Wednesday PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 7.1.26

“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

July 1 - Call Of The House Speaker

September 28, 29, 30

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

November 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

July - Call Of The Senate President Pro Tempore

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events 

Anything Can Happen: State Budget Marathon Continues!

July 8-- Agenda Posted. DEP Water Resources Advisory Committee meeting. Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg. 9:30 a.m.

July 8-- DEP State Board for Certification of Sewage Enforcement Officers meeting. Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg. 10:00 a.m.

July 8-- DEP Technical Advisory Committee on Diesel-Powered [Mining] Equipment Meeting. DEP New Stanton Office.  10:00 a.m.

July 9-- DCNR Delaware Canal State Park Advisory Committee meeting. Delaware Canal State Park, Bucks & Northampton Counties. 10:30 a.m.  Contact for Location: 610-982-5560 or ra-nrspdela@pa.gov. (formal notice)

July 10-- Telephonic. Public Utility Commission Hearing On PPL Condemnation Of 30 Properties For The Sugarloaf 500/230KV Transmission Line In Luzerne County To Serve Data Centers 10:00 a.m.

July 14-- Agenda Posted. Environmental Quality Board meeting. 9:00 a.m. Contact: Laura Griffin, Regulatory Coordinator, laurgriffi@pa.gov,  (717) 772-3277.

July 14--  Virtual. Penn State Extension Webinar: Preview Of 2026 Watershed-Friendly Tree And Shrub Sale To Help You Choose Plants Confidently. 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

-- Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Michelle Dunn Honored With Governor’s Lifetime Environmental Achievement Award   [PaEN] 

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Maximum Generation, Load Management, Low Voltage Alerts For July 1; Received Emergency Order To Put Data Centers On Backup Generators; Forecasts Peak Power Above 2006 Record For July 2  [PaEN] 

-- PA Capital-Star: PJM Gets Green Light To Push Data Centers Onto Back-Up Power During Heat Wave

-- TribLive: More Frequent Heat Waves Tax Power Systems, Increasing Demand

-- WPXI: As Extreme Heat Settles In, Some West Deer Twp. Duquesne Light Customers Try To Stay Cool Without Power In Allegheny County  

-- Energy Efficiency Alliance Releases 15 New Case Studies Showing How Southwest PA Businesses, Organizations Are Saving On Energy Bills Thanks To Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency [No Fuel - No Price Spikes]  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Alert For Wednesday, July 1 In Southeast PA  

-- Senate Committee Moves Bills Authorizing Individual Municipalities To Enact Moratoriums On Consideration Of A.I. Data Center Proposals-- After Voting Down A Statewide 3-Year Moratorium  [PaEN]  

-- The Center Square: Individual Municipal A.I. Data Center Moratoriums Get Support In Republican-Run PA Senate

-- The Center Square: House Passes [3rd] Bill Putting Conditions On Qualifying For State Sales Tax Exemption For Data Centers, Including A Ban On Nondisclosure Agreements

-- NRDC: PJM Membership Votes On Recommendations To Help Prevent A.I. Data Centers From Overloading The Electric Grid; PJM Board Will Have Final Say  [PaEN]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Natural Gas Powers The Region, So Why Are Pennsylvanians Paying More? - By Sen. Kim Ward [Reality - Data Center Demand Spikes, 60% Of Electric Comes From Natural Gas And Its Price Spikes] 

-- Erie Times: Citing Health Concerns, FracTracker Appeals DEP Mineral Brine Conventional Well Permit In Erie County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Eos Energy Storage Company Secures $125 Million In New Funding For Frontier Power USA Independent Power Venture

-- WESA: PA Democratic Member Of Congress Summer Lee Introduces Bill To Boost Black Lung Disease Payments For Coal Miners

-- WNEP: An Ancient Lenape Ceremony Blessing The Delaware River In Monroe County 

-- The Allegheny Front: After Demolition Of Elizabeth Locks & Dam, The Impact  On Monongahela River And Businesses That Depend On It Is Much Different Than Expected 

-- Warren Times: Warren County Conservation District Announces Student Scholarships

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Aug. 5 Webinar On Forested Headwaters And Drinking Water Quality  [PaEN] 

-- Inquirer: Peter Grove, Award-Winning Science Educator And Lifelong Environmentalist, Has Died At 82 [ ‘Gardening, Is A Real Way To Bring About Change’ ] 

 A.I. /Data Centers

-- The Citizens Voice: Residents Voice Opposition To Paying For PPL’s Data Center Power Line Plan At PUC Hearing In Hazleton, Luzerne County 

-- PennLive: How To Get A Refund From Dauphin County Golf Course Closing To Become Site Of A.I. Data Center 

-- Senate Committee Moves Bills Authorizing Individual Municipalities To Enact Moratoriums On Consideration Of A.I. Data Center Proposals-- After Voting Down A Statewide 3-Year Moratorium  [PaEN]  

-- The Center Square: Individual Municipal A.I. Data Center Moratoriums Get Support In Republican-Run PA Senate

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Instead Of Diving Headfirst - PA Lawmakers Must Pass A Full Moratorium On Considering Hyperscale A.I. Data Center Proposals - By Ginny Marcille-Kerrslake, Food and Water Watch In West Whiteland Twp. 

-- The Center Square: House Passes [3rd] Bill Putting Conditions On Qualifying For State Sales Tax Exemption For Data Centers, Including A Ban On Nondisclosure Agreements

-- Spotlight PA: State Lawmakers Want To Lower Electric Bills By Cutting Gross Receipts Tax, But The Budget Impact Might Be Too Big To Swallow

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Maximum Generation, Load Management, Low Voltage Alerts For July 1; Received Emergency Order To Put Data Centers On Backup Generators; Forecasts Peak Power Above 2006 Record For July 2  [PaEN] 

-- WPXI: As Extreme Heat Settles In, Some West Deer Twp. Duquesne Light Customers Try To Stay Cool Without Power In Allegheny County  

-- NRDC: PJM Membership Votes On Recommendations To Help Prevent A.I. Data Centers From Overloading The Electric Grid; PJM Board Will Have Final Say  [PaEN]  

Train Derailments

-- Inquirer: Shelter-In-Place Order Lifted After Freight Train Derailment In Bucks County, No Hazmat Leaks

-- WHYY: CSX Freight Train Derails In Bensalem, Bucks County: ‘No Threat To Public Safety’

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- July 1: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Down 1 Penny Since Yesterday, Now $3.98/Gallon - $.87/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Beaver County Average Price Still Highest at $4.46]   https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=PA

-- July 1: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.84 Ohio- $3.74  PA- $3.98

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

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania’s Budget Is Late For 5th Year In A Row

-- WESA: PA Budget Officially Late, Though Hope Remains For Deal Next Week

-- TribLive: PA Lawmakers Miss State Budget Deadline Again

-- PennLive: PA Blows Budget Deadline Again, Is A Deal Coming Anytime Soon?

-- TribLive: Westmoreland Republican Rep. Eric Davanzo Kicked Out Of PA House Chamber For Wearing Patriotic Red/White Stripped Suit, Blue Tie  

-- TribLive Editorial: Declining School Enrollment Reflects Pennsylvania’s Demographic Reality

-- Post-Gazette: PennWest University Cutting More Than 40 Majors And Minors In Academic Redesign

-- AP: Attorney General Settles Charges With Egg Producers Over Inflated Prices, They’ll Donate 3.4 Million Eggs To Food Banks In Settlement

-- WESA: Kroger To Buy Pittsburgh-Based Giant Eagle Grocery Store Chain

-- WESA: PA Voting Rights Advocates Hail Federal Court Ruling Rebuking President’s Voter Files Demand

--  Reuters: US Supreme Court Asks President’s Administration Views On Republican Challenge To PA Mail-In Ballot Dating Issue

-- WHYY/AP: US Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship, President Asks Congress To Limit Citizenship [Which It Has No Constitutional Authority To Do]

-- WITF/NPR: US Supreme Court Upholds Bans On Transgender Athletes Participating In Women And Girls’ Sports

-- WITF/NPR: US Supreme Court Strikes Down Limits On Political Party Spending

Click Here for latest PA Environmental News

Like PA Environment Digest on Facebook

Follow PA Environment Digest on Twitter  

Read Weekly PA Environment Digest

Diversity - Equity - Inclusion

[Posted: July 1, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Penn State Extension Hosts Aug. 5 Webinar On Forested Headwaters And Drinking Water Quality

The Penn State Extension will host an August 5 webinar on Forested Headwaters and Drinking Water Quality from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Discover the vital connection between forests and drinking water in this informative webinar. 

Learn how healthy forested landscapes help protect water quality by filtering pollutants, recharging groundwater, reducing erosion, and safeguarding the headwaters that supply drinking water. 

Whether your water comes from a private well or a public system, forests play a critical role in ensuring a clean, safe, and reliable water supply for communities across the region.

Who is this for?

-- Pennsylvania residents 

-- Individuals interested in public or private water supplies 

-- Conservation volunteers

What will you learn?

-- Importance of protecting forested landscapes for clean, reliable drinking water 

-- Ways forests safeguard water quality and help sustain water supplies 

-- Threats to forest health and their potential impacts on drinking water resources

Click Here to register and for more information.

Visit the Penn State Extension website to learn more about many other educational opportunities.

[Posted: July 1, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Energy Efficiency Alliance Releases 15 New Case Studies Showing How Southwest PA Businesses, Organizations Are Saving On Energy Bills Thanks To Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency [No Fuel - No Price Spikes]

On June 30, the Energy Efficiency Alliance released 15 new Energy Efficiency Stories demonstrating how businesses and organizations in Southwest PA are saving thousands of dollars each year thanks to a combination of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures.

“It’s a top-of-mind issue right now for businesses and nonprofits across this region,” said Jeaneen Zappa, Executive Director for the Energy Efficiency Alliance. “Summer heat waves mean high energy bills and an increasingly strained electric grid. These projects are helping to bring those costs down. That’s why we are spearheading the Energy Efficiency Stories project – to ensure these stories get told.”

In nearly all of these cases, the projects were made possible by soon-expiring (or dramatically shrinking) federal incentives, like the renewable energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant, as well as other federally funded programs like the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) and the Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) grant. 

These southwestern PA entities include--

-- ACTION-Housing –Their single-room occupancy Centre Avenue YMCA property is offsetting rising energy costs with a rooftop solar array, allowing them to offer their residents much-improved (but energy-hungry) amenities like air conditioning. The ITC direct payment will cover $61,000 of the $125,000 solar project, and donations and grants make up most of the difference.

-- Allegheny County (Southside Fleet Garage) – An EECBG grant is helping the Southside Fleet Garage reduce its energy consumption by 20 percent through a comprehensive conversion to LED lighting, modernizing infrastructure while lowering operational costs for county vehicle maintenance.

-- Allegheny County (White Oak & Deer Lakes Parks) – New solar systems installed at White Oak and Deer Lakes parks have helped these facilities completely offset their annual energy usage, with an ITC direct payment covering $900,000 of the $2.8 million installation cost, ensuring the sun provides free energy for park operations moving forward.

-- Alpine Packaging - A RISE PA grant is enabling this Indiana, PA, based manufacturer to retrofit its 43,000-square-foot facility with LED lighting, projected to save roughly $10,000 annually while improving color accuracy for its printing operations, a strategic reinvestment as the third-generation family business prepares for its next chapter.

-- Berner Air Curtains - The PA Solar Center helped the manufacturer secure a REAP grant for $520,000, which covered about 40 percent of their $1.3 million solar installation. Berner's solar array produces nearly one gigawatt of power annually and powers their entire facility.

-- Delmont Public Library - Through a community-funded "200 Club" campaign and an R.K. Mellon Foundation matching grant, this facility powers its entire operations with a 40-kilowatt solar array and geothermal heating, eliminating monthly utility bills entirely while generating excess energy credits of $6,000–$8,000 over five years, proving how grassroots fundraising can deliver long-term resilience.

-- Ebara Elliot Energy - With support from a RISE PA grant, the Jeannette-based manufacturer is replacing traditional compressor performance-testing gases with sustainable low-emission alternatives at its Indiana County facility, projecting a 70% reduction in emissions by 2029 while strengthening Pennsylvania's industrial sector leadership in clean manufacturing technology.

-- Encentiv Energy - Based in Pittsburgh but serving a nationwide market, Encentiv Energy’s data platform UtilityGenius helps users identify eligible rebates to offset energy efficiency projects and technologies, making it easier for ratepayers to unlock maximum savings and benefits from the energy efficiency programs they pay into.

-- First United Presbyterian Church of Crafton Heights - The church once paid about $6,600 a year on electric bills, but it applied for the ITC and now pays less than $2,000 after installing its new rooftop solar system.

-- Municipal Opportunities for Retrofits and Energy Efficiency (MORE) Program - Southwestern PA municipalities like Arnold, Braddock, and Oakmont used the federally funded MORE program to identify energy savings opportunities in aging municipal buildings.

-- Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative - Various energy-efficiency and renewable energy initiatives helped Northwestern members pay about 12 percent less for energy in 2024 on average than the typical Pennsylvania electric utility consumer, with help from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding, REAP grants, and other federal incentives.

-- Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation - Leveraging an EPA Thriving Communities grant and Pennsylvania DCED tax credit program, this workforce development organization supports over 40 regional employers and trains entry-level and incumbent workers in certified building science principles and BPI credentialing, ensuring capacity exists to construct energy-efficient affordable housing across Southwestern Pennsylvania.

-- PWWG Architects - Designed Kopchick Hall at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a 146,720-square-foot consolidated science facility that achieved a projected 25–35% improvement in HVAC energy performance over conventional lab buildings through integrated design, leveraging the federal 179D tax deduction to deliver a tangible financial return to the design team.

-- Quaker Sales Corporation - Leveraging a RISE PA grant to overhaul its 1970s-era asphalt plant, this Johnstown family business is installing thermal storage silos and moisture control systems to achieve a projected 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while stabilizing operations ahead of its centennial in 2029.

-- Wesley Family Services - Completed a 104.5kW rooftop solar installation on its Pioneer building in New Kensington, reducing out-of-pocket costs to just $4,907 on a $209,080 project through a partnership grant from WPPSEF and tax credits from Collective Sun, enabling the behavioral health nonprofit to reinvest nearly $36,000 in energy savings back into its mission over three years.

In addition, EEA announced a further slew of stories to be released in July on EnergyEfficiencyStories.org further showcasing energy projects in Southwestern PA:

“Most, if not all, of these organizations used their tax incentives and grants to hire Pennsylvania contractors to complete their energy upgrades, keeping these investments circulating in Southwestern Pennsylvania’s local economy,” said Zappa. 

“Now they’re spending less on energy—in some cases, a lot less—which lets them invest more in growing their businesses or pursuing their nonprofit missions. Reducing energy use also reduces pressure on our electric grid, which means they’re helping every ratepayer in our region fight high utility costs.”

“Many of the federal incentives that kick-started these projects are set to diminish or disappear because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” Zappa continued, “But these stories show that policy supporting energy efficiency and renewable energy investments works.”

For more details on how these organizations are benefiting from energy efficiency and solar measures, check out all of EEA’s case studies here.

The Energy Efficiency Alliance (EEA) is a nonprofit that advances energy efficiency in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 

EEA engages and educates stakeholders and decision-makers to drive programs, policies, and funding that accelerate energy efficiency. 

Our work grows the market for EE businesses, flexible solutions, and technologies that lower energy use in buildings, foster affordability, and reduce pressure on the grid.

EEA works closely with an affiliated 501(c)(6) trade association serving Pennsylvania and New Jersey’s energy efficiency industry as the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA) and the Energy Efficiency Alliance of New Jersey (EEA-NJ).

(Photo: Wesley Family Services, New Kensington, Westmoreland County.)

Related Articles This Week:

-- Senate Committee Moves Bills Authorizing Individual Municipalities To Enact Moratoriums On Consideration Of A.I. Data Center Proposals-- After Voting Down A Statewide 3-Year Moratorium  [PaEN] 

-- PUC Urges Consumers To Explore #WaysToStayCool and #SaveInPA As Region Faces Extreme Heat; PUC Monitoring PJM Electric Grid Operations  [PaEN]  

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Maximum Generation, Load Management, Low Voltage Alerts For July 1; Received Emergency Order To Put Data Centers On Backup Generators; Forecasts Peak Power Above 2006 Record For July 2  [PaEN] 

-- NRDC: PJM Membership Votes On Recommendations To Help Prevent A.I. Data Centers From Overloading The Electric Grid; PJM Board Will Have Final Say  [PaEN]  

-- Energy Efficiency Alliance Releases 15 New Case Studies Showing How Southwest PA Businesses, Organizations Are Saving On Energy Bills Thanks To Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency [No Fuel - No Price Spikes]  [PaEN]

-- PUC Investigation Finds Fatal 2025 Philadelphia Rowhouse Natural Gas Explosion Not Related To Philadelphia Gas Works Facilities, Operations  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- PA Capital-Star: Amid High Heat, Power Demand In PJM Territory Could Set Records -- Fortune Magazine: A.I. Data Centers Are So Hot Their ‘Heat Island’ Effect Is Raising Temperatures Up To 6 Miles Away

-- The Center Square: Individual Municipal A.I. Data Center Moratoriums Get Support In Republican-Run PA Senate

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: How To Find A Better Electric Rate In Pennsylvania

-- Utility Dive: PJM Opposes Connection Review Waiver For $2 Billion Gas-Fired Power Plant In Ohio In Fast-Track Interconnection Review 

[Posted: June 30, 2026]  PA Environment Digest