Happy Birthday America! Saturday PA Environment & Energy Articles & NewsClips: 7.4.26

“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

-- Adjourned to Sept. 28 - Call Of The House Speaker

September 28, 29, 30

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

November 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

-- Call Of The Senate President Pro Tempore

​​September 28, 29, 30

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

November 17, 18

-- 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.  [Agenda includes update on State Water Plan]

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.  Read more here on agenda.

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.

July 15-- Agenda Posted. DEP Cleanup Standards Scientific Advisory Board meeting. Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg. 9:30 a.m.

July 15-- Virtual. Penn State Extension Webinar On Private Water Supply Testing Packages Available From Penn State's Agricultural Analytical Services Lab. 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

July 15-16-- In-Person. PA Sea Grant Aquaponics Educator Workshop. Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Erie.

July 16--  In-Person. Penn State Extension Workshop  On Understanding PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Private Water Supplies. Uniontown, Fayette County. 1:00 p.m.

July 16-- In-Person. Powering America's Next 250 Years Energypath Conference Set For At Moravian University

-- PJM Hot Weather Alert Remains In Place For July 4 For Entire Service Area, July 5 For Mid-Atlantic And Dominion Energy Transmission Zones [PaEN] 

-- Inquirer: PECO Electric/Natural Gas Company Workers On Strike - IBEW Local 614- First In Company History; Company Says There Should Be No Service Disruptions

-- WHYY: PECO Electric/Natural Gas Company Workers On Strike July 4th For First Time In Utility’s History  [During Extreme Heat Wave]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - July 4 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 49 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In July 4 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Renewal Of Title V Air Quality Permit For Keystone Coal-Fired Power Plant In Armstrong County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Issues 2 Chapter 105 Permits For Project Hazelnut A.I. Data Centers Offsite Utilities In West Hazleton Borough, Luzerne County  [PaEN] 

-- Item:  Pittsburgh Business Times: EQT Sets Shale Gas Drilling Record-- 7.1 Miles Deep, 5.5 Mile Horizontal Well, In WV, Near PA Border  [Facebook post ]

-- WVIA: DCNR To Open Southern Half Of Catawissa Off-Road Recreation Area In Schuylkill County: Rocky, Steep, Tight, Fun

-- Observer-Reporter: Heatwave Could Contribute To Algae And Bacteria Growth In Local Waterways

-- PennLive: Raven Ridge Wildlife Center Rescues Albino Cardinal In Lancaster County 

 A.I. /Data Centers

-- PJM Hot Weather Alert Remains In Place For July 4 For Entire Service Area, July 5 For Mid-Atlantic And Dominion Energy Transmission Zones [PaEN] 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Pope Leo’s A.I. Warning Isn’t Just For Catholics - It’s For Everyone -  By Most Reverend Timothy C. Senior, Bishop Of Harrisburg

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- Today’s Violations: DEP inspection of EQT Prod Co. conventional well in Allegheny County, Whitehall Boro found the well abandoned and not plugged.  EQT Prod owns 107 abandoned oil & gas wells- 108 now.  DEP inspection report.  

-- Today’s Violations: DEP compliance review of BB Mulvaney conventional gas well in Greene County, Richhill Twp. found the owner did not comply with May 17, 2024 order to fix gas leak and other violations for 755 days and counting….  DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP follow-up inspection of Apollo Resources LLC conventional gas well on State Game Lands in Fayette County, Dunbar Twp. found owner failed to complete restoration of well site, contaminated water tank containment nearly full. Violations continued-- 181 days and counting… DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP inspection of Pin Oak Energy Partners LLC conventional well in Erie County, Waterford Twp.- the owner failed to clean up pollution from the well.  Hay spread around, testing found polluted soil remains.  Violations continued-- 44 days and counting. DEP inspection report

-- 'Emergency Flares' At MarkWest Harmon Creek, Energy Transfer Revolutions Natural Gas Processing Plants Burn Brightly Near Midnight On July 3 In Washington County On Project Breathe Cameras.  Read more here.

Storms/Power Outages

-- Morning Call: Severe Storms Down Trees, Cut Power To 13,000 Amid Extreme Heat In Lehigh Valley; Communities Declare Emergencies  

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Quick Moving Storm Knocks Out Power To Thousands In Luzerne County

-- WNEP: Thousands Without Power Across Central And Northeastern PA

-- Pennsylvania Power Outages: July 4: 66,038 Households Without Power As of 9:45 a.m

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- July 4: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Did Not Change Since Yesterday, Now $3.96/Gallon - $.85/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Beaver County Average Price Still Highest at $4.42]

-- July 4: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.81 Ohio- $3.63  PA- $3.96

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

Federal Administration

-- AP: President Pardons 11 People, 9 People Identified By The White House As Having Helped People Bypass Vehicle Emissions Control Systems

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- TribLive: Businessman Who Lost PA Senate Primary To Bartolotta Sues Washington County Officials Over Canceling His Voter Registration And Public Comments 

-- Post-Gazette: Charleroi Braces For Uncertain Future After US Supreme Court Ruling Leaves Haitians In Limbo In Washington County

-- Republican Herald: DHS Says Driver Involved In Fatal Crash That Killed State Police Officer Is An Illegal Immigrant From Haiti  

-- WTAE: President Launches Program To Give Babies Born During His 2nd Term  $1,000 To Invest In The Stock Market; Does Your Child Qualify?

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Diversity - Equity - Inclusion

[Posted: July 4, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

PJM Hot Weather Alert Remains In Place For July 4 For Entire Service Area, July 5 For Mid-Atlantic And Dominion Energy Transmission Zones

On July 3, the PJM Interconnection announced the Hot Weather Alert will remain in place July 4 for its entire service area and for July 5 for the Mid-Atlantic [includes Pennsylvania] and Dominion Energy Transmission zones.

A Hot Weather Alert is an established procedure PJM issues ahead of forecasted hot weather and/or high humidity to prepare transmission and generation personnel and facilities for expected increases in electricity demand, or load.

Reducing July 2 Peak

During the July 2 evening peak, PJM executed a series of procedures to manage demand and maximize supply when some generation tripped offline, including calling on emergency demand response. 

PJM also issued a warning to prepare some transmission owners and utilities for the possibility of curtailing data centers and other large loads in their regions and moving them to backup generation. 

Ultimately, that action was not required and service was not impacted.

On July 2, PJM’s peak instantaneous load was approximately 162,700 MW between 5 and 6 p.m., according to preliminary figures, but that figure was suppressed by the use of demand response programs. 

The peak load is likely to have surpassed the all-time PJM record of 165,600 MW set in 2006.

Forecast Peak

As of 1 p.m. on July 3, 2026, PJM expects to serve the following peak loads through July 5:

-- July 3 - 157,480 MW

-- July 4 - 152,039 MW

-- July 5 - 139,217 MW

These numbers are subject to change and will be updated periodically. PJM publishes load forecasts out to seven days on Data Miner.

Still In Place

-- Data Center Backup Generation: PJM requested and received approval of an emergency 202c order by the U.S. Department of Energy to direct transmission owners, if required as a last resort prior to voltage reduction or load shed, to curtail data centers and other large loads that have backup generation.

-- Relief From Environmental Limits: PJM has also requested and received approval of a DOE 202c emergency order for temporary relief from environmental permit restrictions for generating units, effective July 1 through July 3.

Click Here for the PJM announcement.

The PJM Interconnection coordinates the wholesale electricity grid and markets for all or parts of 13 states—Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia—plus the District of Columbia.

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]  

-- House Committee Amends Senate-Passed Tax Code Bill On Data Centers, Then Adjourned To Sept. 28  [PaEN]  

-- 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

-- PennLive: With A.I. Data Centers In Mind, PA House Votes 193-9 To Close Sunshine Act Public Meeting Notice Loophole After PA Supreme Court Ruling  [House Bill 2146] [Senate Passed Senate Bill 1150 In June] 

-- PA House Republicans Unveil Energy Package To Eliminate Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards; Take Away Citizen Appeal Rights; Eliminate Right Of Citizens To Petition For Rule Changes; Limit Environmental Standards To Federal Standards  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Activated Pre-Emergency Demand Response Program To Increase Reserve Generation; Again Extends Maximum Generation And Load Management Alerts To July 3  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Extends Maximum Generation And Load Management Alerts To July 2; Forecast Power Peak On July 2 Still Above All Time Record  [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]  

-- DEP Invites Comments On Renewal Of Title V Air Quality Permit For Keystone Coal-Fired Power Plant In Armstrong County  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Issues 2 Chapter 105 Permits For Project Hazelnut A.I. Data Centers Offsite Utilities In West Hazleton Borough, Luzerne County  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- York Daily Record: Firefighters Battle Blaze At The 839 MW Hunterstown Natural Gas Power Plant In Adams County

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

-- PA Capital-Star: Garrity And Shapiro Have Accused Each Other Of Flip-Flopping On A.I. Data Centers - Are They Both Right?

-- 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. 

-- 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] 

[Posted: July 3, 2026]  PA Environment Digest