USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service-PA Awards $9.5 Million To Alliance For The Chesapeake Bay To Help Farmers Install Conservation Practices

On October 28, NRCS-PA State Conservationist Denise Coleman announced the award of $9.5 million to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay for a project that will continue to support technical and financial resources to implement conservation practices that improve water quality, soil health, and establish new habitat to benefit farms in priority watersheds within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The project, “Accelerating Regenerative Agriculture Through Public-Private Partnership,” is part of an investment of over $325 million in 42 projects to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners boost their operations and conserve natural resources across the nation through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

Through RCPP, the U.S, Department of Agriculture (USDA) works with partners to fund solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. 

For example, this Pennsylvania project aims to increase farmer participation in conservation and consequently accelerate implementation on the ground by making conservation affordable and accessible to all farmers. 

“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) pairs private investment with federal funds to deliver better results,” said U.S. Secretary Brooke Rollins in her recent announcement of the nationwide projects. “Recently, we’ve taken steps to improve RCPP to reduce red tape and increase flexibility to better empower local partners to conserve natural resources while helping American farmers prosper."

In the past year, NRCS has improved RCPP through streamlining partnership agreement processes and increasing flexibilities to ensure the program works more effectively for conservation partners and America’s farmers and ranchers. 

Seventy-five percent of the RCPP’s $325 million in funding this year will go directly to the American farmer or is used to cover the cost of conservation practice implementation.

Click Here for the NRCS-PA announcement.

Visit the NRCS-PA webpage to learn more about technical and financial assistance available to farmers and landowners.

Related Articles This Week:

-- PennVEST Announces Purchase Of 10.1 Million Pounds Of Sediment Reductions, 34,757 Pounds Of Nitrogen, 5,236 Pounds Of Phosphorus Reductions For $5.6 Million  [PaEN] 

-- Capital RC&D Receives National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant To Improve Farm Grazing Practices  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State College Of Agricultural Sciences Launches Regenerative Agriculture Center  [PaEN]  

-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Hosts Nov. 12 In-Person Southeast Regional Watersheds Workshop In Montgomery County  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Dec. 17 ACAP Webinar On Building Better Agricultural Erosion Control Plans Using PAOneStop Tools  [PaEN] 

-- Protecting Clean Water Together: Looks Okay, Smells Okay, But Is It Okay? -  By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association  [PaEN] 

-- Manada Conservancy, Swatara Watershed Assn. To Hold Nov. 8 Team Up To Clean Up The Raceway In Middletown Borough, Dauphin County  [PaEN] 

-- PA Master Naturalists Begin Accepting Applications For Spring Training Courses Nov. 2  [PaEN]

-- Brodhead Watershed Association: Keeping The Delaware River Wild - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Tribune-Democrat: Stonycreek-Conemaugh River Improvement Project Celebrates 35th Anniversary In Cambria, Somerset Counties   [PDF of Article]

-- Millersville University Blog: MU Students Teach McCaskey HS Students Watershed Science Along Conestoga River In Lancaster County  

-- WHYY - Zoe Read: Hundreds Of Rain Gardens, ‘Green’ Projects Later, What Is Philadelphia’s Next Plan To Stop Raw Sewage From Spilling Into Local Waterways?

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Nature Book Fair Set For Dec. 12 At Montour Preserve Features Local Bookstores, Holiday Sweater Competition In Montour County 

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: New Educational Card Games Ideal For Classes Or Students Help Illustrate How Aquatic Ecosystems Work And Issues Hellbenders Face

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Nearly 600 Fish, 22 Species Captured As Part Of Fish Rescue And Data College Project Hear Susquehanna River Dam Near Sunbury 

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Local Data From National Study Shows Impacts Of Heat Waves On Various Common Bird Species And Highlights Benefits Of Project 

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Participants Learn About Freshwater Mussels, Impacts Of Excess Salt On Our Waters During Floating Classroom Session

-- Warren Times: Conewango Creek Watershed Assn. Sets Nov. 12 Fall Dinner Meeting

-- WHYY: Gov. Shapiro Signs Law Requiring Home Sellers, Landlords To Disclose More About A Home’s Flood Risk

[Posted: October 28, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Allegheny Valley Residents Rally To Urge Allegheny County To Deny Springdale A.I. Data Center Proposal; Still Time To Comment

On October 28, residents from Springdale and communities across the Allegheny Valley rallied at the corner of School and Pittsburgh streets on Wednesday, an hour before Allegheny County’s public meeting on the proposed Springdale Data Center down the street, to urge the county to deny the developer’s land development application.

Allegheny DC Propco LLC, also known as Dynamo DC, proposes a hyperscale data center on the site of the former Cheswick Generating Station. 

Springdale Borough approved the project’s zoning in December 2025. The project must still meet Allegheny County’s Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, and Allegheny County Economic Development is now reviewing the application.

The county’s Sept. 16 review letter included 97 comments on the application. Mackin Engineering, the county’s engineering consultant, put it plainly: “As submitted, the plan does not conform to the Allegheny County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance standards.” 

The reviews found:

-- Arsenic and other pollutants in the soil, and no state-approved plan for cleanup

-- No sign-off from the Allegheny County Health Department

-- Diesel backup generators, at ground level across the street from houses, with nothing in the plans to muffle their noise or control their exhaust

“I remember having to clean off outdoor furniture every morning because the soot from the smokestack was so thick,” said Cathy Mager, a lifelong Springdale resident. “I believe this contributed to many residents’ health issues. I was happy to think our town might finally have less pollution. But now we are facing a data center that will cause the same problems.”

“This development will have a wide-ranging impact on the AK Valley, and decisions about it shouldn’t be taken lightly,” said Erin Cochran of New Kensington. “We must demand more than the bare minimum from these developers. The billionaires’ boot is on our neck whether we lick it or not, and we must resist and speak out. Our lives depend on it.”

Rachel Carson grew up in Springdale, and her 1962 book Silent Spring helped launch the modern environmental movement. 

Sixty-four years later, her hometown, a designated environmental justice community, is still fighting for clean air. 

For generations, Springdale families lived in the shadow of the power plant’s smokestacks. 

The Pennsylvania Constitution guarantees residents a right to clean air and pure water, held in trust for “generations yet to come.” 

Rally speakers say the county’s own reviews leave those rights unprotected.

How To Submit Comments

Members of Allegheny County and surrounding communities may comment on the application. 

Written comments are due Nov. 30, 2026, by email to ACEDPlanning@alleghenycounty.us,  or by postal mail to: Allegheny County Economic Development, Planning Division, Attn: Matthew Trepal, 436 Seventh Ave., Suite 500, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Residents can also submit comments digitally using the online form provided on the official Allegheny County Springdale Data Center project page. 

The county must issue a decision by Jan. 26, 2027.

Related Articles This Week:

-- FracTracker Alliance: A.I. Data Center Developers Propose 12.5 GW Of Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants To Feed 12 Data Center Projects In Southwest PA  [PaEN]    

-- PennLive/LehighvalleyLive: Pennsylvania Now Has 80 Sites Targeted For A.I. Data Centers Statewide; We’ve Mapped, Tracked Each One

-- The Center Square: DEP Data Center Tracker Webpage Maps 73 Proposed/Unconfirmed A.I. Data Centers

-- Consumer Alert!  If You Shopped For Your Electric, Natural Gas Supplier In 2024, You Paid $350 Million Too Much For Energy  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Dickinson Law School Hosts Nov. 5 In-Person Symposium On A.I. Data Centers - A Problem-Solving Approach  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- WVIA Podcast: How And Why Electric, Natural Gas, Water Rates Are Increasing

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Why EQT Wants To Acquire Range Resources: Capture Growing Demand For Data Centers, Exports, Cut Operating Expenses $325 Million

-- Fortune: EQT Becomes Nation’s Leading Natural Gas ‘Juggernaut’ With A $13 Billion Deal As A.I. Data Center, Export Demand Surges

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EQT Natural Gas Driller To Acquire Range Resources In $50 Billion All Stock Deal 

-- Utility Dive: North American Electric Reliability Corp Takes First Step In Setting Reliability Standards For A.I. Data Centers, Cryptocurrency Miners, Other Computational Loads

[Posted: October 28, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

DEP Awards $2.4 Million Grant To Penn State To Study How Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Impact Health

By Sarah Small, Penn State News

Pennsylvania has more than 27,000 known abandoned and orphan natural gas wells, according to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jessica Shirley. 

[Note: These 27,000 conventional oil and gas wells are on a list related to the federally-funding well plugging program administered by DEP. The number of abandoned and orphan wells is unknown but DEP estimates put that number at 200,000+ in Pennsylvania.]

These abandoned and orphan wells can pose health risks to nearby residents and negative environmental impacts to the surrounding areas, so the DEP has awarded a five-year, $2.4 million grant to a team led by Penn State researchers to better assess these potential impacts. 

Nathaniel Warner, associate professor of environmental engineering at Penn State, will head up the collaboration.

[Note: Warner was one of several Penn State researchers to help identify the environmental and health hazards from unrestricted dumping of contaminated water from conventional oil and gas wells on public roads. Read more here.]

Warner and his team, including students and environmental contractors, will obtain air, groundwater and soil sample data around a subset of wells to identify and quantify chemical hazards people could be exposed to through inhalation, ingestion and skin contact.

The data collected through the study will help the DEP to plug wells that pose the biggest threats to human health and the environment. 

This effort may reduce exposure and associated health risks to individuals who may reside near orphan and abandoned wells, respectively defined as wells disused prior to 1985 and wells that have not been in operation for at least a year. 

The work continues DEP’s commitment to protecting the environment and health of Pennsylvania residents, Secretary Shirley said.

“This study will enable us to make sure we’re prioritizing plugging wells that will have the greatest positive impact on the environment and health of communities near these wells,” Secretary Shirley said.

As part of the study, DEP and researchers at Penn State will also characterize wells according to emissions and risks, assess human exposure and develop recommendations for orphan and abandoned well priorities to refine DEP’s current pre-plugging assessment tool.

"This project builds directly on our previous work at Penn State studying potential air and water quality impacts of natural gas wells and is an important next step to help protect the health of PA communities,” Warner said.

The research team plans to integrate impacted communities into the decision-making process through public meetings that allow community members to voice relevant health concerns and identify wells of interest. 

Additionally, the team will host a publicly available data portal for community members to access results. 

Jennifer Baka, associate professor of geography at Penn State and a member of the DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board, as well as Faith Kibuye, Penn State water extension specialist, will lead these efforts.

Additional collaborators affiliated with Penn State include Kenneth Davis, professor of meteorology and atmospheric science; and Jack Vanden Heuvel, professor of molecular toxicology. 

Additionally, Mary Kang, an associate professor of civil engineering at McGill University will assist with the project.

The funding for this study was provided via DEP’s Phase 2 Formula Grant funds received from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Orphaned Wells Program Office under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

(Reprinted from Penn State News.)

Related Articles This Week:

-- EPA Proposes Changes To OOOOb/c Oil & Gas Industry Methane Reduction Rules To Help Reduce Burdens On Oil & Gas Industry; Over 99% Of PA Conventional Well Owners Failed To Comply With DEP's 2022 Methane Rules  [PaEN]  

-- FracTracker Alliance: A.I. Data Center Developers Propose 12.5 GW Of Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants To Feed 12 Data Center Projects In Southwest PA  [PaEN] 

-- Consumer Alert!  If You Shopped For Your Electric, Natural Gas Supplier In 2024, You Paid $350 Million Too Much For Energy  [PaEN]  

NewsClips:

-- TribLive/AP: President Says He’s Ending Restrictions On Climate-Warming Methane From Oil & Gas Industry

-- The Allegheny Front: How A Federal Rollback Of Methane Reduction Rules For Oil & Gas Operations Could Impact Climate, Public Health 

-- Erie Times-News - Brian Whipkey: Conventional Well Plugging Hits Milestone In PA, But Thousands Remain To Be Fixed

-- PennLive: Home Heating Oil Prices Have Doubled Since 2025, As Customers Brace For Winter And High Costs

-- WHYY: President’s Heating Oil Reserve Release Unlikely To Ease Sky-High Prices In Pennsylvania, Experts Say; Heating Oil Price Nearly Doubled Since Last Fall

-- PA Petroleum Distributors Assn: No Change In Handling Of Dyed Diesel Fuel In PA 

-- AP: In His Own Words: President On Gasoline Prices And Energy Costs Since Launching The War With Iran: ‘We’re Making A Freaking Fortune’

-- Bloomberg: President To Ease Oil, Gas Well Methane Curbs In Bid To Lower Costs 

-- Bloomberg: US Natural Gas Price Falls To 6-Month Low On Warm Weather Forecast 

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Just Hit Highest Price Since 2022 On Winter Risks

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Why EQT Wants To Acquire Range Resources: Capture Growing Demand For Data Centers, Exports, Cut Operating Expenses $325 Million

-- Fortune: EQT Becomes Nation’s Leading Natural Gas ‘Juggernaut’ With A $13 Billion Deal As A.I. Data Center, Export Demand Surges

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EQT Natural Gas Driller To Acquire Range Resources In $50 Billion All Stock Deal 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: EQT To Buy Range Resources In All Stock Deal

-- TribLive: EQT Moves To Acquire Range Resources In $13 Billion Stock Deal

[Posted: October 28, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Six Pennsylvania, Two North Carolina Colleges, Universities Help Bring 150 MW Solar Energy Facility Online In Kentucky

Six Pennsylvania and two North Carolina colleges and universities have collaborated to bring the Sebree Solar II Energy Center in Henderson County, Kentucky online.  

The higher education institutions in Pennsylvania supporting the project include Dickson College, Haverford College, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Muhlenberg College and Swarthmore College.

The North Carolina institutions include Davidson College, Elon University and Wake Forest University.

This higher education consortium was coordinated by ERM Coho through a power purchase agreement with the Sebree Solar Energy facility.

A NextEra Energy Resources, LLC subsidiary developed the Sebree Solar II Energy Center that became operational on Aug. 7, 2026.

The 150 MW solar facility will help meet the region’s growing electricity demand, supplying enough energy annually equivalent to powering more than 20,000 homes. 

Sebree Solar II will also contribute more than $15.5 million in new tax revenue over the life of the facility, money that could be used by the county to enhance schools, roads and other essential services.

Dickinson College

Dickinson College will receive renewable energy credits equal to about 65% of the electricity used by our campus, which can be used to account for greenhouse gas emissions related to purchased electricity. 

The remainder is covered with renewable energy credits from a separate power purchasing agreement Dickinson launched in 2019. These projects combined credit for 100% of the college’s purchased electricity.

Participating in the project will help Dickinson College maintain its performance as a carbon-neutral institution. 

Carbon neutrality was established as an institutional goal in 2008, achieved in 2020 and maintained to present as part of Dickinson’s unwavering commitment to sustainability.

Lindsey Lyons, Executive Director of Dickinson’s Center for Sustainability Education shares that “this innovative power purchase agreement helps us continue to move forward on our goals of advancing solar energy for Dickinson and for others. The educational benefits of power purchase agreements provide unique learning opportunities to model to our students and faculty how win/win solutions can be created that benefit both the planet and the economic systems we depend on as an institution. We are grateful to work alongside these other institutions to advance this work in solar energy and higher education.” 

Haverford College

“Haverford’s co-investment in Sebree Solar II means that the College’s annual energy dollars will now add new solar electricity to the grid,” said Vice President and Chief of Staff Jesse Lytle. “Alongside our campus conservation measures, Haverford has worked to reduce its net carbon emissions by about 40% since 2006, even while expanding our enrollment and physical plant over that time period.” 

Lafayette College

"For Lafayette, this partnership supports our commitment to carbon neutrality and our broader climate action goals, while connecting our operational work with the academic and experiential learning opportunities that are central to a Lafayette education. We are pleased to be part of a consortium demonstrating how higher education can contribute to the growth of renewable energy at scale,” says Audra Kahr, Executive Vice President for Finance & Administration at Lafayette College.

Lehigh University

“Lehigh University is now officially offsetting 100% of our electricity use with renewable energy," says Christine E. Cook, senior vice president for finance and administration. “Our involvement in this project brings us closer to achieving key goals in Lehigh’s Climate Action Strategy while delivering hands-on educational opportunities for our students.” 

Muhlenberg College

"Muhlenberg is committed to advancing the common good, and this project is one way we're doing that," said Muhlenberg President Kathleen Harring. "An added benefit is that the learning opportunities this project will provide for our students are innumerable and in keeping with our long legacy of producing lifelong success through an experiential liberal arts education." 

Swarthmore College

“Reaching this operational milestone is a critical step forward in our carbon neutrality journey and moves us closer to achieving our To Zero by Thirty-Five (20X35) commitment. Swarthmore is now able to use renewable energy credits received from this project to account for greenhouse gas emissions related to purchased electricity. By coupling geoexchange with renewable energy, 20X35 will eventually eliminate up to 90% of campus greenhouse gas emissions related to the College’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions.” 

[Posted: October 28, 2026]  PA Environment Digest