137 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 137 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!

-- Stroud Water Research Center Scientist Dr. John K. Jackson Recognized By International Society For Freshwater Science  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR Welcomes New Class Of Rangers, Park Managers To Protect And Serve PA’s Public Lands 

-- TheDerrick.com: Students Put Nature Knowledge To The Test At Venango County Envirothon

-- Reading Eagle: Earth Day In Reading Highlights Shared Duty To Protect Environment

-- Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy's 2026 Stream Cleanup A Record Breaking Success Thanks To 2,052 Volunteers [PaEN] 

-- Chester County Litter Lifters: Nearly 50 Volunteers Make 2 Cleanup Events On April 4 A Success As Part Of America 250PA Celebration  [PaEN]  

-- Centre Daily Times: More Than 800 Volunteers Took Part In ClearWater Conservancy Watershed Cleanup Day In Centre County

-- Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Becomes Newest Keep PA Beautiful Affiliate  [PaEN] 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: Plymouth Fire Co Plans Electronics, TV Recycling Event For April 25

-- Williamsport Sun: Susquehanna Chapter Trout Unlimited Holds April 18 Lycoming Creek Cleanup

-- Penn State Extension: Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program Helps Nolt Family Farm In Perry County ‘Do Right By The Creek’  

-- KDKA: How Forbes Trail Chapter Trout Unlimited Is Helping Native Trout In Linn Run

-- Philadelphia.Today: Aqua Pennsylvania Employees Celebrate Earth Day With Tree Planting At Hildacy Preserve In Delaware County

-- Republican Herald: New Trees Planted, Old Ones Retired By Pottsville’s Shade Tree Commission

--WHYY: John Bartram Garden In Philadelphia America’s Oldest Botanical Garden

-- DEP Investigating Possible Software Malfunction That Released An Estimated 704,000 Gallons Of Fresh Water From Coterra Energy Shale Gas Water Impoundment In Springville Twp., Susquehanna County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Frontier Natural Resources Failed To Restore 5 Water Impoundments At 3 Shale Gas Drilling Sites In Clinton County For 3,197  Days  [PaEN] 

-- TheDerrick.com: Who Will Pay The Water Bill?  Aqua Pennsylvania Is 'Evaluating Its Options’ For Recovering Money It Spent Operating The Venango Water Company From Oil & Gas Well Owner After Wastewater Spill [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - April 4 to 17: Failed To Restore 5 Water Impoundments For 3,197 Days; Software Glitch Leaks 704,000 Gallons Of Fresh Water; 166,729 Gallons Recovered From Wastewater Spill [PaEN] 

-- DEP Linkedin: Oil & Gas Program Sets Inspection Record In 2025, Including 5,213 Wells Never Inspected Before, Responded To 674 Complaints, Incidents [PDF of Article]

-- TribLive: West Deer Twp. Shale Gas Fracking Well Raises Noise, Air Quality Issues; Residents Seek Stricter Setbacks In Allegheny County

-- TribLive: Protect PT Seeks Limits On Shale Gas Development Water Use At Beaver Run Drinking Water Reservoir In Westmoreland County

-- Reuters: Williams CEO Says PA-NY Constitutional Natural Gas Pipeline Could Be Online In 2027

-- EPA, DOE, DOI Break Ground On Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement Natural Gas Pipeline Taking PA Gas Into New York City

-- Residents Around MarkWest Harmon Creek Natural Gas Cryogenic Processing Plant In Washington County Urge DEP To Deny A New Air Quality Permit Because Of Frequent, Ongoing Black Smoke, Incomplete Combustion Violations At The Plant’s Natural Gas/Chemical Flare  [PaEN] 

-- PA House Passes 3rd Natural Gas Safety Bill After Fatal Reading Chocolate Factory Explosion [House Bill 1522]

-- Reading Eagle: Reading Chocolate Factory Natural Gas Explosion: PA Legislation Addresses Natural Gas Safety Concerns

-- CBSNews: Clairton, PA Faces Fallout From President’s Environmental Rule Rollback [Warning]

-- Breathe Project - April 20 Webinar On When Air Kills - Pittsburgh’s Hidden PM2.5 Particulate Toll, 7:00 p.m. 

-- Mountain Watershed Association Appeals 90% Reduction In Mine Subsidence Damage Bond For Rustic Ridge Coal Mine In Westmoreland, Fayette Counties From $3.1 Million To $292,679  [PaEN] 

-- Call For Presentations: 28th Annual PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference Set For Oct. 20-22 In Grantville, Dauphin County  [PaEN]  

-- House Energy Committee Reports Out GeoThermal Energy, Advanced Transmission Technology, Energy Financing Authority Bills  [PaEN]   

-- Shapiro Administration Secures $14 Million From US DOE For Enhanced GeoThermal Systems Pilot Demonstration Project In Indiana County [PaEN] 

-- Tribune-Democrat: PA Wins $14 Million Federal Grant To Study Shale Gas Well GeoThermal Energy Feasibility In Indiana County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA DEP Wins $14 Million Federal Grant To Test GeoThermal Energy In Shale Gas Wells

-- PA House Passes Bills To Develop Model Zoning Ordinance To Help Local Governments Regulate, Mitigate The Impacts Of A.I. Data Center Developments; Report Water, Energy Use  [PaEN] 

-- The Center Square: PA Lawmakers, Local Residents Grapple With A.I. Data Center ‘Reckless Gold Rush’  [Model Zoning Ordinance, Water/Energy Bills]

-- PennLive: PA House Passes Bills Targeting A.I. Data Center Zoning, Power And Water Use

-- PA House Blue-Green Labor, Environmental Caucus Endorses 9-Bill Package To Expand Clean Energy Generation, Strengthen Workforce  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY: PA Democratic Lawmakers [In Blue-Green Caucus] Push Package of Bills Aiming To Reduce Energy Costs 

-- Washington & Jefferson College: New Report By Pittsburgh Technology Council - Pennsylvania Builds The Cloud:  Manufacturing, Energy, Data Center Development

-- Penn State Extension: A.I. Data Centers - A Guide To Common Questions

-- TribLive Guest Essay: This Summer, Your Air Conditioner Is Going To Compete With An A.I. Data Center For Power - By Destenie Nock, Carnegie Mellon University 

-- TribLive: Construction Begins On $10 Billion Natural Gas Power Plant For 3,200 Acre A.I. Data Center Campus In Homer City, Indiana County

-- DEP Issues 2nd Air Quality General Permit For Diesel-Fired Nonroad Engines At Homer City A.I. Data Center Campus In Indiana County  [PaEN] 

-- Scranton Times: Developer Of Archbald A.I. Data Centers And One Power Plant Proposes Building 3 More Power Plants In Dickson City; Hearings Set April 27, May 13 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Proposes Adding 14.9 GW With Bilateral Contracts, Central Procurement; Will Help Match Data Center Buyers To New Electric Generation

-- Report: President Canceled 28.2 Gigawatts Of US Electric Generation- Funding For 13 Gigawatts Lost In Pennsylvania- In Face Of Unprecedented A.I. Data Center Demand, Grid Reliability Concerns  [PaEN] 

-- Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee holds another hearing April 28 on electric generation resource adequacy, PJM market update, barriers to entry for new power generation. Energy Innovation Center, 1435 Bedford Ave., Pittsburgh. 10:00 a.m.  Watch online.  

-- Spotlight PA: Gov. Shapiro Repeats Threat To Pull Pennsylvania Out Of PJM Regional Grid Operator, If Electricity Costs Keep Rising  

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: PA Electric Utilities Appreciate ‘Market Signals,’ But Not Market Prices; Some Utilities Want More Direct Role In Securing Power, Managing Prices For Customers

-- Gov. Shapiro Demanded, And PECO Withdrew Its 12.5%  Electric, 11.4% Natural Gas Rate Increase Saving PA Consumers $510 Million 

-- PECO Withdraws Proposed 12.5% Electric, 11.4% Natural Gas Rate Increases From PUC Consideration  [PaEN]  

-- Philadelphia Business Journal: A.I. Data Centers Are Coming For Power, And PECO’s CEO Says There’s No Time To Waste; PECO Can’t Turn Data Centers Away 

-- WHYY: PECO Withdraws Its Rate Hike Case After Backlash From PA Governor, Lawmakers

-- Inquirer: PECO Withdraws Request For Double-Digit Rate Hike, After Facing Backlash

-- Utility Dive: PECO Withdraws $510 Million Rate Hike Proposals Over Affordability Concerns

-- PUC Opens Investigation Into UGI Electric Proposed 12.8% Rate Increase  [PaEN] 

-- PUC To Investigate Proposed 13.1% Rate Increase Request by Peoples Natural Gas  [PaEN] 

-- April 19: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Dropped 1 More Penny Yesterday, Now $0.98/Gallon Higher To $4.09 Since Feb. 27  [Warren County, PA highest at $4.296]

-- April 19: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.04 Ohio- $3.70  PA- $4.09

-- Feb. 27: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $2.98  Ohio- $2.79  PA- $3.11

-- PennLive: Fetterman Shrugs Off Concerns About Rising Gasoline Prices, Blames Media

-- Bloomberg: US Natural Gas Prices Higher For 3rd Day Erasing Earlier Losses; Producers Scale Back Production In Anticipation Of Lower Weather-Related Demand 

-- Reuters: Iran’s Navy Tells Ships Strait Of Hormuz Shut Again, 2 Vessels Report Gunfire  

-- The Guardian: Top Oil, Natural Gas Companies Set To Make An Extra $234 Billion By End Of 2026 

-- WESA/The Allegheny Front: Electric Transmission Line Company Wants Authority To Condemn Property From PA PUC For Proposed Power Line In SW PA To Feed A.I. Data Centers In Virginia

-- Williamsport Sun: PPL Electric President Says A.I. Data Centers Require ‘Major Investment’ In Electric Grid   [PDF of Article]

-- Republican Herald: PPL To Hold April 23 Information Session For Sunbury-Frackville Transmission Line Project For ‘New Customer’ In Butler Twp.

-- PennLive Guest Essay: PA Electric Utilities Want Ratepayers To Foot The Bill For Their Power Plant Ambitions - By James H. Cawley, Former Chair of PA PUC

-- DEP Invites Comments On Renewal Of Wastewater Permit For Restart Of Constellation Energy’s Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant In Dauphin County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Water Encroachment Permit For Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission, LLC Project To Rebuild Power Lines To Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant In Dauphin County  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant Proposes Workaround To 2027 Restart Barrier; Federal Approval Needed

-- DEP Accepting Comments On Stormwater Permit For SNA North LLC/QTS A.I. Data Center Project In Salem Twp., Luzerne County  [PaEN]

-- Center For Rural Pennsylvania April 17 Hearing On A.I. Data Centers, Coolidge Theatre At The Deane Center, Wellsboro, Tioga County.  Watch On-Demand.

-- Better Path Coalition To Host May 13 A.I. Data Centers Virtual Town Hall Meeting, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - April 20 [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette - Laura Legere: Fearing ‘Unsustainable’ Cost Increases, PA Utilities And Lawmakers Move To Curb Payments To Smaller Than Utility-Scale Solar Energy Facilities

-- PennLive: Solar Energy Panels On Cumberland County Warehouses Could Power 56,000 Homes As Rep. Fiedler, Other Lawmakers Eye Energy Solutions

-- Post-Gazette: Solar Energy Facility To Help Offset Energy Costs Of 4 Pittsburgh School

-- Penn State Extension Energy Essentials News: Data Centers Q/A; National Biogas Conference; Tips For Picking Reputable Solar Developer

-- Erie Times: A Shipload Of 57 Wind Turbine Blades Unloaded In Erie

-- LancasterOnline: Muddy Run Pump Storage Hydroelectric Plant To Test Warning Sirens In Lancaster, York Counties April 23 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub Retained By US DOE Despite Earlier Doubts  [Warning]

-- PennVEST Announces Investment Of $284.2 Million On Water Infrastructure Projects in 20 Counties  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Accepting Applications For Growing Greener Plus Watershed Restoration Grants April 22 to June 22

-- DEP Accepting Applications For Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Grants April 22 to June 22

-- EPA Announces $30 Million In Technical Assistance Grants Available For Small, Rural Communities In RealWaterTA Initiative

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Presidents Wants To Spend On Military While Gutting American Infrastructure

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship: Federal Funding For Climate Smart A Program Restored To PASA Sustainable Agriculture, With Less Climate

-- Center For Ag Conservation Assistance Training Announces Refreshed Ag Conservation Keystone Training Series  

-- Penn State Extension: Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program Helps Nolt Family Farm In Perry County ‘Do Right By The Creek’  

-- Penn State Extension: Ag Conservation Currents: News That Infiltrates and Transpires

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Anaerobic Digestion On The Farm Conference, June 9-11  [PaEN]

-- StreamSmart Stormwater House Calls Can Help Property Owners Reduce Stormwater Pollution In 5 Target Watersheds In Southeast PA  [PaEN]  

-- Chesapeake Bay Forests For The Bay News: Young Forest Habitat Improvement For Wildlife

-- Delaware River Basin Commission Releases Framework For Water Resources Resilience; April 30 Webinar Set  [PaEN]

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal Forum: We Must Build Our Mussels For Stronger Rivers And Streams - By Kathy Reshetiloff, US Fish & Wildlife Service

-- PennLive Guest Essay: The Potomac River Raw Sewage Spill Is A Warning The City Of Harrisburg Can’t Ignore - By James M. Seif, Former Secretary Of DEP

-- Erie Times: Report Assesses Lake Erie Ecosystem: How You Can Help The Great Lake

-- LancasterOnline: Firefighters, Hazmat Called After Manure Spills Into Drumore Township Creek

-- WHYY: 2 Environmental Groups Seek To Join Legal Fight Against Federal ICE Plans For Warehouse Detention Centers In Berks, Schuylkill Counties

-- WESA: Rates Are Rising, But Pittsburgh Water Authority Has Expanded Its Low-Income Assistance Programs

-- Warren Times: Drinking Water Issues Impact Mobile Home Park In Conewago Twp.; DEP Issues Order Requiring Major Upgrades [PDF of Article]

-- Warren Times: Water Donations Pour In For Mobile Home Park With Unreliable Drinking Water System   [PDF of Article]

-- Warren Times Letter: Leadership Runs Dry In Tidioute Community Water Crisis - By Christina Craig, Tidioute Resident [PDF of Article]

-- Shapiro Administration Highlights Disaster Recovery Grant Program In 2026-27 Budget Proposal

-- Susquehanna River Watershed Low-Flow Conditions Trigger Stop To Shale Gas Drilling Water Withdrawals At 19 Locations, 13 More Approaching Restrictions  [PaEN]

-- PennLive: Why PA Is In Desperate Need Of April Showers And What’ll Happen Without Them

-- TribLive: Long-Awaited Cleanup Work Begins At Parks Twp. Nuclear Waste Dump, Armstrong County 

-- TribLive: Parks Township Nuclear Waste Dump Cleanup To Take 6 to 8 Years In Armstrong County 

-- TribLive Editorial: Federal Nuclear Waste Disposal Site Cleanup, 20 Year Bureaucratic Delay 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: PA DEP Shuts Down J&K Scrapyard In York County

-- York Daily Record: J&K Salvage Owner Faces Misdemeanor Charge Related To PennDOT Records

-- AP: EPA May Ease Regulation Of Chemical Recycling Of Plastics, Environmentalists Worry [Warning]

-- TribLive: Trash Mounds Along Allegheny River In Braeburn To Be Cleaned Up In Westmoreland County

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Logistical Nightmare Of Cleaning Up One Of Philly’s Biggest Illegal Dumps 

-- DEP: Changing PA’s Littering Habit: Turn A Mess Into A Movement - Pick Up Every Piece

-- Morning Call: Brush Fire Breaks Out On Blue Mountain Near Lehigh Gap Nature Center 

-- Morning Call: Blue Mountain Brush Fire Mostly Contained Near Lehigh Gap Nature Center

-- PennLive: Fire Crews Return For 3rd Day To Site Of Stubborn Wildfire In Franklin County

-- The Allegheny Front: Practicing Climate Communication In The Field And Stream At The Powdermill Nature Reserve

-- PA Assn. Of Environmental Educators: Upcoming Professional Development Experiences, Workshops; Girty’s Bees; Humane Animal Rescue; Gen:Thrive; Water Stewardship

-- DCNR Offering Pocket Meadow Native Seed Kits To Convert Up To 1,000 Square Feet Into A Meadow Habitat  [PaEN] 

-- Observer-Reporter: Beaver County Family Offers $5,000 Reward For Information In Honey Bee Hive Arson

-- Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly News: Business Inspections Resume; Management Guide: What To Look For; Learning Opportunities

-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Celebrates 250 Years Of Freedom To Explore With 250 Celebrations Bingo In Our State Parks, Forests  [PaEN]

-- April 17 Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation

-- Discover NE PA: Every Day Moments In Nature Matter More Than You Think 

-- Help Wanted: Allegheny National Forest Artist-In-Residence  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Launches 2026 Black Fly Suppression Program Across 1,800 Miles Of PA Waterways

-- Williamsport Sun: Friends Of Bald Eagle Valley Trail Inviting New Members, Thank Clinton County Commissioners For Support

-- US Army Corps Of Engineers Seeks Public Input On Future Of Kinzua Dam, Allegheny Reservoir Master Plan In Warren County  [PaEN] 

-- LancasterOnline: Peregrine Falcons Are Flying Over Lancaster City, After Decades, Is There Finally A Nest? 

-- Game Commission Accepting Entries To Working Together For Wildlife Art Contest Until July 31

-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Spring Native Plant Sale May 16   

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

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[Posted: April 19, 2026]   PA Environment Digest