151 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 151 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!

-- PA Environmental Council: Celebrating Sustainability, Stewardship, Community In Governor’s Awards For Environmental Excellence, Western PA Environmental Awards  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Randy Fogle, 1st Coal Miner Saved In Quecreek Mine Rescue, Dies At 68

-- WTAE: Quecreek Mine Rescue Survivor Randy Fogle Dies After Battle With Cancer In Somerset County  

-- TribLive: Friends Of Flight 93 Hosts Speaker Series With Emergency Managers, Memorial Architect

-- AP: World Cup Stadiums, Including Lincoln Financial Field In Philadelphia, Earn Prestigious LEED Green Building Certifications Before Matches Begin 

-- June 22 Community Lecture At Millersville Borough To Honor Conestoga As PA River Of The Year  

-- Allegheny College Receives Grant From PPG Foundation To Support Creek Connections Program For K-12 Students  [PaEN] 

-- TheDerrick.com: Clarion-Limestone School District Student STEM Projects Geared To Helping The Planet

-- Western PA Conservancy: 150 Acres Of Forest At Wolf Creek Narrows Natural Area In Butler County Now Part of Old-Growth Forest Network  [PaEN] 

-- Warren Times: Warren Conservation Districts Announces K-12 Student Art Contest Winners

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: New Report Ranks Pittsburgh High For Parks, But Finds Uneven Access For Low-Income, Minority Residents 

-- House Committee To Consider Bills To Prohibit Road Dumping Oil & Gas Wastewater, Set Minimum Standards For Power Plant Community Benefit Agreements, Encourage Monarch, Native Insect Habitats On June 8  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - May 30 to June 5: Abandoned Conventional Wells Top 258; Holes In Shale Gas Water Pipeline; New Shale Well Casing/Cement Failure [PaEN] 

-- DEP Finds Multiple Holes In Pipeline Liner, Failure To Comply With Erosion & Sedimentation Permit At Expand Operating Aboveground Shale Gas Water Pipeline Construction Site In Bradford County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Issues Chapter 105 Permit For 8 Mile, 24-Inch EQT ARO LLC Water Pipeline To Support Shale Gas Development In State Forest Land In Lycoming County  [PaEN] 

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reported First Quarter PA Natural Gas Production Declined Slightly From 4th Quarter, Lowest In Any Quarter Of 2025  [PaEN] 

-- Utility Dive: Electric Generators Need More Reliable Natural Gas Supply To Protect Grid Reliability During Extreme Weather Events  [Warning]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Bad Energy Policies Threaten Jobs, Discourage Critical Infrastructure Investment - By Jon O’Brien, Keystone Contractors Assn.  [Contractors Don’t Have To Live With The Consequences Of The Projects They Build, So What’s Good For Them, May Be Bad For Communities]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: PA’s Shale Gas Drilling Impact Fee Proves Energy Development and Community Investment Can Coexist - By Stephanie Catarino Wissman, American Petroleum Institute PA [An Unreliable Source Of Funding For Communities, No Way Makes Up For The Damage, Pollution Caused By This Industry, It’s Silly To Think Otherwise]

-- WTAE: Residents, Businesses Voice Concern As Energy Costs Spike Throughout Pennsylvania   [Warning]

-- WPXI: Peoples Natural Gas Customers In Western PA Push Back On 13.8% Rate Hike Calling It ‘Blatant Theft’  [Warning]

-- Sen. Lindsey Williams Urges Peoples Gas To Withdraw Proposed 13.8% Natural Gas Rate Increase   

-- PUC Reminds Consumers Of Hearings  In Westmoreland County On Proposed 13.8% Peoples Natural Gas Rate Increase

-- PUC Consumer Reminder: Summer Electric Price Changes Begin June 1   [Warning]

-- PUC Approves 4.9% PPL Electric Rate Increase Settlement, Measures To Assess Costs For Data Centers, Modifies Agreement Related To Agricultural Biogas  [PaEN]   

-- Morning Call: PPL Electric Bills To Rise Again After Rate Hike Approved By PUC Under Settlement

-- PUC Invites Comments On New Public Utility Billing Practices Regulations

-- WTAE: Thousands Left Without Power After Intense Storms In Western PA Saturday

-- TribLive: High Winds, Possible Brief Tornado Cause Damage South Of Pittsburgh

-- Post-Gazette: Storm Injures Baseball Fans In Morgantown, Possible Tornado Reported In Bentleyville Area

-- Morning Call: Severe Storms Down Trees, Wires Across Lehigh Valley

-- WNEP: PPL Reporting Thousands Without Power Across Northeastern PA Due To Storms

-- Pennsylvania Power Outages: 52,266 Customers Without Power As Of June 7 7:00 a.m.

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Hot Weather Alert For June 5-6 In Mid-Atlantic, Southern Regions, 2nd Alert In 16 Days  [PaEN]   [Warning]

-- The Center Square: PA Members Of Congress Ask FERC How They Are Overseeing Power Demands From A.I. Data Centers

-- Bloomberg: A.I. Data Center Boom Risks Breakup Of PJM Interconnection As Utility Bills Soar, Slow Connections To Grid

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: New Line Rating System Showed Duquesne Light Could Increase Transmission Line Capacity By 25% 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Utility Battery Storage Considered In PA House Committee To Strengthen Electric Grid

-- PA Capital-Star: PA House Committee Hears Utility Battery Storage Would Ease Stress On PA’s Power Grid

-- WESA: PA A.I. Data Center Pause? GRID Standards? Garrity, Shapiro Stake Out Positions  

-- WGAL: PA A.I. Data Center Projects Fuel Debate In Governor’s Race

-- Scranton Times: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Garrity Pushes A.I. Data Center ‘Pause’ During Wilkes-Barre Twp. Event 

-- WNEP: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Garrity Holds Listening Session On A.I. Data Centers In Wilkes-Barre Twp.  

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: Gubernatorial Candidate Garrity Holds A.I. Data Center Roundtable Discussion In Wilkes-Barre Twp.

-- WVIA: Republican Governor Candidate Stacy Garrity Calls For ‘Pause’ On A.I. Data Center Development During Luzerne County Visit

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Why Some Of PA’s Biggest A.I. Data Center Projects Won’t Have To Follow Governor’s GRID Rules [GRID Proposal Requires Legislation To Pass]

-- Scranton Times - Chris Kelly Opinion: Shapiro Is ‘Patient Zero’ Of A.I. Data Center Virus; State Treasurer Garrity Has Decided To At Least Appear To Take The Medicine [PDF of Article]  

-- The Center Square: Bipartisan Desire To Tap Brakes On A.I. Data Center Development Grows In General Assembly  

-- Republican Sen. Rosemary Brown Continues Push For A.I. Data Center Moratorium, Says Governor’s Proposal Falls Short

-- PA Capital-Star: Sen. Muth To Introduce Bill To Prevent A.I. Data Centers From Becoming Public Utilities With Ability To Condemn Private Property

-- Scranton Times: Valley View School District Fights 18 A.I. Data Center Campus In Archbald, 4th Challenge To Data Center Proposals [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times: Lackawanna County Commissioner Calls For Countywide Study Of A.I. Data Center Health Impacts  

-- Scranton Times: Can Neighbors Challenge A.I. Data Center Plans In A Town Where They Don’t Live?;  Resident Argues For Right To Intervene Against A Ransome Twp. Proposal  [PDF of Article]

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson:   A.I. Data Center Developers Dangle Millions In Perks In Front Of Middlesex Twp. In Cumberland County  [Community Benefit Agreement]

-- TribLive: Allegheny County Climate Plan Draws Questions About A.I. Data Centers, Environmental Justice 

-- The Intercept: Philadelphia Police Admit  They Are Tracking ‘First Amendment Activity’ Critical Of A.I. Data Centers 

-- LancasterOnline Editorial: The Citizen Revolt Against A.I. Data Centers Comes To Columbia; Elected Officials Ought To Take Heed 

-- Lesson For People With Concerns About A.I. Data Centers: Watch This 2010 WQED Report On Shale Gas Industry In PA; We Still Have These Same Impacts Today; Protect Yourself From The Beginning 

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves Constellation Energy Water Withdrawal Requests For Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant Restart; 1 Shale Gas Drilling Withdrawal  [PaEN] 

-- Utility Dive: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Grants Waiver To Constellation Energy To Allow Faster Grid Connection For Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant By Transferring Eddystone Connection Rights  [Over Objections Of PJM Market Monitor] 

-- TribLive: Massive Homer City 4.5 GW Data Center Power Plant Project Finishes Major Demolition 

-- PennFuture, Climate Power Host June 16 Webinar On A.I. Data Center Energy Challenges With PJM Independent Market Monitor Dr. Joseph Bowring Who Has Called For Blocking Interconnections And Power Plant Sales That Destabilize The Grid, Increase Prices  [PaEN] 

-- Morning Call Guest Essay: PA’s Energy Future [A.I. Data Centers] Must Not Leave Working Class Behind - By Chad Quinn, Dollar Energy (Assistance) Fund 

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - June 8  [PaEN] 

-- The Center Square: House Moves Legislation To Allow PUC To Share Information With Federal NTSB In Cases Like The Fatal Reading Chocolate Factory Natural Gas Explosion  [House Bill 306]

-- FOX43: Natural Gas Leak Causes Explosion At Lancaster County Home, Injures One

-- Morning Call: Natural Gas Leaks Prompts Evacuations In Bethlehem; Residents Allowed To Return After Gas Shut Off

-- RESCHEDULED TO:  ReImagine Appalachia, Ohio River Valley Institute, Partners To Hold June 16 Webinar, June 25 In-Person Workshop In Pittsburgh On DEP's RISE PA Industrial Decarbonization Grant Program  [PaEN] 

-- Observer-Reporter: Cecil Twp. Approves Solar Energy Facility Ordinance In Washington County

-- Scranton Times: Mayor: 28-Acre Solar Energy Facility In Mayfield Not For A.I. Data Centers

-- Planet Philadelphia Radio Show: June 5 First Global Conference On Transitioning From Fossil Fuels, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. 

-- Reuters: US Solar Energy, Storage Build Spurred By Natural Gas Plant Waits  

-- Bloomberg: Iran Energy Shocks Jolts Asia And Europe To Speed Up Transition To Clean, Homegrown Energy 

-- PA Capital-Star: Presidents Pumps $700 Million Into Coal Power In PA, Other States, As He Again Blasts Renewable Energy [Warning] 

-- AP: President Announces $700 Million In New Support For Struggling Coal Industry

-- KDKA: Ex-FirstEnergy Executives Reindicted In Ohio $60 Million Bribery Scandal To Keep Nuclear, Coal Power Plants Open

-- TribLive: Health Group Warns ‘Best’ Air Quality In Over 25 Years Still Fails Allegheny County Residents  

-- DEP Declares Code Orange Ozone Action Day For Friday, June 5 In Southeast PA  

-- DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day For Saturday, June 6 In Southeast PA

-- Allegheny County Executive Innamorato Signs Clean Tech Executive Order To Position County As National Leader In Clean Technology

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Allegheny County Executive To ‘ACT NOW’ To Boost Clean Tech Ecosystem

-- TribLive: Allegheny County Executive Pitches Clean Tech As Economic Engine For Western PA

-- Berks County Community Foundation Awards Nearly $102,000 In Grants To Support Local Environmental Health Projects 

-- DEP Awards $10.6 Million In Federal Funds To Support Allegheny County Project To Restore Abandoned Mine Lands, Treatment Mine Discharges In Settlers Cabin Park  [PaEN] 

-- Lancaster Conservancy, Many Partners Mark 10th Anniversary Of Lancaster Water Week With Over 60 Events June 5-13  [PaEN]  

-- Alliance For Chesapeake Bay Seeks Riparian Rangers - Volunteer Stewards Of Our Streamside Forests; Training Session June 13 In Lancaster  [PaEN]  

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Streamside Buffer Plantings Reach 100,000 Live-Stakes Planted 

-- Lancaster Farming: Capital Resource Conservation & Development Area Council Offering Grants To Promote Rotational Grazing Practices In Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon Counties  

-- Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week June 6-14 Celebrates A Watershed ‘Built By Nature, Protected Together’ 

-- WESA: Pittsburgh City Planning Proposal Would Expand Opportunities For Urban Farming

-- Allegheny College Receives Grant From PPG Foundation To Support Creek Connections Program For K-12 Students  [PaEN] 

-- TheDerrick.com: Clarion-Limestone School District Student STEM Projects Geared To Helping The Planet

-- Inquirer: A Court Ruling In A Chester County Case May Mean Higher Stormwater Bills In Scores Of PA Towns

-- TribLive Guest Essay: The Perfect Storm Facing Pennsylvania In Managing Stormwater - By Robert P. Strauss, Carnegie Mellon University

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light June 5 Webinar On How To Order Trees To Plant Under Roots, Branches & Hands Program Opening June 8  [PaEN]  

-- Stroud Water Research Center: June 8 In-Person Streamside Forests Benefit Streams And Wildlife On Your Property Workshop, Manheim, Lancaster County  [PaEN] 

-- Protecting Clean Water Together: Trout Unlimited - It's More Than Just Fishing - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County [PaEN] 

-- Not All Headwaters Rise In the Natural Way: Forest Hills Run Is Born From Parking Lots And Detention Basins - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY - Zoe Read: Lessons Learned From Hurricane Ida: Philadelphia Must Brace For Next Big Storm, Penn Researchers Say

-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Termination Of NPDES Water Quality Permit For Mercatoris Oil Co. Inc. For Failure To Comply With Permit In Crawford County  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY - Zoe Read: New Delaware River Basin Commission Tool Shows Toxic PFAS ‘Forever Chemical’ Contamination Pervasive In Delaware River

-- The Allegheny Front: Scientists Test Aquatic Organisms For PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Montour Run Near Pittsburgh Airport 

-- Erie Times: Erie County Dashboard Tracks Amount Of Cocaine, Fentanyl, Heroin, Other Drugs In Erie Wastewater 

-- DEP Drought Conditions: Chester, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton Counties In Drought Warning, 15 Counties In Drought Watch; Reported Water Use Restrictions  [PaEN]

-- PennLive: Central PA’s Spring Drought Could Lead To Water Conservation Orders, But End May Be In Sight

-- PUC Finalizes Long-Term Plan To Ensure Stable Water Service For Rock Spring Water Company Thru Its Acquisition By PA American Water In Centre County  [PaEN]

-- PUC To Hold Hearings On Proposed Acquisition Of Indian Creek Valley Water Authority By PA American Water In Fayette, Westmoreland Counties Starting June 12  

-- Warren County Editorial: Tidioute Residents Have Not Been Able To Use Their Water For 3 Months And Counting; It’s A Reminder Water Infrastructure Needs To Be A Priority

-- DCED Awards $7.4 Million In Community Development Block Grants To Support Water, Sewage System Improvements In Adams, Armstrong, Cambria, Greene, Jefferson, Sullivan, Tioga Counties

-- York Daily Record: Struggling To Pay Your Water Bill?  York Water Company Offers New Help

-- Attorney General Sunday Charges Company With Franklin County Food Processing Waste Spill That Contaminated Residents’ Drinking Water  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive-Charles Thompson: Residents Say Water Smelled Like Poop, Death, Now Company Faces Criminal Charges For Illegally Spreading Food Processing Wastes On Farm Fields In Franklin County

-- Reminder: DEP June 15 Hearing On 22 Transfer LLC Municipal Waste Transfer Station Permit In Cooper Twp., Montgomery County

-- The Allegheny Front: Beyond The Compost Bin: How Pittsburgh Restaurants Are Reimaging Waste 

-- DCED/DEP: Industrial Sites Reuse Grant Helps Turn Former Gas Station In Somerset County Into Municipal Office, Police Station

-- Tribune-Democrat: Cleanup Funds Awarded To Prep Somerset County Site For New Police Station, Office

-- WVIA: DEP Officials Say Contamination Cleanup In Nanticoke, Across PA Needs Hazardous Sites Cleanup Funding To Continue

-- PennLive - John Beauge: Avco Lycoming Superfund Site In Williamsport Finally Gets ID Sign, But It Can’t Be Read From Public Property

-- Tribune-Democrat: PA Turnpike Reopens After Truck Fire Forces Evacuation Of 150 People At Allegheny Tunnel, Creates Challenges For First Responders

-- Post-Gazette: 150 People Evacuated From Allegheny Tunnel After Truck Fire On PA Turnpike

-- Scranton Times: Volunteers Compete To Beautify Scranton Streets In Garbage Olympics 

-- Warren Times: Warren County DA Holds Prescription Drug Take Back Event Thru June 26

-- Keep PA Beautiful Seeking Volunteers To Become PA Waterway Stewards To Reduce Litter On Water Trails, Waterways  [PaEN] 

-- Wildlands Conservancy Permanently Protects 1,147 Acres Of Lehighton Water Authority Lands In Carbon County  [PaEN] 

-- Western PA Conservancy: Ligonier Valley Conservation Easement Protects 492 Acres Of Forestland, Streams In Westmoreland County  [PaEN] 

-- Heritage Conservancy Permanently Preserves 82 Acres In Williams Twp., Northampton County  [PaEN] 

-- Manada Conservancy Protects 40 Acres Of Woodlands For Future Generations In Dauphin County  [PaEN]

-- Erie Times: Erie Man Agrees To Pay $13,849 Restitution, Criminal Case Dropped For Girard Wildfire

-- Warren Times: Allegheny National Forest Seeks Resource Advisory Committee Members

-- Feature: Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy Members Help Make Tomb Flats Access On Pine Creek A Place For Everyone In Lycoming County  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR Grants News: June Is Rivers Month! New Watershed Conservation & Recreation Plan Guidance; Wild Resources Conservation Grants Open

-- Keystone Trails Association Offering Wilderness First Aid And Leave No Trace Level One Certification Courses In July  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Westmoreland County Allocates Funds For Landslide Mitigation Work On Great Allegheny Passage Trail

-- TheDerrick.com: Oil Region ATV Association Gains Momentum As More Municipalities Enact Ordinances Allowing Riding On Twp. Roads

-- The Nature Conservancy PA News: Pride On the Trails - Celebrate In Nature; Summer Solstice Walk At Hauser Nature Center; Best Places To Hike & Bike At TNC Preserves 

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: New Report Ranks Pittsburgh High For Parks, But Finds Uneven Access For Low-Income, Minority Residents 

-- Republican Herald: Pottsville’s Public Parks Add To Quality Of Life In The City

-- WVIA: Tick Bites Up In US, PA This Spring Prompting Renewed Emphasis On Prevention

-- Governor’s Invasive Species Council Celebrates Native Species Day, Highlights Investments In Healthy Forests, Waterways, And Wildlife  [PaEN] 

-- Guest Essay: Pennsylvania's Native Insects Need Help Now - By Nate Reagle, Ecologist   [PaEN] 

-- ExploreJefferson.com: Seneca Rocks Audubon Society To Host June 10 Butterfly Program At The Clarion Free Library  

-- Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly News: Checklist For Travelers; Lanternfly Quarantine Area; Permit Training For Business  

-- PA Natural Heritage Program 2025 Annual Report: New Discoveries; Goshawk Recovery; Invasive Species; Freshwater Mussel Surveys; Barbara’s Buttons; Restoring The West Branch Susquehanna River 

-- Penn State Extension Will Hold 8-Part Webinar Series - Entomology 101, Importance of Insects In Pollination, Food Webs, Beneficial Insects, Pests, Ecosystem Services Starting June 24  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Will Hold 7-Part Webinar Series - Entomology 102, Exploring Insects And Arthropods Affecting Health, Homes, Agriculture Starting Sept. 1  [PaEN]

-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Launches New Research Project To Study Northern Harriers In PA; Resident Participation In Reporting Sightings Critical To Project Success  [PaEN]

-- Reading Eagle: Foxes Increasingly Part Of Suburban Landscape In Berks County 

-- York Daily Record - Brian Whipkey: Explore The Hidden History Of Fly Fishing In PA At The PA Fly Fishing Museum In Cumberland County

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: Foster Kids Discover Benefits Of Fly Fishing In The Mayfly Project Across PA

-- WESA: Frog Fest At Centre County’s Spring Mills Promotes Environmental Education, As Natural Habitats And Federal Funding Shrink

-- Williamsport Sun-Reflections In Nature: Turtles Will Become Very Common In The Month Of June

-- TribLive: Tarentum Wildlife Volunteer Assists In Gosling Rescue In Trafford, Westmoreland County 

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: The Dawn Chorus - The Sounds Of Early Morning Are More Than Just Birdsong - By Daryln Brewer Hoffstot

-- The Allegheny Front: The Pigeon’s Last Passage: What’s Left When We Lose A Species

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

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[Posted: June 7, 2026]   PA Environment Digest