PA Environment Digest Blog

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves Water Withdrawal Requests, Including An Increase For The Amazon Data Center In Luzerne County

On March 12, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission approved 15 water withdrawal requests, including a proposed increase for the Amazon Data Center project in Salem Township, Luzerne County.

The Amazon Data Center withdrawal would increase water withdrawals from the Susquehanna River from 60,000 gallons per day to 277,000 gallons per day. Click here for summary.

The Commission also approved--

-- Updates to the Commission’s Statement of Investment Policy;

-- A grant amendment with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation;

-- A grant agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Other water withdrawals approved at the meeting included--

-- Bloomfield Borough Water Authority, Perry County, Pa.

-- Borough of Mifflinburg, Union County, Pa.

-- City of Oneonta, Otsego County, N.Y.

-- Galen Hall Holding Corp., Berks County, Pa.

-- Heidelberg Materials Northeast LLC, York County, Pa.

-- Highlands of Donegal LLC, Lancaster County, Pa.

-- Houtzdale Municipal Authority, Centre County, Pa.

-- Mott’s LLP, Adams County, Pa.

-- PEI Power LLC, Lackawanna County, Pa.

-- Pennsylvania American Water Company, Centre County, Pa.

-- Town of Erwin, Steuben County, N.Y.

-- Tyoga Inc., Tioga County, Pa.

-- Veolia Water Pennsylvania Inc., York County, Pa.

-- Victaulic Company, Tioga County, Pa.

SRBC also tabled one water withdrawal request--

-- KH Holdings LLC, Schuylkill County, Pa.

More information on regulated projects can be found on our website through the Water Application and Approval Viewer (WAAV).

For more information on programs, training opportunities and upcoming events, visit the Susquehanna River Basin Commission website. Click Here to sign up for SRBC’s newsletter. Follow SRBC on Twitter, visit them on YouTube.

[Posted: March 12, 2026] PA Environment Digest

Society Of Women Environmental Professionals Of Greater Philadelphia Accepting Applications For Grants To Groups, Programs Encouraging Girls & Women In Sciences, Engineering Or Environmental Fields

The Society Of Women Environmental Professionals Of Greater Philadelphia is now accepting applications for grants to groups and programs in the Philadelphia region encouraging girls and women in the sciences, engineering or environmental fields. The deadline to apply is April 24.

This year SWEP has $6,000 available to share with applicants.

SWEP is seeking applicants to support initiatives that creatively address locally defined needs to enhance, restore, or protect the natural environment.

Click Here to apply and for all the details. Questions should be directed to Ms. Ann Mathew, at swep.scholar.phila@gmail.com or directly at almathew@urbanengineers.com.

Visit the Society Of Women Environmental Professionals Of Greater Philadelphia website to learn more about programs, initiatives, upcoming events and how you can become involved.

[Posted: March 12, 2026] PA Environment Digest

PA Natural Heritage Program: New Fungus, Mushroom, Lichen Species Lists

The Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program website now features a modern list of the fungi of Pennsylvania on the program’s fungi landing page.

Fungi are not plants, they are members of their own Kingdom, and they include mushrooms, truffles, fungi that form lichens, rusts, smuts, molds, and more.

They do not include slime molds or water molds (like potato blight), neither of which are true molds.

For a bit of history, a preliminary list was created in 1996 by Dr. C.B. Wolfe, Jr., based on names read from specimen labels in herbaria and funded by the Wild Resource Conservation Program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

However, at that time, there were just under 87,000 known species of fungi in the world, and now, 30 years later, that number has increased to 155,000 known and 2-3 million species estimated to exist.

Advances in DNA analysis techniques have revolutionized modern taxonomy, making this the perfect time for a revamp of the fungi species list.

The current list is curated by Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program staff and members of the Pennsylvania Biological Survey Mycological Technical Committee and is derived from records that have been identified by experts with a modern understanding of taxonomy, as well as specimens that have been inspected at the genetic level through DNA barcoding.

The list should not be considered complete, as taxonomy evolves and new species are discovered.

Anyone with a smartphone or computer can interact with this list on the website to filter for lichens, macrofungi, microfungi and nonnative status, and view species by scientific or common names.

Click Here for the Pennsylvania Fungi List.

While this list includes introduced, nonnative species, the Pennsylvania Invasive Species Council adopted a new list of the introduced fungi that pose distinct concerns and qualify as invasive.

This list is not regulatory (i.e. possession of these species carries no legal penalty) but helps increase awareness and provides information.

It’s important to acknowledge that some pathogenic (disease-causing) fungi like chestnut blight and the white nose syndrome fungus are not devastating just because they cause disease, but because they’re new introductions to our ecosystems and our native plants and animals haven’t had time to build up defenses against these species.

Additionally, invasive fungi aren’t just pathogens – some mushrooms – whether poisonous or edible, wood-rotting or mycorrhizal with trees – can also be introduced and compete with native fungal diversity or stand as a new poisonous species that foragers must learn and contend against.

Fungi can be introduced along with nonnative plants and animals or through the movement of wood or soil, and some nonnative fungi are cultivated and could escape from farms or from home grow kits.

While some nonnative plants become banned for commercial sale eventually, to prevent the spread of invasive species, consumers should investigate whether the plant or mushroom spawn they’re considering purchasing is native to their state to make an informed decision.

Reporting invasive species via iMapInvasives or iNaturalist can also help scientists track their spread.

The Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program is a partnership between the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Game Commission, Fish and Boat Commission, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the US Fish and Wildlife & Wildlife Services and public and private funders.

(Photos: Golden Oyster Mushroom - Pleurotus citrinopileatus - by Hannah Huber; Liverwort Navel - Loreleia marchantiae - by Noah Yawn,)

(Contributed by the PA Natural Heritage Program; Written by Hannah Huber, Conservation Mycologist, Western PA Conservancy.)

Resource Link:

-- PA Biological Survey Releases Digital Booklet On The Importance Of Fungi [PaEN]

[Posted: March 12, 2026] PA Environment Digest

Thursday PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 3.12.26

“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]

Senate Voting Schedule

March 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25

April 20, 21, 22

May 4, 5, 6

June 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30

-- Committee Schedule

House Voting Schedule

Budget Hearings: Thru March 12

March. 23, 24, 25

April 13, 14, 15, 27, 28, 29

May 4, 5, 6

June 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

September 28, 29, 30

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

November 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

March 16-- House Energy Committee hearing on House Bill 2223 (Fiedler-D- Philadelphia) advanced transmission technologies, House Bill 2225 (Davidson) virtual power plants [Draft Bill]. Room G-50 Irvis Building. Noon to 2:30 p.m. Click Here to watch online.

March 18-- CANCELED. Rescheduled for April 30. DEP Oil & Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. 10:00 a.m. Contact: Todd M. Wallace twallace@pa.gov. (formal notice)

March 23-- House Energy Committee informational meeting on the PA Energy Development Authority. Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Click Here to watch online.

March 24-- House Energy Committee hearing on House Bill 2076 (Venkat-D-Allegheny) establishing a regulatory framework for geothermal energy for residential, commercial and industrial uses. Room B-31 Main Capital. 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online.

April 16-- DCED PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council meeting. Penn State, State College. 10:00. Contact: Adam Walters 717-214-6548 or adwalters@pa.gov.

-- DEP Briefing: Proposed Changes To Biosolids Permits To Reduce Risks From PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Phosphorus Pollution, Improper Storage, Set More Robust Testing Standards [PaEN]

-- PennDOT Invests $9 Million In Federal Electric Vehicle Charging Funds To Support 12 Projects In 9 Counties Along Major Travel Corridors

-- TribLive: East Huntingdon Twp., Developer Reach Deal To End Lawsuit Challenging Solar Energy Facility Ordinance In Westmoreland County

-- Sen. Yaw Highlights Pennsylvania’s Leadership, Regional Progress in 2025 Chesapeake Bay Commission Annual Report [PaEN]

-- York Daily Record: York County Junkyard Fire Cleanup Moves To Next Phase, Investigations To Follow

-- LancasterOnline: EPA: No Contamination From York County Junkyard Fire Found In Susquehanna, Investigations Underway

-- Centre County Gazette: ClearWater Conservancy Marks 30 Years Of Watershed Cleanup Day On April 18

-- US Fish & Wildlife Service: Restoring Yellow Creek In Bedford County - Conservation For Wildlife, Water And Communities

-- TribLive: Eminent Domain Still In Play For Properties Along Flood Control Project In Greensburg

-- Hazelwood Initiative, Inc., Volpatt Construction, Construction Junction Pilot Material Reuse Strategy For Affordable Housing Renovation In Pittsburgh [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Hazelwood Home Renovation Tests Power Of Recycled Building Materials In Pittsburgh

-- PennLive - John Beauge: Sanctions Sought In Federal Court By Lancaster Consultant Against Texas Developer That Proposed Now Defunct $1.1 Billion Plastics Processing Facility In Northumberland County For Not Paying Its Bills

-- PA Resources Council Announces 10 Western PA Hard-To-Recycle, Household Chemical Collection Events In 2026 [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension March 30 Webinar: Managing Landscapes For Bumble Bees, 8:00 to 9:30 a.m.

-- DCNR’s Conservation & Natural Resources Council Meets March 25 On Cooperative Efforts To Advance Aquatic Passageways and Habitat Improvements [PaEN]

-- DCNR Feature: Women Shaping Pennsylvania’s Forests From Mira Lloyd Dock To Today’s Community Forestry Leaders [PaEN]

-- DCNR Feature: America’s Story Lives On Pennsylvania’s Land - DCNR And America250PA [PaEN]

-- DCNR Grants News: Coldwater Conservation Grants; Pine Creek PA Trail Of Year; Western, Eastern PA Trail Summits; Wildfire Fighting Assistance; C2P2 Grants Due April 30

-- LancasterOnline: New Group Celebrates Art Inspired By Susquehanna River, Wants To Open Museum

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Scranton Times: 14 Building ‘Wildcat’ A.I. Data Center Proposal Faces Major Opposition In Archbald [PDF of Article]

-- WNEP: A.I. Data Center Sketch Plan Proposed In Smithfield Twp., Monroe County

-- Observer-Reporter: North Franklin Twp. Considering A.I. Data Center Ordinance In Washington County

-- The Center Square: Electricity Consumer Protection A Work In Progress For PA Lawmakers

-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy Blog: Risks In A Changing US Power Grid Driven By A.I. Data Center Demand

-- PA Capital-Star: How A Philadelphia High School Is Fighting A.I. Slop And Internet Lies

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: EQT ARO LLC suffers 840,000 gallon release of freshwater from a storage tank at DCNR well pad in Cummings Twp., Lycoming County causing erosion, no elevated conductivity. Cause still under investigation. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: LPR Energy LLC failed to comply with consent order to plug shale gas well leaking gas in Henry Clay Twp., Fayette County in calendar 2024. Violations continued. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP inspection of Joanne R. Tudor conventional well in Brokenstraw Twp., Warren County found no action taken to plug abandoned well, cleanup leaking well fluids or file annual reports originally discovered in May 2025. Violations continued. DEP inspection report.

Gas Explosions

-- TribLive Editorial: Why Answers Help Communities Heal [Natural Gas Home Explosion]

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- Financial Times: Iran War Energy Shock Will Force Businesses To Rethink Energy [Beyond Oil/Natural Gas] ‘No One Will Leave Themselves Exposed Like This Again’ [PDF of Article]

-- The Economist: An Attack On The World Economy - Whatever Happens In The Strait Of Hormuz, Energy Markets Have Been Changed For Ever [PDF of Article]

-- Bloomberg: President’s War On Iran Is Good For America’s Natural Gas Industry

-- WESA/NPR: Oil Price Surges [Again] As Iran Steps Up Attacks On Ships In Persian Gulf

-- Wall Street Journal: Oil Prices Spike As IEA Declares Biggest-Ever Supply Disruption

-- TribLive/AP: Oil Shock From President’s War On Iran Prompts Counties To Open Strategic Reserves

Other States/National

-- LehghValleyLive.com: New Jersey Promoting Community Solar Energy Projects That Offer Steep Cuts To Electric Bills [Why Not PA?]