97 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 97 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!

-- DEP’s Forest City East - Fish & Boat Commission Access Abandoned Mine Reclamation Project In Susquehanna, Wayne Counties Recognized With Federal Office Of Surface Mine Reclamation Appalachian States Award  [PaEN]  

--  Capital&Main - Audrey Carleton: The Tioga River Is Now All But Dead, But Residents Are Racing To Save The Stream And Bring Back Trout 

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission News: Recognizing 30 Years Of Hope, Hard Work - Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation; Fighting For Freshwater Mussels; Funding Healthier Waterways

-- Gov. Shapiro Issues Proclamation Celebrating The 40 Years Of Work In Pennsylvania By The Chesapeake Bay Foundation 

-- House Environmental Committee To Hold Oct. 5 Hearing On New DEP Conventional Oil & Gas ‘Mineral Brine’ Permit Allowing Unrestricted, Unlimited Road Dumping Of Contaminated Water [PaEN] 

-- 500 Feet Isn't Enough! The Protective Buffers PA Coalition Will Hold A Rally At The State Capitol In Harrisburg Oct. 7 Calling For Increasing Setbacks From Shale Gas Drilling To Protect Public Health, The Environment [PaEN] 

-- DEP Solid Waste Advisory Committee Meets Oct. 7 To Review Draft Changes To Co-Product Determination Process For Reclassifying Materials As Not Waste; It Became Controversial In Debate Over Road Dumping Contaminated Water From Conventional Oil & Gas Wells  [PaEN] 

-- DEP To Propose Changes To EQB Rulemaking Petition Process At Oct. 13 Citizens Advisory Council Meeting  [PaEN] 

-- FracTracker Alliance/DEP Report Owners Of Over 81,000 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Did Not Report How Much Waste They Produced In 2025; DEP Proposes Changes To Eliminate Failure To Report Waste information  [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues 22 More Violations For Abandoning, Not Plugging Conventional Oil & Gas Wells To 19 Companies In 12 Counties; Total Of 47 Abandoned Well Violations In September  [PaEN]  

-- DEP: Equipment Failure At Catalyst Energy Injection Well Results In Contaminated Water Discharges In Keating Twp., McKean County [PaEN] 

-- DEP - Day 202: Ows Acquisition Co Conventional Well Site Still Discharging Contaminated Water In the City Of Hermitage, Mercer County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP - Day 873: Contaminated Water Still Leaking From Stonehaven Energy Conventional Oil & Gas Well Storage Tank In Clearfield County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Pipeline Excavation Hits Conventional Oil & Gas Well Drill Cuttings Disposal Area At Eastern Gas Transmission Oakford Gas Storage Area In Westmoreland County  [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: 2 EQT Shale Gas Subsidiaries Lose Bid To Toss West Virginia Kids Health Lawsuit From Federal Court  [PaEN]

-- TribLive Letter: Truths About Shale Gas Fracking, Contaminated Water Releases - By Jan Milburn, Westmoreland County

-- State Fire Commissioner Now Accepting Applications For Act 13 Unconventional Gas Well Emergency Response Grants  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Publishes Formal Notice Announcing Issuance Of Shell Petrochemical Plant Air Quality Plan Approval For Beaver County Facility  [PaEN] 

-- Breathe Project: Community Air Monitoring Projects Respond To Beaver County Pollution  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: Philadelphia Gas Works Upgrading Infrastructure To Cut Small Fraction Of Its Climate Pollution

-- AP: Pennsylvania, Other States Sue President’s EPA Over Eliminating Rule That Limits Emissions From Coal, Natural Gas Power Plants 

-- TribLive: What Happens When Coal Companies Buy Up An Entire Village To Prevent Damage From Longwall Coal Mining In Center Twp., Greene County

-- TribLive: West Deer Township Residents Grapple With KEEL Infrastructure Digital Mining Scrubgrass Coal Waste-Fired Power Plant Pollution And Erratic Coal Trucks In Allegheny County

-- TheDerrick.com: DEP Issues Violations To KEEL Infrastructure For Failing To Remove Coal Ash Pile At Scrubgrass Coal Waste-Fired Data Center Power Plant In Venango County 

-- PUC Approves UGI Gas Rate Increase Of 5.7%; Increase In Monthly Residential Customer Care From $16.25 to $20; Add A Weather Normalization Surcharge Pilot Program  [PaEN]

-- Morning Call: Settlement Reduces UGI Gas Rate Increase, Spreads Out Impact To Customer Bills

-- WTAE: Heating Oil Costs Projected To Jump Nearly $900 This Winter

-- ABC6/Philadelphia: Heating Costs Expect To Rise Sharply This Winter, With Home Heating Oil Seeing Biggest Increase 

-- Morning Call: Lehigh Valley Farmers Under Pressure As Fuel, Other Prices Rise: ‘There’s Not Much Of A Profit To Be Made’

-- Observer-Reporter: Farmers Face Higher Costs As Price Of Diesel Skyrockets: ‘It Could Get Ugly’

-- Inquirer: Affordability Is On Voters’ Minds In PA Swing Districts As The Cost Of Gasoline, Groceries Skyrockets 

-- AP: US Households Will Pay More For Energy Because Of President’s Policy Changes, Nonpartisan Think Tank Says [What President’s Policies Cost Pennsylvanians ]

-- Sustainable Pittsburgh Hosts Nov. 5 Webinar - The Affordability Crisis Is A Sustainability Crisis - Need For Action To Reduce Barriers To Sustainability, Strengthening Communities In SW PA  [PaEN]

-- 27+ Citizen, Environmental Groups To Hold No Data Center Rally Oct. 6 Main Capitol Rotunda In Harrisburg [PaEN] 

-- PUC Holds Oct. 7 Meeting To Hear Presentation On Recommendations For Grid Modernization To Develop New Electric Generation At 21 Deactivated Energy Sites To Support Large Loads  [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times: PPL Joint Venture Invitium Energy Could Acquire More Than A Quarter Of Fell Twp. For Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants In Lackawanna County 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Delays Backstop Power Supply Auction After FERC Decides To Approve Only Part Of PJM’s Plan Tuesday; FERC Chair Slams PJM ‘Mess’ 

-- SightLine: NRC Clears Environmental Review For Three Mile Island Data Center Nuclear Power Plant Restart

-- PennLive - John Beauge: A.I. Data Center Project In Muncy Twp., Lycoming County Focus Of Court Challenge To PA’s ‘Deemed Approval’ Planning Code Provision

-- PennLive Guest Essay: A.I. Data Centers Are Rebuilding Careers In Northeastern Pennsylvania - By Jillian Henderson, IBEW Union Local 163

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Data Center Developers, Unions Form National Alliance - Target Pennsylvania, 6 Other States As Data Center Battle Heats Up

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - October 5  [PaEN]

-- Utility Dive (Deep Dive): A.I. Data Center Boom Continues, But Projects Face Mounting Obstacles: Equipment, Labor Shortages; Utility Infrastructure; Cost/Reliability Of Power & Natural Gas Supplies And Mounting Public Opposition  [Context]

-- Utility Dive (Deep Dive): Efforts To Curb A.I. Data Center Speculation Gain Ground Across The US  [Context]

-- PA Capital-Star: PA House Committee Passes Proposals On A.I. Data Center Costs, Utility Company Profits Intended To Keep Electricity Bills Lower

-- The Center Square: PA House Committee Backs Bill To Spare Communities From ‘Fake’ Data Center Proposals

-- The Center Square: PA Senate Committee Backs Ban On Governments Signing Data Center Nondisclosure Agreements

-- PUC To Seek Comments On Regulations To Give Electric Utilities New Tools To Manage Data Centers During Periods Of Strained Electricity Supplies And Curtailments To Maintain Grid Reliability  [PaEN]

-- Utility Dive: US Senate Permitting Bill Gives FERC Authority To Issue Permits For Electric Transmission Projects; Reduces Authority Of States For Section 401 Water Quality Permitting For Gas Pipelines [Warning]

-- Inside Climate News: Long-Awaited US Senate Deal To Speed Energy Facility Permitting Faces Familiar Hurdles

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Has The Energy And The Workers - Now It Needs The Electric Grid - By Terrance J. Fitzpatrick, Former Chair Of The PA Public Utility Commission

-- Planet Philadelphia Radio Show Oct. 2 - Renovating The Grid And Energy Systems For The Future, 4:00 p.m.

-- PA Solar Center: Union Aid Society, EIS Solar Turn Sunshine Into Support For The Community With Solar Energy Installation In Allegheny County  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Second Harvest Community Thrift Store Solar Energy Array Powering Good In Sharpsburg, Allegheny County

-- Penn State Extension To Hold In-Person Workshops On Solar Energy Trends - Siting, Law And Local Impact On Communities Oct. 29 In Allentown, Oct. 30 In Nazareth  [PaEN]

-- Utility Dive: Solar For All Grantees File Lawsuit Seeking Damages From EPA Over Grants In Addition To Getting Grant Funds 2 Federal Judges Said Were Terminated Illegally  [PA Received $156 Million In Grants]

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Green Advocates Organize Group Buy Of Solar Panels For Pittsburghers To Save On Energy Bills

-- TribLive Guest Essay:  Pittsburgh Faces A Climate And Power Challenge, Clean Energy Can Help - By Dana Siler, Cynthia Kirsch, Rob Kahn, Pittsburgh Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby 

-- PEMA: Washington County Resource Center Available For Individuals, Businesses Impacted By Multiple Storms In September; American Legion Post 175, Washington, PA  [Oct. 1 - 2]

-- Post-Gazette: Officials Work To Help Washington County Residents Hit By Repeated Flooding

-- DEP Invests $2.8 Million In Federal Funds To Support 8 Local Projects To Protect Clean Water, Restore The Health Of Local Watersheds  [PaEN] 

-- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Increasing Funding For Regenerative Pilot Program To Pay For On-Farm Conservation Systems  [PaEN]

-- Altoona Mirror: President’s New Chesapeake Bay Order Discouraging Stormwater Management Projects Gets Pushback From Gov. Shapiro, Township Supervisors Assn.  [Warning] 

-- Delaware Highlands Conservancy Announces Photo Contest Winners; Exhibition Opens At ARTery Gallery Nov. 14 In Milford, Pike County  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Cleanup Of The Sharon Steel Corp Farrell Works Disposal Area Superfund Site Is Now Complete In Mercer County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP, First Lady Lori Shapiro Highlight Impacts Of Food Waste Reduction Grants, Tour The Valley Lighthouse Food Distribution Center In Dauphin County  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY - Zoe Read: PennEnvironment, Drexel University Find Microplastics In Waterways Throughout Philly Region; Environmentalists Call For Plastics Crackdown

-- Morning Call: Microplastics In The Lehigh River?  New Report Sheds Light On Pollution Issue

-- PEMA, DEP, Local Officials Celebrate Completion Of Frank E. Heller Dam Spillway Rehab Project To Provide Clean Drinking Water, Protect From Flooding In Lycoming County [video + photos]

-- Delaware River Basin Commission Releases Surface Water Availability Report For Select Tributaries; Results Will Be Reviewed At Oct. 14 Water Advisory Committee Meeting  [PaEN] 

-- Warren Times: Tidioute Boil Water Advisory Extended To November By Southwest Warren County Municipal Authority

-- PA American Water Participates In National Source Water Protection Week Highlighting Commitment To High-Quality Water

-- TribLive: Inside Look At $37 Million Overhaul Of Westmoreland Authority’s Indian Creek Drinking Water Treatment Plant In Fayette County

-- Inquirer: A 15-Acre Site In Upper Darby Twp. Could Become Public Forest If Organizers Can Raise $8 Million To Buy It In Delaware County

-- DCNR Expands Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area In Dauphin County With New Trailhead, 12-Acre Addition [Video + Photos] 

-- Morning Call Guest Essay:  Open Space Preservation Will Stop A.I. Data Centers In Lehigh County And So Much More - By Lamont McClure, Former Northampton County Executive

-- TreePennsylvania Starts Accepting Applications For Bare Root Tree Grants Oct. 12; Applicant Webinar Oct. 26  [PaEN] 

-- TheDerrick.com: Venango Conservation District Invites Residents To Participate In Native Plant Swap Program To Combat Invasive Species

-- DCNR Fall Foliage Report Oct. 1-7: Bright Fall Colors Development Across Northern Tier Counties  [PaEN]  

-- Keystone Trails Assn.: 50+ Trail Advocates Hold Hike Harrisburg Trail Advocacy Day At State Capitol In Harrisburg  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR Encourages Participation In Walk In Penn’s Woods Hikes This Weekend

-- Western PA Conservancy Now Accepting Applications For Western PA Canoe And Kayak Access Projects [PaEN]

-- Inquirer: DCNR Invests $5.2 Million In Its Popular Cherry Springs State Park International Dark Sky Park In Potter County

-- DCNR State Parks Environmental Ed News: Environmental Literacy Questionnaire Now Available; Fall Teaching Ideas; Professional Development Workshops

-- LehighValleyLive: Allentown Park Lands $4 Million Bezos Grant, A First In PA

-- Susquehanna Greenway Partnership Completes First-Of-Its-Kind Accessibility Study Of West Branch Susquehanna River Access Sites

-- Reading Eagle: Improved Schuylkill River Water Trail Access Point Opens In Berks County

-- TribLive: Bethel Park Students Advocating For Low Head Dam Safety Legislation In Honor Of Late Teacher In Allegheny County 

-- York Daily Record: Motorcycle Club Replants Community Spirit After Penn Township Park Vandalism

-- Observer-Reporter: Meeting Oct. 8 On Lyme Disease In Washington County

-- WVIA: Pennsylvania Is Nature’s Classroom: Forests Provide Colorful Lesson On Fall Foliage

-- Scranton Times: ‘Recovery In Nature’ Substance Abuse Initiative Blooms Highlighting Benefits Of Enjoyment Of State Parks, Nature Areas

-- TribLive: Western PA Audubon Society To Ramp Up Birding Programs For All Ages

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Field Notes - Hillside Park In Lackawanna County Offers Diversity Of Wildlife, Recreational Opportunities

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: PA Senator Pushes To Enshrine Hunting, Fishing Rights In PA Constitution

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

REAL Leadership:

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[Posted: October 4, 2026]   PA Environment Digest