In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - November 2

Here are Articles and NewsClips on A.I. and data center issues from last week you may have missed--

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - November 2 [PaEN]

Energy Costs

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

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

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

-- The Citizens’ Voice: NE PA Residents Feeling The Shock Of Record Heating Oil 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

-- WESA: Why Is Generator, Backup Power Supply Demand Booming Across Pittsburgh?

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

Grid

-- PJM Interconnection Files Revised Reliability Backstop Generation Procurement Proposal With FERC; Looks To Hold Next Auction March 2027 With Price Cap Of $555/MW-Day  [PaEN] 

-- Scranton Times Guest Essay: PPL Electric Building On Protections In Place So Growth Doesn’t Come At Utility Customers’ Expense - By Christine Martin, President Of PPL Utilities

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

Generation

-- 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] 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Natural Gas Key To Winning Global A.I. Race - By Jim Welty, Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition

-- TribLive: Retired Armstrong County Electric Plant Site Part Of State Study To Site New Power Plants

-- 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

-- Republican Herald Guest Essay: Ohio Has The Solution To PA’s Power Problems - 150 Power Plant Permit Reviews That Meet Certain Location Requirements - By Buckeye Institute and Commonwealth Foundation [Ohio Has A Power Siting Board]

Land Use

-- Scranton Times: Olyphant Borough Officials Meet Nov. 5 On A.I. Data Center Developer’s $101 Million Proposal To Bypass Conditional Use Process, Forgo Public Hearings To Build The Project In Lackawanna County [PDF of Article]

-- WVIA: Lackawanna County Judge Denies A.I. Data Center Developer Claim Project Was ‘Deemed Approved’ In Jessup Borough 

-- Scranton Times: Essential Energy, Data Center Opponents Clash Over Proposed 400 MW Natural Gas Power Plant Impacts In Archbald

-- Scranton Times: Wildcat Ridge A.I. Data Center Developer Law Firm Reed Smith Targets Lackawanna County Commissioner, 2 Valley View School District Directors In Their Individual Capacities With ‘Preserve All Documents’ Notice Ahead Of Potential Litigation

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Democracy Wins In Archbald Boro With Denial Of A.I. Data Center Proposal And Should Inspire Others

-- Scranton Times: City Of Scranton Moving Ahead With Regulation On Potential A.I. Data Centers

-- Scranton Times: PPL Electric Buys 230 Acres In Archbald Boro For $4 Million In A Deed In Lieu Of Condemnation Action Related To Transmission Line Upgrade Project

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Salem Twp. Supervisors Approve A.I. Data Center Overlay District Expansion In Luzerne County

-- The Citizens Voice: Salem Twp. Supervisors Approve A.I. Data Center Overlay District Expansion In Luzerne County; $12 Million Micro-Hospital Promised As Community Benefit 

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Debate Rages About Proposed A.I. Data Center Complex In Newport Twp., Luzerne County

-- WNEP: Newport Twp. Residents Discuss Future Of 15 Building A.I. Data Center Complex At Open House In Luzerne County

-- PennLive/LehighValleyLive: Newport Twp. Residents File Lawsuit Challenging Approval Of A.I. Data Center, Power Plant Zoning

-- WVIA: Newport Twp. A.I. Data Center Open House Leaves Some Residents With Unanswered Questions In Luzerne County

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: A.I. Data Center Developer Met With Skepticism At Newport Twp. Commissioners Meeting In Luzerne County

-- The Citizens’ Voice: A.I. Data Center Developer Predicts Major Tax Windfall Amid Skeptical Public Over Newsport Twp. Project In Luzerne County

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Hazle Twp. Residents Debate Proposed A.I. Data Center Ordinance In Luzerne County

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Hazle Twp. Planning Commission Reschedules A.I. Data Center Ordinance Meeting For Thursday [Oct. 29] In Luzerne County

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Luzerne County Council To Discuss Proposed A.I. Data Center Zoning Ordinance Tuesday [Oct. 27]

-- Williamsport Sun: Hughesville Boro Nears Approval Of A.I. Data Center Ordinance In Lycoming County

-- PennLive: Gregg Twp. Supervisors Approved Conditional Use For A.I. Data Center Project In Union County Over Public Opposition

-- Williamsport Sun: Gregg Twp. Supervisors Give Approval To Start Work On A.I. Data Center In Union County

-- Williamsport Sun: PPL Shifts Power Route To Serve Data Center In Union County, But Farmers Remain Concerned

-- PennLive: Lower Swatara Twp. Moves To Develop A.I. Data Center Ordinance In Dauphin County

-- PennLive: Another A.I. Data Center Complex Could Replace Massive Warehouse Project In Swatara Twp., Dauphin County

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: A.I. Data Center Developer Delays Tenant Reveal Amid Potential ‘Revisions’ Of Plans In Middlesex Twp., Cumberland County

-- Courier Times: Falls Twp. To Introduce A.I. Data Center Zoning Ordinance Fix In Bucks County

-- Inquirer: Lower Merion Twp. Proposal Would Restrict A.I. Data Centers To Bala Cynwyd Industrial Corridor In Montgomery County

-- TribLive: Residents Rally Against Proposed Springdale A.I. Data Center Before Allegheny County Hearing 

-- Post-Gazette: In Last-Ditch Effort, Residents Plead With Allegheny County To Vote Against Springdale A.I. Data Center Proposal

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

-- PennLive: Las Vegas-Based A.I. Data Center Developer Reveals More Plans For 400 Acre Complex At Former Race Track In Big Beaver Boro, Beaver County

-- 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] 

-- The Center Square: DEP Data Center Tracker Has Critics As State Ranks 4th In Nation In Proposed Facilities

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

-- Pittsburgh Media Partnership: Pennsylvania A.I. Data Center Proposals Map

Permits

-- DEP Issued Air Quality Plan Approval Extension For Installation Of Emergency Generator For Innovation 411 Fee Owner LLC Data Center Chilled Water Expansion  Project In Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County  [PaEN] 

Public Participation/Meetings

-- DEP To Hold Dec. 3 Meeting/Hearing On Air Permit For Aligned AI PA Data Center Facilities In Shippingport Boro, Beaver County  [PaEN] 

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

-- PA Data Center Hearings & Meetings - Physicians For Social Responsibility PA

Politics

-- Spotlight PA: Who Hates A.I. Data Centers More? Incumbent Republican Sen. Pennycuick Or Democratic Challenger Chris Thomas?

-- Climate Power: Energy Affordability Driving Pennsylvanians To The Polls This Election

-- Spring-Ford Press: Sen. Katie Muth Sees Deeper Problems Behind PA’s Data Center Boom 

-- WESA: A.I. Data Centers Scrambled PA’s Political Map, But What Happens After Nov. 3?

[Posted: October 31, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Pennsylvania Weekly Oil & Gas Compliance Snapshot - October 24 to 30

Here is a snapshot of oil and gas compliance actions taken by the Department of Environmental Protection from October 24 to 30--

-- DEP: Fracking Fluid Hose Rupture Contaminates Range Resources Appalachia Shale Gas Pad, And Down The Well Pad Slope In Washington County  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Release From Diversified Production LLC Conventional Contaminated Water Pipeline Pollutes Field In Indiana County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Issued 53 Violations To Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners For Abandoning, Not Plugging Wells In October; Violations Top 409 So Far In 2026  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Investigates Transfer Of Conventional Well Ownership, Finds Abandoned, Unplugged Well Leaking Gas 10 Feet From Apartment Building In Washington County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Diversified Prod LLC Failed To Comply With Order To Stop Gas Venting From 2 Abandoned Conventional Wells In Westmoreland County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Inspections Of 5 Shale Gas Pads Found 2 New Well Casing/Cementing Failures, 7 Continuing Well Failures in Bradford, Susquehanna, Westmoreland, Wyoming Counties  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Reports Low-Flow Stream Conditions Trigger Stop To 11 Shale Gas Water Withdrawals, 7 More Put On Watch Status  [PaEN]  

DEP issued or continued 409 violations for abandoning and not plugging conventional oil and gas wells so far in 2006.

- 114 Abandoned Conventional Wells Inspected For Federal Well Plugging Program

-- 4 Federal Methane Emissions Reduction Program Grant Inspections

-- Click Here for violations issued Oct. 24 to 30

-- Click Here for inspection entries Oct. 24 to 30

Weekly Workload Report - 10.23.26

-- NOVs Issued In Last Week: 43 conventional, 17 unconventional

-- Year To Date - NOVs Issued: 4,694 conventional and 1,025 unconventional

-- Enforcements 2026: 407 conventional and 144 unconventional (orders, agreements)

-- Inspections Last Week: 557 conventional and 303 unconventional

-- Year To Date - Inspections: 17,941 conventional and 21,338 unconventional

--DEP’s Weekly Oil & Gas Program Workload Report - Most Recent

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.

[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.]

PA Oil & Gas, Industry Public Notice Dashboards:  

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - October 31 [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Chapter 105 Permit For 4.5 Mile EQT ARO Natural Gas Pipeline On State Forest Land In Lycoming County  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Issues Another Extension Of Air Quality Plan Approvals Allowing Temporary Operation Of The Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County; Title V Application Still Under Review Since July 2024  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 59 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In October 31 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

-- DEP To Hold Dec. 3 Meeting/Hearing On Air Permit For Installation Of Emergency Generators At Aligned AI PA Data Center In Shippingport Boro, Beaver County  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Issued Air Quality Plan Approval Extension For Installation Of Emergency Generator For Innovation 411 Fee Owner LLC Data Center Chilled Water Expansion  Project In Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County  [PaEN] 

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] 

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

-- DEP Partners With Harrisburg University To Update, Digitize PA Oil & Gas Well Mapping [Video] 

-- Protect PT Hosts Nov. 18-19 Online Workshop On Living Near Shale Gas - How To Protect Yourself From Health, Environmental Impacts  [PaEN] 

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

-- PJM Interconnection Files Revised Reliability Backstop Generation Procurement Proposal With FERC; Looks To Hold Next Auction March 2027 With Price Cap Of $555/MW-Day  [PaEN]  

NewsClips:

-- Inside Climate News - Rebecca McCarthy: PA Opens A New Loophole For Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Disposal 

-- 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 31, 2026]  PA Environment Digest