Awards/Recognition
-- 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
Grants
-- The Giant Company, Keep PA Beautiful Healing The Planet Grant Program Now Open For Applications To Support Local Native Plantings [PaEN]
-- Foundation For PA Watersheds Accepting Letters Of Interest In Funding For Community-Based Environmental Projects In Raccoon Creek Watershed, Allegheny, Beaver, Washington Counties [PaEN]
Help Wanted
-- Penn State Extension Recruiting Pennsylvania Pond Owners To Join A Community Science Study [PaEN]
-- 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]
-- Help Wanted: DEP Energy Program Specialist For RISE PA Energy Conservation Grants
-- Help Wanted: Armstrong County Conservation District Watershed Specialist [PaEN]
-- TribLive: Volunteer Opportunities Can Make Every Day Earth Day
Upcoming Events
-- Fish & Boat Commission Quarterly Board Meeting April 27
-- TribLive: Longvue Acres Garden Club Gearing Up For 76th Annual Plant Sale; 800 Perennials Grown By Members In Allegheny County
-- TheDerrick.com: Workshop Set For May 6 For Clarion Borough Brownfields Plan
-- Join May 7 Webinar On Energy Rate Cases And Energy Affordability Advocacy At The PUC [PaEN]
-- 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]
-- Penn State Extension May 21 Webinar: Using Trail Cameras To Inform Forest Wildlife Management, 7:00 p.m.
-- Penn State Extension May 21 In-Person The Hows And Whys Of Managing Natural Lands, York
-- Registration Open Now For Delaware River Sojourn June 20-26
-- Lehigh Valley’s Wildlands Conservancy Highlights Upcoming Experiences, Educational Events; Lehigh River Sojourn
-- Penn State Extension: June 30 In-Person Learn The Basics Of Farm Equipment Demo, Huntingdon County
-- Penn State Extension: Sponsorship Opportunities Available For Sept. 15-17 ACAP Ag Conservation Conference, Indiana County [PaEN]
-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Awards Grants To Support Local River Sojourns [PaEN]
Public Participation
-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets April 30 To Hear Updates On Setbacks Petition; Regulations In Progress; Well Plugging Program; Injection Well Primacy [PaEN]
-- LOTS GOING ON! PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - April 25 [PaEN]
-- READ CAREFULLY! DEP Posted 73 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In April 25 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- DEP To Hold May 27 Hearing [If Requested] On RACT III Title V Air Quality Permit For the Domtar Paper Company Johnsonburg Mill In Elk 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 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 Accepting Comments On Renewal Of An Air Quality Permit For 23 Diesel Generators At The Iron Mountain Underground Data Center In Butler County [PaEN]
-- 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]
-- DEP To Hold May 27 Hearing [If Requested] On RACT III Title V Air Quality Permit For the Domtar Paper Company Johnsonburg Mill In Elk County [PaEN]
-- Delaware River Basin Commission To Hold Hearing May 6, Business Meeting June 11 [PaEN]
-- DEP Sets State Water Plan Update Meetings For Regional, Statewide Water Resources Committees Starting May 19 [PaEN]
-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster City Seeks Input On Planned Nature Preserve Along Conestoga River
Programs/Information
-- 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]
-- TribLive Guest Essay: This Is Planet Earth, We Are The Crew - By Bruce Cooper, Slippery Rock Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby
-- Penn State Extension: Earth Day 2026 Reminds Us We Have The Power To Make A Difference For Our Planet
-- DCNR State Parks Environmental Education News: Happy Earth Day! Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday! Professional Development Workshops
-- Tribune-Democrat: Volunteers Spruce Up Trees At Flight 93 National Memorial
-- TribLive: Point State Park Becomes Hub Of Excitement With NFL Draft In Pittsburgh
-- 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
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Cleveland-Cliffs $170 Million Butler Works Steel Plant Electrification Project On Track For 2028
-- Appalachian Voices: Groups Sue Federal Office Of Surface Mining Over Rollback Of Coal Mining Citizen Oversight Rule [PaEN]
-- 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
-- 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]
-- Penn State Extension: Spring Tips For A Watershed-Friendly Yard
-- Penn State Extension: Potential Hidden Substances In The Groundwater You Drink
-- Penn State Extension Latest Watershed Winds Newsletter: Upcoming Webinars, Workshops
-- PHYS.org: Mapping Microplastic Movement In Rivers And Streams Across Pennsylvania [Penn State]
-- Williamsport Sun: Lycoming College Student Athletes Help Clean Community
-- WHYY: Philadelphia To Transform Vacant Lots Into Green Community Spaces Under New Pilot Project
-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Earth Day: How Climate Change Is Threatening Vulnerable Species In PA Like Eastern Hellbender
-- Susquehanna University, Chesapeake Conservancy Collected 100,000 Live Stakes To Expand Riparian Forest Buffers [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]
-- RegenAll Funds 130-Tree Silvopasture Project On Lancaster County Farm [PaEN]
-- Scranton Times: Lackawanna County Recorded One Of State’s 5 West Nile Virus Deaths In 2025
A.I./Data Centers
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - April 27 [PaEN]
-- 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
-- Bloomberg: Cost To Build A Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant Surges 66%
-- 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
-- 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 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 Accepting Comments On Renewal Of An Air Quality Permit For 23 Diesel Generators At The Iron Mountain Underground Data Center In Butler County [PaEN]
-- 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]
-- 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]
-- 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’]
-- 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]
-- 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’
-- 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]
Background On Issues
-- 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]
-- 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 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]
-- Flares Still Burning Over Energy Transfer Revolutions/MarkWest Harmon Creek Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plants In Washington County Live Breathe Project Cameras [April 22]
-- ‘Emergency’ Upset Flare Still Burning Over Energy Transfer Revolutions Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County Live Breathe Project Cameras [April 23]
-- ‘Emergency’ Upset Flare Still Burning Over Energy Transfer Revolutions Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County Live Breathe Project Cameras [April 24]
-- ‘Emergency’ Upset Flare Still Burning Over Energy Transfer Revolutions Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County Live Breathe Project Cameras [April 25]
-- ‘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]
-- 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
-- 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
-- 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
-- President Invokes Wartime Powers To Fund Coal, Natural Gas Pipelines, Storage, Processing, LNG, Petroleum, Power Grid Infrastructure Projects [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
-- 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
-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: PA Lawmakers Weigh Bill To Set Rules For Food Waste Spreading On Farms
-- 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
-- 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
Visit the DEP Calendar of Events; PA Parks & Forests Foundation’s Events webpage and DCNR’s Calendar of Events for activities happening near you.
Visit DEP’s Teaching Green webpage to learn about more environmental education resources.
Visit the PA Environment Digest Calendar Of Events for more opportunities.
[Posted: April 26, 2026] PA Environment Digest
No comments :
Post a Comment