Wednesday PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 9.16.26

"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 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 

TODAY 10:00: Agenda Posted. DEP Oil & Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. 10:00 a.m. Contact: Todd M. Wallace twallace@pa.gov.  (formal notice)   Read more on the agenda.

TODAY 9:00: Agenda Posted. Susquehanna River Basin Commission regular business meeting. Holiday Inn Express Bloomsburg, 14 Mitchell Drive, Bloomsburg. 9:00 a.m.  (formal notice)

TODAY 10:00: In-Person. DEP To Hold Hearing On RACT Title V Air Quality Permit For Hercules Cement Plant In Stockertown Boro, Northampton County.  DEP Northeast Regional Office, Wilkes-Barre. 10:00 a.m.  

TODAY 6:30:  Town Hall Meeting On Findings From PA PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Multi-Site Health Study In Bucks, Montgomery Counties And What They Mean For Local Families.  Hatboro-Horsham High School Auditorium, 899 Horsham Road in Horsham, Montgomery County. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

September 17-- In-Person.  Penn State Extension: Tap Talks - Mill Dams & Legacy Sediment, Collusion Tap Works, York.  6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

September 18-- Virtual. Penn State Extension Hosts Webinar On First Investigation Of Stream Health Tool To Track Stream Health.  Noon to 1:30 p.m.

September 20-- Virtual. Sierra Club Pennsylvania Hosts Webinar On Energy Storage In PA, 6:30 p.m.

September 22-- Virtual. Penn State Extension Backyard Stream Repair Webinars (1 of 5) - Evaluating Your Stream.  10:00 to 11:30 p.m.

September 23-- Agenda Posted. DCNR Conservation and Natural Resources Council meeting. Room 105 of the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg. 10:00 a.m. to Noon.  Read more here on agenda.

September 25-- Agenda Posted. DEP Low-Level Radioactive Waste Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson. 10:00 a.m. (formal notice)

September 30-- House Energy Committee meeting.  Agenda TBA.  Click Here to watch online.

October 14-- In-Person. DEP Public Meeting/Hearing On Major Amendment To Water Quality Permit For Homer City Data Center/Power Plant Complex In Indiana County.  Homer Center High School Auditorium, 70 Wildcat Lane, Homer City. 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. 

-- PA GreenGov Council, Penn State Sustainability Host 2026 Sustainability Week Oct. 5-9 With Timely Webinars Exploring The Future Of Pennsylvania's Energy  [PaEN] 

-- Solar Energy Canopy Installation Nearly Complete At PA Turnpike’s Headquarters Building In Dauphin County  [PaEN] 

-- Allegheny County, City Of Pittsburgh, Solar United Neighbors Launch Switch Together To Help Local Homeowners Reduce Energy Costs By Going Solar  [PaEN]

-- Report: Winter Heating Oil Costs Expected To Increase Over 31%, Electric By 9%, Natural Gas By 5.8%  [PaEN] 

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Pittsburgh Region Should Look Beyond Industrial Megaprojects For Economic Growth, Report Says

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Plymouth Historical Society Unveils Mural To Commemorate Avondale Mine Disaster Where 110 People Died

-- Lancaster Clean Water Partners: Oct. 5 In-Person Municipal Stormwater Forum, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

-- Penn State Extension: Sept. 22 In-Person Pasture Walk With Extension - Pasture Fertility And Livestock, State College, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

-- Scranton Times: DeNaples Company Withdraws Warehouse Proposal For Conservation Area In Luzerne County

-- DCNR: Pennsylvania’s Outdoor Recreation Economy Grows 21% To $20.4 Billion Under Shapiro Administration  [Video + Photos from event]

-- Western PA Conservancy, Partners To Improve Fish Habitat On South Branch French Creek In Erie County  [PaEN]

-- Swarthmore College Hosts The Swarthmore Fungi Fest Sept. 29 to Oct. 2  [PaEN] 

 A.I. /Data Centers

-- Morning Call: Lower Mount Bethel Twp. Passes A.I. Data Center Ordinance In Northampton County 

-- The Center Square: PA State Senator Art Haywood Focuses On A.I. ‘Threat To Humanity’ As A.I. Data Center Fights Continue In Cumberland County, Elsewhere

-- TribLive: Upper Burrell Planning Commission Delays Recommendation On A.I. Data Center Ordinance Following Resident Concerns In Westmoreland County

-- Reading Eagle: New Morgan Boro Approves Zoning Changes To Allow Data Centers Over Objections Of Area Residents In Berks County

-- TribLive: Allegheny County Council Committee Votes To Advance Ban On Large-Scale Data Centers On County Property

-- Utility Dive: PA PUC Report: PJM Faces 2030 Reliability Crisis If Data Center Load Growth Continues; PJM Agrees Demand Growing Faster Than The Ability To Build New Power Sources

-- Republican Herald Editorial: Now Is The Chance To Make A.I. Work For US, And We Must Take It - Can’t Say We Weren’t Warned \

 

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- DEP: CNX Gas Co., LLC Fails To Restore Drakulic Shale Gas Well Site To Meet Standards Before Permit Expires In Penn Twp., Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- DEP - Day 5,284:  Pressure Testing Confirms Shale Gas Well Casing/Cementing Failure Continues At EXCO Resources PA Well Pad In Sullivan County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP - Day 14: No Action Taken At K Petroleum Inc. Shale Gas Well Site Where Contaminated Water Found Flowing Down Side Of Storage Tank In Washington County  [PaEN]

Storms/Power Outages

-- Erie Times: Erie City Council To Vote On $4 Million Proposed For Storm Cleanup On Sept. 16

-- Pennsylvania Power Outages: 

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- September 16: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price No Change From Yesterday At $4.49/Gallon - $1.38/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Sullivan County Highest Average Price at $4.59] 

-- September 16: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.36  Ohio- $4.34  PA- $4.49

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

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- TribLive Editorial: Just Show Up For Jury Duty

-- TribLive: Measles-Related To Death Of 18-Year-Old, Unvaccinated Person In Mifflin County, 4th Person To Die In PA As Outbreak Grows

-- TribLive: FBI Arrests Butler County Man In Alleged Terrorist Plot, Officials Warn Public to Remain Vigilant 

-- Inquirer: Federal Judge: Philly DA May Have Broken The Law, Referred Case To US Attorney’s Office

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Diversity - Equity - Inclusion

[Posted: September 16, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

DEP - Day 14: No Action Taken At K Petroleum Inc. Shale Gas Well Site Where Contaminated Water Found Flowing Down Side Of Storage Tank In Washington County

On September 2, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection did a follow-up inspection of the Ke Petroleum, Inc. Cecil 2 P228 shale gas well site in Somerset Township, Washington County and found no actions have been taken to address August 19 violations.

DEP’s August 19 inspection of the site in response to a complaint found contaminated water flowing down the side of a storage tank

The site has no secondary containment around three contaminated water storage tanks.

DEP said the two metal tanks have multiple corrosion holes visible at several points around the tanks and were the site of the release.

DEP field measurements of conductivity of the fluid running down the side of one of the metal tanks was “OR (over detectable range),” i.e. higher than the maximum limit of the meter.

Measurements around the base of the tanks found more evidence of contamination.  Read more here.

During the September 2 inspection, DEP contacted the owner about a timeline for the removal of the tanks and the remediation of the contaminated soil.

The owner said he was preparing a response to the August 19 violations and arranging for a contractor to do the work “as soon as they can get it scheduled.”

A written response is due to DEP September 7 on the August 19 violations.

All violations were continued, including failure to have an Emergency Response Plan onsite.

Click Here for the DEP inspection report + photos.

Report Violations

To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage.

Text photos and the location of abandoned wells to 717-788-8990.

Check These Resources

Visit DEP’s Compliance Reporting Database and Inspection Reports Viewer webpages to search their compliance records by date and owner.

Sign up for DEP’s eNOTICE service which sends you information on oil and gas and other permits submitted to DEP for review in your community.

Use DEP’s Oil and Gas Mapping Tool to find if there are oil and gas wells near or on your property and to find wells using latitude and longitude on well inspection reports.

(Photos from September 2 DEP inspection report.)

[Note: If you believe your company was listed in error, contact DEP’s Oil and Gas Program.]

[Note: These may not be all the NOVs issued to oil and gas companies during this time period.  Additional inspection reports may be added to DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database.]

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Snapshot - September 12 to 18

-- DEP -  Day 23:  Cleanup Of 336,000 Gallon Spill Of Fracking Flowback Fluid From An Uncontrolled Shale Gas Well Continues At INR OPR LLC Pad In Young Twp., Indiana County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Routine Inspection Finds Contaminated Water From GASP Investment Conventional Oil & Gas Well Leaking From Tank In Bell Twp., Jefferson County  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Wind Tipped Over Conventional Crude Oil Tank, Spill Travels Nearly 1,000 Feet Down Access Road, Seeps Into A Stream On State Game Lands In Knox Twp., Jefferson County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: CNX Gas Co., LLC Fails To Restore Drakulic Shale Gas Well Site To Meet Standards Before Permit Expires In Penn Twp., Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- DEP - Day 5,284:  Pressure Testing Confirms Shale Gas Well Casing/Cementing Failure Continues At EXCO Resources PA Well Pad In Sullivan County  [PaEN]  

-- DEP - Day 14: No Action Taken At K Petroleum Inc. Shale Gas Well Site Where Contaminated Water Found Flowing Down Side Of Storage Tank In Washington County  [PaEN] 

[Posted: September 16, 2026] PA Environment Digest