Thursday PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 8.13.26

“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 9, 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:  In-Person. Penn State Ag Progress Days

TODAY 11:00: DCNR Hearing On Wild Resource Conservation Program grant applications.  6th Floor Conference Room, Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg. 11:00 a.m. Contacts: Ryan Bortnyk at (717) 783-3331, rbortnyk@pa.gov or Rebecca Bowen at (717) 772-0258, rebbowen@pa.gov.  (formal notice)

August 19-- Agenda Posted. DEP Aggregate Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 10:00 a.m.

August 19-- Solarize Greater Philadelphia, Partners Host Webinar For Municipalities On How To Take Advantage Of Solar Energy To Make Energy Costs More Predictable. Noon to 1:00 p.m.

August 20-- DCED PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council meeting.  Penn State, State College. Room 243 Technology Center, 200 Innovation Blvd., State College. 10:00 a.m.  Remote Option To Be Available.  Contact: Adam Walters 717-214-6548 or adwalters@pa.gov.   Read more here on the agenda.

August 20-- DEP Meeting/hearing On Water Quality Permits For Carbon Node East Data Center Proposal In Nesquehoning Boro, Carbon County.  Panther Valley Jr./Sr. High School located at 912 Coal Region Way, Lansford. 5:00 p.m. meeting, 7:00 p.m. hearing.

-- Governor’s Office Expected To Announce Further Steps To Regulate A.I. Data Centers ‘Shortly;’  100 Data Center Proposals Being Discussed in PA, 55 Have Some Interaction With DEP  [PaEN]

-- Mountain Watershed Association: DEP Accepts Unsuitable For Coal Mining Petition To Study Whether Coal Mining Should Be Allowed On 11,000 Acres In Westmoreland County  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Keystone Crude LLC Making Progress On Spills, Releases At 3 Conventional Gas Well Sites In Allegheny County Dating Back To 2024  [PaEN]  

-- Inside Climate News: Neighbors Of Energy Transfer Pipeline Leak In Bucks County Live In Fear And Regulatory Neglect In An Era Of ‘Unleashed’ Energy 

-- AP: PA Quietly Passed A Law Undermining A PA Supreme County Decision On Oil & Gas Mineral Rights

-- PUC: Registration Now Open For Sept. 17 Be Utility Wise Human Services Organizations Conference In Erie

-- Republican Herald Editorial: Charging Stations A Key For Electric Vehicle Drivers, Local Economies

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Pittsburgh-Area Rivers And Streams See Routine E. coli Bacteria Contamination, Report Finds 

-- Post-Gazette: ‘Potentially Unsafe Levels’ Of E. Coli Bacteria Found In Hundreds Of PA Waterways, Group Says

-- Larry J. Schweiger’s New Book: Fighting For The Future Of Nature - Stewardship, Civic Responsibility And A Stubborn Hope  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Teaching Green News: Radon Poster Contest; Fort Cherry School District Project Spotlight; Teaching Resources; Summer EE Activities; Protecting School, Childcare Drinking Water  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Heroes' Walk At Flight 93 National Memorial In Somerset County Set For Sept. 26

-- Centre Daily Times: 2 PA Businesses Offer Some Of The Best Whitewater Rafting, USA Today Finds

-- DCNR Resource News: DCNR Grants At Work; Governor Recognizes DCNR Staff; 2 State Parks Added To Old-Growth Forest Network; Outdoors For All Celebrations; 23 PA Wildland Firefighters Return 

-- DCNR Grants News: Coatesville Celebrates Park Reopening; ATV/Snowmobile Grants; Eastern/Western PA Greenways & Trails Summits; Municipal Open Space Summit 

-- Call For Presentations: PA Recreation & Park Society 2027 Annual Conference & Expo March 16-19  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Sept. 2 Webinar On Proper Native Tree Planting For Long-Term Success, Noon to 1:30 p.m.

-- South Mountain Partnership Hosts Oct. 2 Power Of The Partnership Celebration, Gettysburg. 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

 A.I. /Data Centers

-- Morning Call: Upper Mount Bethel Twp. Sets Aug. 24 Meeting To Consider $50 Million A.I. Data Center Agreement With Developers

-- Morning Call: Here’s How Lehigh Valley Communities Are Pushing Back Against A.I. Data Center Proposals

-- WNEP: Smithfield Twp., Monroe County To Set Vote On A.I Data Center Zoning Measures 

-- LancasterOnline: Manheim Twp. Seeks Stopgap Zoning Amendment On A.I. Data Center Development In Lancaster County

-- Republican Herald: Former Rep. Todd Eachus Faces Disorderly Conduct Charges From Amazon A.I. Data Center Hearing In Kline Twp., Schuylkill County

-- Inquirer: Why Your PECO Electric Bills Could Increase Thanks To A.I. Data Centers

-- Governor’s Office Expected To Announce Further Steps To Regulate A.I. Data Centers ‘Shortly;’  100 Data Center Proposals Being Discussed in PA, 55 Have Some Interaction With DEP  [PaEN] 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: General Assembly Likely To Take Up A.I. Data Centers Again Soon

-- Utility Dive: PJM Eyes Data Center, Large Load Reliability Standards After 3,800 MW Of Electricity Load From Data Center Suddenly Tripped Offline In Virginia On July 22

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- DEP: Keystone Crude LLC Making Progress On Spills, Releases At 3 Conventional Gas Well Sites In Allegheny County Dating Back To 2024  [PaEN] 

-- Today’s Violation: DEP inspection of Seneca Resources Taft Utica shale well in Tioga County, Middlebury Twp. found continuing evidence of casing/cementing failure since original violation in Nov. 13, 2024-- 621 days. DEP inspection report.  This same pad has continuing wastewater releases

-- Today’s Violation: DEP follow-up inspection of Pin Oak Energy Partners abandoned conventional gas gathering pipeline in Ridgeway Twp. found pipe needs to be capped to prevent stream from entering, other violations not corrected since Oct. 14, 2025-- 297 days. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violation: DEP routine inspection of D & B Gas Production LLC conventional well site in Allegheny County, Springdale Twp. found gas leaking from a compressor covered by a canvas tent structure. Violation issued, response requested by Aug. 28.  DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violation: DEP inspection of EQT Production Co. conventional well in Washington County, Somerset Twp. found the well venting gas. Response requested by Aug. 28. DEP inspection report.

Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Explosion

-- TribLive Editorial: Safety Requires Rules To Follow [US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Explosion That Killed 2 Workers, Injured 11 Others]

Train Derailments

-- WPSU: 3rd Train Derailment This Year Near Horseshoe Curve In Blair County, Investigators Looking Into Cause

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- August 13: PA Average AAA Gasoline Did Not Change From Yesterday To $4.09/Gallon - $.98/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Pike County Average Price Highest at $4.30] 

-- August 13: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.07  Ohio- $4.24  PA- $4.09

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

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Spotlight PA: Stacy Garrity Is Ambitious, Endorsed By President, Experienced; Is That Enough To Beat Josh Shapiro?

-- WITF: PA Democrats Kick Off Statewide Tour Tying Garrity To President In Governor’s Race

-- Politics PA: PA State House To Convene In Philadelphia’s Congress Hall Sept. 9

-- Reading Eagle: Faith Community Calls On Berks County To End ICE Immigrant Detention Policy

-- Reading Eagle: 28 Area Schools Had Inadequate Measles Immunization Rates

-- Inquirer Editorial: President’s Executive Order On Vaccines Promises To Kill More Kids

-- Inquirer: Montgomery County Joins Thousands Of Others In Suing Social Media Giants Over Harms To Teen Mental Health

-- Inquirer: Police In Wallace Twp., Chester County Investigating Drone Peeking Into Windows At Night

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[Posted: August 13, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

DEP: Keystone Crude LLC Making Progress On Spills, Releases At 3 Conventional Gas Well Sites In Allegheny County Dating Back To 2024

August 4, 2026 follow-up inspections by the Department of Environmental Protection of three Keystone Crude LLC conventional gas well sites in North Fayette and Robinson townships, Allegheny County found the owner is making progress in addressing spills and releases at the sites dating back to June 11, 2024-- 784 days ago.

The inspections included the McCurdy 10, John Panner 4 and DM Logan 3 well sites and included the owner of Keystone Crude Chris Read..

At the McCurdy 10 site in Robinson Township DEP found disconnected production equipment and eight drums of waste have been removed and no staining was observed on the ground where this equipment was located.

Field measures showed soil conductivity levels were comparable to background.

The owner is in compliance with the latest schedule for cleaning up the site, but needs to submit manifests showing where the contaminated materials was disposed.

The inspection of  the John Panner 4 site in Robinson Township found no active fluid leaks or discharges from the production tank, but the valve previously observed leaking contaminated water has not been replaced that could lead to another spill.

The owner said the valve will be replaced as soon as the tank is emptied.

Additional contaminated material was removed from the site, and a disposal manifest submitted.

At the DM Logan 3 site in North Fayette Township DEP found the spill/release along the access road has been cleaned up and fresh gravel put down, but a disposal manifest needs to be submitted.

No fluid leaks or discharges were observed at the site, but a disconnected pump jack was still on the site that needs to be removed.

Violations related to the spills and releases will remain in place until disposal manifests are received.

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: McCurdy 10, John Panner 4 and DM Logan 3 conventional gas well sites.)

[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.]

Related Articles This Week:

-- DCED PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council Meets Aug. 20 On Conventional Contaminated Water Disposal, Well Plugging Program, Methane Emission Reduction Regs  [PaEN]

-- More Than 99% Of Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Failed To Comply With DEP’s 2022 Methane Emission Reduction Regulations; How Will It Be Any Different Under DEP’s New Methane Regulations?  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Keystone Crude LLC Making Progress On Spills, Releases At 3 Conventional Gas Well Sites In Allegheny County Dating Back To 2024  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Inside Climate News: Neighbors Of Energy Transfer Pipeline Leak In Bucks County Live In Fear And Regulatory Neglect In An Era Of ‘Unleashed’ Energy  

-- Observer-Reporter: Greene/Washington County Labor Leaders Plan Launch Of New Initiative To Plug Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Their Owners

-- Spotlight PA: General Assembly Quietly Passed, Gov. Shapiro Signed Law Undermining PA Supreme Court Decision On Lucrative Oil & Gas Rights  

[Posted: August 13, 2026]  PA Environment Digest