PA Environment Digest Blog: Friday PA Environment & Energy Articles

“The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”

-- Article I, Section 27 Pennsylvania Constitution [It’s Not A Suggestion]

House Voting Schedule

September 9, 28, 29, 30

October 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21

November 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

September 28, 29, 30

October 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21

November 17, 18

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

August 4-- Agenda Posted. DEP: Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority meeting. Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg. 10:00 a.m.

August 5-- Delaware River Basin Commission virtual hearing. 1:30 p.m. (formal notice) Read more here.

August 5-- Penn State Extension Hosts Webinar On Forested Headwaters And Drinking Water Quality, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

August 6-- Agenda Posted. DEP Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson. 9:15 a.m. [Oil & Gas Methane Reduction Regulations On Agenda: Read more here.]

August 6-- DEP Agricultural Advisory Board meeting. DEP Southcentral Regional Office, Harrisburg. 1:00 p.m. (formal notice)

August 11-- Environmental Quality Board meeting. 9:00 a.m. Contact: Laura Griffin, Regulatory Coordinator, laurgriffi@pa.gov, (717) 772-3277.

August 11-13-- In-Person. Penn State Ag Progress Days

August 12-- DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson. 10:00 a.m.

-- DCNR: Responses To Wildfires In Cumberland, Carbon Counties Earns 2 DCNR Groups Governor’s Awards For Excellence

-- Wilkinsburg Community Development Corp. Flips The Switch On New Solar Energy System To Save $4,543 A Year On Electricity Costs In Allegheny County [PaEN]

-- Mountain Watershed Association To Hold Aug. 1 Community Remembrance Event For Blue Hole Creek, Somerset County, Now Contaminated With Lead From Shooting Range [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Experts Say Pittsburgh-Area Rivers Healthier Than Ever, But There’s Still Work To Do

-- Penn State Extension To Hold Sept. 23 Webinar On A Statewide Road Salt Initiative To Promote Smarter Winter Maintenance, Pollution Reduction [PaEN]

-- WITF: How To Become A Master Watershed Steward

-- Meagan Birkenmaier Named Director Of The Coalition For The Delaware River Watershed [PaEN]

-- Observer-Reporter: Center For Coalfield Justice To Hold Aug. 5 Shale Gas Fracking And Public Health 101 Event

-- Courier Times: Energy Transfer/Sunoco Jet Fuel Pipeline Leak Leaves Lingering Effects For Some In Upper Makefield Twp., Bucks County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Shell Petrochemical Plant Delivers Record Performance In 2nd Quarter

-- Ohio River Valley Institute: Shell Petrochemical Plant Bad Deal For Beaver County; Violated Air Pollution Limits Every Month Since It Began Operations

-- August 1 - Pennsylvania Bulletin Now Available

-- WITF: Aug. 1 RIVERZILLA Community Day Invites Reading Residents To Clean Up Schuylkill River

-- York Daily Record: Commonwealth Court Finds Troubled J&K Salvage Junkyard Owner Broke Child Labor Laws Endangering Workers

-- DCNR Celebrates Induction Of 2 State Parks Into National Old-Growth Forest Network: Ole Bull State Park, Potter County, Tuscarora State Park, Schuylkill County

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Aug. 25 Webinar For Forestland Owners On Opportunities Available In Forest Carbon Credit Programs [PaEN]

-- WeConservePA: Voters In PA Passed Referendums Raising $1.13 Billion To Protect Farmland And Open Space Since 1996 [PaEN]

-- TheDerrick.com: Epic Allegheny River Odyssey Marks Halfway Point With Dinner, Presentation In Oil City

-- WITF: PA Lawmakers Push For Changes To E-Bike Rules After Crashes Raise Safety Concerns In York County

-- TribLive: Game Commission Elk Cam Goes Live Online Aug. 1

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: Why Pennsylvania Needs More Forests For Ruffed Grouse, PA State Bird

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Morning Call: Allentown Nonprofit That Works With Terminally Ill Children Files Zoning Challenge Against Proposed A.I. Data Center Plans In City Of Allentown

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Bear Creek Twp. May Expand Industrial Zone Into Residential Areas To Accommodate A.I. Data Centers In Luzerne County

-- Observer-Reporter: North Strabane Twp. Hires Consultant For Data Center Ordinance In Washington County

-- WPXI: Organizations Look To Discuss Impacts Of A.I. Data Centers With Residents, Request Pause On Developments In Westmoreland County

-- PA Capital-Star: Leftover Low-Income Energy Assistance Funds Used To Give PA Enrollees $100 Supplemental Benefit In Face Of Spiking, Data Center-Driven Energy Costs

-- Warren Times Editorial: Rising Electricity Rates Keep Shocking Customers

-- Inquirer: East Whiteland Twp. Officials Allow Work To Resume On Federal Superfund Site A.I. Data Center Site In Chester County

-- Scranton Times: PPL Corp, Blackstone Spend $40.4 Million To Purchase 500 Acres In Jenkins, Plains, Salem Twps. On Possible A.I. Data Center Power Plants In Luzerne County

-- TribLive: State Spending $6 Million To Support GE Vernova Expansion Of Manufacturing Critical Grid Infrastructure For The Booming A.I. Data Center Industry

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader/AP: Democratic Candidate [Cognetti] For PA Swing Congressional Seat Targets A.I. Data Centers To Oust Republican [Bresnahan]

-- Scranton Times: Republican Con. Bresnahan Calls For Local Control Of A.I. Data Center Development

-- Scranton Times: Republican Candidate For Governor Garrity Calls For Protecting Farmland From A.I. Data Center Development At Ag Roundtable

-- Utility Dive: FirstEnergy’s Mon Power, Potomac Edison Plan To Assess A Surcharge On Their Ratepayers To Help Finance $2.7 Billion In Generation In West Virginia For A.I. Data Centers

-- AP: Anthropic Says Its A.I. Models Hacked 3 Organizations During Testing; Just Days After ChatGPT Said Its A.I. Hacked Another Company

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- Today’s Violations: DEP inspected two James E. Brumage conventional oil and gas wells in Fayette County, Perry Twp. and found them abandoned, not plugged, and both were audibly leaking gas. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP inspection of 3 abandoned Richard A. Gwennap Gen. Partner conventional wells in Greene County, Washington Twp. found owner failed to notify DEP of the transfer of the wells to a new owner. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP inspected McGuffie Oil Co. Inc. conventional well in Allegheny County, Penn Hills Twp. in response to Fire Dept. complaint found the well venting gas near homes. No annual reports since 2013. No immediate action reported. Response by Aug. 13. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Inspection of Repsol Oil & Gas USA LLC shale gas well in Susquehanna County, Middletown Twp. requested response for first time to casing/cementing failure violations issued Sept. 28, 2017-- 3,229 days and counting. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Issued violation(s) to PA General Energy Co. LLC on July 20, 2026 for failure to submit monthly shale gas production and waste generation reports for one or more wells (not online), corrected. DEP Compliance Data.

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- July 31: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Up 1 Penny From Yesterday To $4.22/Gallon - $1.11/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Fayette, Pike Counties Average Price Highest at $4.32]

-- July 31: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.10 Ohio- $4.00 PA- $4.22

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

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Poised For Biggest Monthly Gain Since March; Winter Storage 56% Full, Average Is 73% This Time Of Year

-- Wall Street Journal: Tanker Ships Are Being Blown Out Of The Water; See How Mideast Strikes Are Piling Up

-- Financial Times: Chevron, Exxon Earnings Soar As President Threatens Price Interventions

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Scranton Times: Republican Candidate For Governor Garrity Calls For Protecting Farmland From A.I. Data Center Development At Ag Roundtable

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader/AP: Democratic Candidate [Cognetti] For PA Swing Congressional Seat Targets A.I. Data Centers To Oust Republican [Bresnahan]

-- Scranton Times: Republican Con. Bresnahan Calls For Local Control Of A.I. Data Center Development