines, Not People]
-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Governors Are Promising Lower Power Bills, Here’s The Only Credible Path To Deliver - By Jigar Shah and Arnab Pal
-- Wall Street Journal Editorial: A.I. And The Data Center Backlash; Requiring ‘Direct’ Energy Sources To Avoid Driving Up The Cost Of Electricity
Generation
-- Canary Media: Pittsburgh Region Form Energy To Power Google A.I. Data Center In Minnesota [Why Don’t We Do This In PA?]
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Form Energy To Supply Batteries For World’s Largest Energy Storage Project
-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: President Said A.I. Data Centers Should Build Their Owner Power Source, But Offers No Details
-- WTAE: President Says Tech Companies Pledge To Supply Their Own Power Supply For A.I. Data Centers
Public Participation
-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For CDE Acquisitions, LLC 412 Acre, 6 Building, 5 Million Square Foot A.I. Data Center Campus In South Whitehall Twp., Lehigh County [PaEN]
-- Scranton Times: Archbald Schedules 2nd March 10 Hearing On Proposed 14 Building A.I. Data Center Campus [PDF of Article]
-- Scranton Times: Moosic Boro Seeks Community Input On A.I. Data Center Regulations At March 2 Meeting In Lackawanna County [PDF of Article]
Land Use
-- Scranton Times: NE PA Lawmakers Target A.I. Data Centers, Back Moratoriums [PDF of Article]
-- Scranton Times: Archbald Schedules 2nd March 10 Hearing On Proposed 14 Building A.I. Data Center Campus [PDF of Article]
-- Scranton Times: Moosic Boro Seeks Community Input On A.I. Data Center Regulations At March 2 Meeting In Lackawanna County [PDF of Article]
-- Scranton Times: Scranton Materials Appeals Ransom Twp. Denial Of A.I. Data Center Zoning Change [PDF of Article]
-- Morning Call: Developers Propose ‘Responsible’ A.I. Data Center In Lower Mount Bethel Twp., Northampton County; Neighbors Are Skeptical
-- Scranton Times: Data Center Developers Join Archbald Boro To Defend Zoning Ordinance Against Residents’ Court Appeal [PDF of Article]
-- Morning Call: Upper Saucon Twp., Lehigh County Adopts Ordinance Setting Limits On A.I. Data Centers
-- Morning Call: Zoning Hearing Delayed As Air Products Continues Upper Macungie A.I. Data Center Plan Review
-- Republican Herald: Community Meeting March 2 In Kline Township On Proposed Amazon Data Center In Schuylkill County PDF of Article]
-- Investor Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against CoreWeave, Inc. Lancaster Data Center Developer Seeking Recovery For Overstating Demand For Its Services
-- LancasterOnline: BusinessInsider Reports Lenders Passed On Financing Lancaster City A.I. Data Centers; Developer Says Project Is Fully Funded And Under Construction
-- PA Capital-Star: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Hears Worries, But Mostly Support For Restarting Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant To Feed Microsoft A.I. Data Centers
-- TribLive: Murrysville Takes First Steps Toward Regulating A.I. Data Centers, Solar Array Development In Allegheny County
-- Observer-Reporter: A.I. Data Center Ordinance Draws Crowd In South Strabane Twp. Public Meeting In Washington County [PDF of Article]
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Shippingport Data Centers Will Be Financial, Health Burdens On Beaver County Residents - By Elan Justice Pavlinich, Environmental Health Project
-- The Allegheny Front: Ohio Towns Pushing Back Against A.I. Data Centers To Varying Degrees Of Success
-- TribLive: Alcoa Plans To Sell Off 10 Former Facilities For Use As A.I. Data Centers; None In PA
-- TribLive Editorial: Alcoa Sale Of 10 Sites For A.I. Data Centers Signals New Industrial Revolution - From Making Aluminum To Managing Data
A.I. Policy
-- Gov. Shapiro: Launching New A.I. Literacy Toolkit, A.I. Enforcement Task Force On Safe Use Of A.I., Protect Pennsylvanians From Bad Actors
-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro Announces Safeguards From Predatory A.I. Practices
-- Attorney General Sunday Embraces Collaboration In Combatting Harmful Tech, A.I. Use
-- PA Capital-Star: Legislation Seeks To Reform Right-To-Know Requests In Pennsylvania During The Age Of A.I.
-- Wall Street Journal: Viral Doomsday Report Lays Bare Wall Street’s Deep Anxiety About A.I. Future [PDF of Article]
-- PA Capital-Star: Warnings That Guardrails Are Needed In PA For A.I. Counseling, Health Care
[Posted: March 1, 2026] PA Environment Digest
