136 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 136 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!

-- In Memoriam: Gilbert Freedman, Tireless Advocate For And Founder Of The Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Assn. In Cumberland County 

-- Republican Herald: Tree Dedicated To Late State Forester Michael Mazure At Penn State Schuylkill Campus 

-- Tom Ridge Environmental Center Celebrates 20th Anniversary - A Legacy Of Stewardship  May 1 In Erie  [PaEN]

-- PA Assn. Of Conservation Districts Celebrates County Conservation District Week - April 26 to May 2  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Master Watershed Steward Program Recognized By Water Resources Association Of the Delaware River Basin  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Westmoreland County Envirothon: All Winners In Learning About The Environment

-- Green Building Alliance Announces Recipients Of 2026 Emerald Awards; May 14 Awards Celebration  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Levi Wilson Takes On Caretaker Role For Rachel Carson Trail In Allegheny County 

-- Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Nationally Recognized For Environmental Partnership  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette: Post-Gazette Captures National Award For 2025 Investigation Of Federal Enforcement Failures In Coal Mining To Prevent Black Lung

-- TribLive Guest Essay: This Is Planet Earth, We Are The Crew - By Bruce Cooper, Slippery Rock Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Editorial: Earth Day Is About Making Small, Personal Changes And Impacts

-- DEP Tells House Committee It’s Not Sure What Will Be In Its Plan To Reduce Methane Emissions From Oil & Gas Operations It Needs To Submit To EPA In January  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Extends Air Quality Plan Approvals Allowing Temporary Operation Of The Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County; Title V Application Still Under Review Since July 2024  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Day 545 And Counting: Seneca Resources Continues To Release Wastewater, Frack New Shale Gas Wells At Taft Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County  [PaEN]

-- The Sun Also Rises In Washington County: MarkWest Harmon Creek Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant Creates New Sun - At 4:47 a.m April 20, Again On April 21 - And It’s Still Burning  [PaEN] 

-- ‘Emergency’ Upset Flares Still Burning Over MarkWest Harmon Creek/Energy Transfer Revolutions Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plants In Washington County  Live Breathe Project Cameras  [April 26 - 6 Days, You Get The Idea] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - April 18 to 24: Seneca Resources Still Releasing Wastewater After 545 Days; A New ‘Sun’ In Washington County; 13 More Abandoned Conventional Well Violations  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets April 30 To Hear Updates On Setbacks Petition; Regulations In Progress; Well Plugging Program; Injection Well Primacy  [PaEN]

-- Philadelphia Business Journal: PECO CEO David Vahos Out Following Rate Hike Backlash: Mike Innocenzo To Return 

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: PECO Announces New Leadership Following Controversial Rate Hike And Stalled Union Negotiations

-- Washington & Jefferson College: Energy Insecurity On The Rise In US - One-Third Of All US Households Are Struggling To Pay Basic Energy Bills

-- WHYY: President Proposes Completely Eliminating Low-Income Heating Assistance Program Saying It’s ‘Unnecessary’

-- Join May 7 Webinar On Energy Rate Cases And Energy Affordability Advocacy At The PUC  [PaEN]   ​

-- TheDerrick.com: Oil City Native, Middle East Expert Says Gasoline Prices To Keep Rising 

-- Reuters Commentary: Welcome To The Age Of [Fossil] Energy Shocks

-- Wall Street Journal: How The Iran War Energy Crisis Is Spreading Across The World: Those Dependent On Energy Imports Find Themselves At Forefront Of A Global Crisis

-- Financial Times: US Farmers Reel From Spiraling Prices Due To Iran War

-- DEP Invites Comments On Air Permit For Amazon Data Services To Add 280 Natural-Gas Fired Generators To A.I. Data Center Project In Falls Twp., Bucks County [PaEN] 

-- DEP Invites Comments On Air Permit For Amazon Data Services To Add 86 Diesel Generators To A.I. Data Center Project In Salem Twp., Luzerne County  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Accepting Comments On Renewal Of An Air Quality Permit For 23 Diesel Generators At The Iron Mountain Underground  Data Center In Butler County  [PaEN] 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EQT Shale Gas Driller Poised To Capture A.I. Data Center Power Plant Demand In PA, OH, WV 

-- PennEnvironment: A.I. Data Center Growth Threatens Air Quality, Progress Toward Cleaner Energy Grid 

-- WIRED: New Natural Gas Powered A.I. Data Centers Could Emit More Greenhouse Gases Than Entire Nations - 129 Million Tons A Year  [2.5 times the emissions from all the natural gas power plants in PA] 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: NextEra Expects Government Agreements Within 3 Months For $17 Billion A.I. Data Center Power Plants In Texas, Pennsylvania [‘We Are Actively Developing Both Projects,’ A 9.5 GW Plant ‘Somewhere South Of Pittsburgh’]

-- Bloomberg: Cost To Build A Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant Surges 66%

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvania’s Energy Future Hinges On Affordability And Reliability - By Eugene DePasquale, PA Democratic Policy Chair, Natural Allies For A Clean Energy Future [Natural Gas Industry Front Group]

-- PennLive: Constellation Energy Wants 66% More River Water For Restart Of Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant; Locals Say Big Tech Is Profiting While They Pay The Price

-- ABC27: Residents Weigh In On Water Use Proposal Tied To Restart Of Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant In Dauphin County 

-- DEP Sets State Water Plan Update Meetings For Regional, Statewide Water Resources Committees Starting May 19  [PaEN]

-- WNEP: Rally At PA Capitol Calls For A.I. Data Center Moratorium

-- KeystoneNewsroom.com: PA A.I. Data Center Surge Sparks Local Fears Over Pollution, Power Costs And Weak Oversight 

-- PA Capital-Star: Township Supervisors Across PA Urge Colleagues To Adopt Zoning For A.I. Data Centers: ‘You Want To Be Able To Set The Rules’

-- Wash Post: Developers Plan So Many A.I. Data Centers In Archbald, PA - A Town Of 7,000 - It’s Like Adding 51 Walmarts   [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times: Developer Of 18 A.I. Data Centers In Archbald Boro Claims His Proposal Was ‘Deemed Approved’ March 31  [PDF of Article]

-- Morning Call: Developer Proposing To Replace Massive Lehigh Valley Warehouse In Allen Twp. With A.I. Data Center Short On Details Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Says

-- TribLive: Upper Burrell Residents Remain In The Dark About TECFusion A.I. Data Center Campus Project Scope In Allegheny County 

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: A.I. Data Centers Don’t Have To Be A Burden On Communities And Can Even Support Them [But They Have To Be Designed/Built Much Differently Than They Are Now] - By Gregor Henze and Sean Shaheen, The Conversation

-- Physicians For Social Responsibility PA Host May 8 Online Southeast PA Environmental Movement Committee Meeting On A.I. Data Centers, Chester Incinerator, LNG Gas Terminal Proposals  [PaEN] 

-- CNBC: A.I. Data Center Backlash Threatens PA Republican Incumbents In 2026 Election

-- Post-Gazette - Leura Legere: Utility Watchdogs Say Rate Request By Proposed 220-Mile NextEra/Exelon Kammer Juniata Power Lines In PA To Feed Data Centers Would Turn Existing Ratepayers Into ‘Piggy Bank’ 

-- Utility Dive: Independent PJM Market Monitor Opposes Granting Waivers To Constellation Energy To Connect Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant To Grid; Request Meets None Of The FERC Criteria

-- Scranton Times: PPL Acknowledges Transmission Line, Substation Projects Based On Proposed A.I. Data Centers [Nondisclosure Agreements Prevented PPL From Discussing Operation Of The Data Centers]

-- WNEP: A.I. Data Center Opponents Question PPL Transmission Line Projects In Lackawanna County 

-- Republican Herald: Butler Twp. Electric Substation To Anchor A.I. Data Center In PPL Powerline Overhaul In Schuylkill County

-- Utility Dive: Sudden, Unexpected A.I. Data Center Load Loss Events Prompt North American Electric Reliability Corp Alert, Recommendations 

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - April 27 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Files Final Consent Decree Stipulating Changes At The Keystone And Conemaugh Coal-Fired Power Plants To Resolve Wastewater Violations And Allow For Continued Operation  [PaEN] 

-- The Allegheny Front: Gov. Shapiro Moves To Keep 2 Coal-Fired Power Plants Open In Western PA, As Energy Demand From A.I. Data Center Grows

-- PA Capital-Star: PA’s Largest Coal-Fired Power Plants Would Stay Open Until 2032 In Proposed DEP Deal

-- The Center Square: President, Shapiro, McCormick Applaud Decision Keeping 2 PA Coal-Fired Power Plants Running 

-- PA Coal Alliance Applauds DEP’s Action To Keep The Keystone, Conemaugh Coal-Fired Power Plants Open  

-- DEP Accepting Comments On Air Quality Operating Permit For Additional Control Equipment At The Rauch Creek Coal Waste-Fired Power Plant In Schuylkill County  [PaEN] 

-- President Invokes Wartime Powers To Fund Coal, Natural Gas Pipelines, Storage, Processing, LNG, Petroleum, Power Grid Infrastructure Projects [PaEN]  [Warning]

-- TribLive: Environmental Group To State: Make Sure Rustic Ridge Coal Mine Has Sufficient Mine Subsidence Bonding In Westmoreland County

-- Appalachian Voices: Groups Sue Federal Office Of Surface Mining Over Rollback Of Coal Mining Citizen Oversight Rule  [PaEN]

-- Spotlight PA/Inside Climate News: Allegheny, Dauphin, Philadelphia Counties Rank Among Nation’s Worst For Air Pollution, Study Finds 

-- Post-Gazette: Annual Lung Association Air Quality Report Again Gives Pittsburgh Failing Grade, But Some Question Findings

-- Erie Times: Where Erie County, PA Air Quality Rates Years After 2023 Canadian Wildfires

-- Reading Eagle: Manatawny Creek Winery Showcased As ‘Shining Example’ Of Solar Energy Benefits In Berks County

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: ‘Use It Or Lose It:’ Solar Advocates Say IRS Is Still Writing Checks For Solar Energy Credits, So Go Get Yours 

-- Utility Dive: Federal Court Curtails President’s Moves To Block Or Delay 57 Gigawatts Of Much Needed Wind, Solar Energy Development 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Cleveland-Cliffs $170 Million Butler Works Steel Plant Electrification Project On Track For 2028 

-- Help Wanted: DEP Energy Program Specialist For RISE PA Energy Conservation Grants 

-- DEP/Sen. Yaw Highlight Need To Fund Hazardous Sites Cleanup With Visit To Former Landfill Turned Into Sports Complex In Williamsport  [PaEN]

-- PennLive - John Beauge: DEP Uses New Athletic Complex In Williamsport To Pitch For Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Funding

-- TheDerrick.com: Workshop Set For May 6 For Clarion Borough Brownfields Plan

-- Foundation For PA Watersheds Accepting Letters Of Interest In Funding For Community-Based Environmental Projects In Raccoon Creek Watershed, Allegheny, Beaver, Washington Counties  [PaEN] 

-- Essential Utilities, PA Environmental Council Award $60,000 In Grants To Support Projects To Protect Drinking Water In Bucks, Chester, Delaware Counties  [PaEN] 

-- PA American Water Awards 12 Organizations $243,349 In Water And Environment Grants  [PaEN]  

-- Columbia Gas Of PA Awards $50,000 In Environmental Action Grants To 11 Nonprofits  [PaEN] 

-- Conservation Efforts Unite: Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay And Joe Jurgielewicz & Son, Ltd. Partner to Create Cleaner Waterways and Lower Environmental Impact  [PaEN]

-- Lancaster Farming - Tom Venesky: ‘Big Picture’ Partnership Makes Conservation Easier For Farmers [Joe Jurgielewicz & Son, Alliance for Chesapeake Bay] 

-- WHYY: Anglers Help Stock White Clay Creek With Trout, Celebrate Improvements To Water Quality In Chester County

-- RegenAll Funds 130-Tree Silvopasture Project On Lancaster County Farm  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna University, Chesapeake Conservancy Collected 100,000 Live Stakes To Expand Riparian Forest Buffers  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension: Sponsorship Opportunities Available For Sept. 15-17 ACAP Ag Conservation Conference, Indiana County  [PaEN] 

-- Pennsylvania Independent: PA Group Urges Congress To Save Chesapeake Bay Restoration Funding

-- Penn State Extension Recruiting Pennsylvania Pond Owners To Join A Community Science Study [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension: Potential Hidden Substances In The Groundwater You Drink 

-- Penn State Extension: Spring Tips For A Watershed-Friendly Yard

-- Penn State Extension Latest Watershed Winds Newsletter: Upcoming Webinars, Workshops  

-- Penn State Extension: June 30 In-Person Learn The Basics Of Farm Equipment Demo, Huntingdon County

-- Help Wanted: Armstrong County Conservation District Watershed Specialist [PaEN] 

-- Three Rivers Waterkeeper Announces Intent To Sue Neville Chemical Company For Polluting Ohio River Near Pittsburgh  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Gasoline Smell Leads To Discovery Of Unregistered, Damaged Underground Tanks In Harrison, Allegheny County

-- TribLive: Lower Burrell Twp. Plans To Replace Sewage Pump Station, 50-Year Old Pipeline To Eliminate Illegal Sewage Discharges Into Chartiers Run 

-- York Daily Record: J&K Junkyard Owner Says EPA Report Showing No Significant Contamination After Massive Fire Vindicates Him; Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Says EPA Testing More Than A Week Later Is ‘A Day Late And A Dollar Short’

-- Spotlight PA - Molly Bilinski: The Shapiro Administration’s Unusual Challenge To Proposed ICE Warehouse Detention Centers In Berks, Schuylkill Counties Could Take Years To Play Out

-- Delaware River Basin Commission To Hold Hearing May 6, Business Meeting June 11  [PaEN]

-- Join Pick Up Pennsylvania And The Greatest American Cleanup In Honor Of  Earth Day And America’s 250th Anniversary [PaEN]   

-- Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Takes Aim At Litter, Illegal Dumping In Coal Region Watersheds At Litter/Dumping Summit  

-- Republican Herald Guest Essay: Clean Up Region’s Attitude Toward Illegal Dumping - By Robert Hughes, Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation  

-- Williamsport Sun: Lycoming College Student Athletes Help Clean Community

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: PA Lawmakers Weigh Bill To Set Rules For Food Waste Spreading On Farms

-- PHYS.org: Mapping Microplastic Movement In Rivers And Streams Across Pennsylvania  [Penn State] 

-- Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Turnpike Plan To Carve A Massive, Miles-Long Open Gash Through The Allegheny Mountain Would Destroy One Of PA’s Most Pristine Ridgelines - By Randall Musser,  Citizens to Save Allegheny Mountain; Brian Fochtman, Chair of Somerset County Commissioners; Roger Latuch, Casselman River Watershed Assn.; Richard Berkley,  Somerset County Sportsmen’s League  [PaEN]

-- DCNR: Investments Help Complete The Ghost Town Trail - The Nation’s 2nd Largest Looped Rail Trail In Cambria, Indiana Counties

-- Altoona Mirror: Ghost Town Trail Extension Completed

-- WHYY: Montgomery County Trail Challenge Returns With 4 New ‘Scavenger Hunt’ Locations 

-- TribLive: Point State Park Becomes Hub Of Excitement With NFL Draft In Pittsburgh

-- DCNR Grants News: Pendle Hill Tree Assessment Helps Grow Resilient Forests; Statewide Active Transportation Summit; New Keystone Fund Website; Application Tips

-- Schuylkill Highlands Mini-Grant Program Now Accepting Applications For 2026  [PaEN] 

-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Awards Grants To Support Local River Sojourns  [PaEN] 

-- Registration Open Now For Delaware River Sojourn June 20-26

-- Lehigh Valley’s Wildlands Conservancy Highlights Upcoming Experiences, Educational Events; Lehigh River Sojourn

-- Scranton Times: Lackawanna County Recorded One Of State’s 5 West Nile Virus Deaths In 2025  

-- Lancaster Conservancy Adds 31 Acres To Robert A. Kinsley Nature Preserve In York County  [PaEN] 

-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster City Seeks Input On Planned Nature Preserve Along Conestoga River

-- WHYY: Philadelphia To Transform Vacant Lots Into Green Community Spaces Under New Pilot Project

-- Penn State Extension May 21 In-Person The Hows And Whys Of Managing Natural Lands, York

-- Penn State Extension May 21 Webinar: Using Trail Cameras To Inform Forest Wildlife Management, 7:00 p.m. 

-- The Allegheny Front: PA’s Endless Mountains Region In Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wyoming Counties One Step Closer To National Heritage Area Status

-- Wildland Firefighters Issue Open Letter Opposing End Of Roadless Area Conservation Rule On Federal Lands  [Building Roads In National Forests Increases Fire Risk]

-- Warren Times: Prescribed Burn Underway In Allegheny National Forest

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Pittsburgh-Area Conservation Projects Get Grants From Open Space Institute To Help Wildlife, Climate

-- The Giant Company, Keep PA Beautiful Healing The Planet Grant Program Now Open For Applications To Support Local Native Plantings  [PaEN]

-- Tribune-Democrat: Volunteers Spruce Up Trees At Flight 93 National Memorial

-- TribLive: Longvue Acres Garden Club Gearing Up For 76th Annual Plant Sale; 800 Perennials Grown By Members In Allegheny County

-- DCNR State Parks Environmental Education News: Happy Earth Day!  Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday!  Professional Development Workshops 

-- TribLive: Game Commission To Expand Hunter Program As Crop Damage Climbs

-- Register Now!  Shaver's Creek Environmental Center Birding Cup Competition Set For May 1-2 To Benefit Hawks View Meadow Observation Platform In Huntingdon County  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: US Steel Bald Eaglet Eats Fishing Hook, Is Rescued, Whisked To Surgery In West Virginia 

-- York Daily Record: Hanover Bald Eaglets Eaten By Intruding Male Eagle, Ending Nesting Season 

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Earth Day: How Climate Change Is Threatening Vulnerable Species In PA Like Eastern Hellbender 

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

REAL Leadership:

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[Posted: April 26, 2026]   PA Environment Digest