Center For Coalfield Justice Hosts In-Person Aug. 5 Shale Gas Fracking And Public Health 101 - The People's Cancer Incidence Screening Tool In Washington County

On August 5, the Center for Coalfield Justice will host an in-person Fracking and Public Health 101 Program at the Center's office at 69 E. Beau Street in Washington, PA from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The program will feature guest presenter Dr. Lauren Minsky, creator of the People's Cancer Incidence Screening Tool that calculates average annual cancer incidence rates for Pennsylvania's cities, towns and boroughs from 2002 to 2021.

Residents will leave this presentation with an overview of fracking operations in southwestern Pennsylvania, knowledge of commonly seen health effects around fracking operations, and be familiarized with resources like the cancer screening tool.

Click Here to register and for more information.

For more information on programs, initiatives, other upcoming events and how you can get involved, visit the Center for Coalfield Justice website.

Resource Link:

-- PA Shale Gas & Public Health Conference: Dr. Lauren Minsky - People’s Cancer Incidence Screening Tool Reports Cancer Rates In Washington County Up To 16 Times Higher Than PA Averages  [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week:

-- DEP: Apollo Resources Reports Released Of 3,200 Gallons Of Contaminated Water From Conventional Oil & Gas Well Storage Tank In Snow Shoe Twp., Centre County  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- WESA: PA DEP Says Landfill Leachate From Oil/Gas Wastes Poses No Health Risk; Environmentalists Aren’t So Sure [DEP Said Its Results Were Based On ‘Limited’ Data, More Analysis Is Warranted ]

-- Phys.org: Pennsylvania Roads Are Being Coated In Radioactive Oil & Gas Wastewater - Here’s Why - By William Burgos, Nathaniel Warner, Penn State University, The Conversation

-- Americans-Dream.com: EQT Natural Gas & Toby Rice Should Have A Heart And Pave West Pike Run Twp. Road In Washington County, Parents Fear For Disabled Son’s Safety 

-- Observer-Reporter: DEP, Washington Conservation District Visit West Pike Run Twp. To Inspect Road Deteriorating Under The Impact Of Heavy Shale Gas Development Truck Traffic 

-- Observer-Reporter: DEP To Develop New Methane Rules For Oil & Gas Operations

[Posted: July 28, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Three Rivers WaterKeeper, Upper Chartiers Creek Watershed Assn. File Intent To Sue PA Transformer Technology, LLC For Alleged Discharges Of PCBs In Washington County

On July 28, the Three Rivers WaterKeeper and Upper Chartiers Creek Watershed Association announced on July 20 they sent a formal notice of intent to sue Pennsylvania Transformer Technology, LLC for alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act and Pennsylvania’s Clean Streams Law for multiple discharges polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that exceed permit limits. 

Three Rivers Waterkeeper and Upper Chartiers Creek Watershed Association are represented by Appalachian Mountain Advocates. 

Discharge monitoring reports submitted by Pennsylvania Transformer Technology, LLC to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection between March 2021 and the present show that Pennsylvania Transformer Technology has repeatedly violated and continues to violate numerous numeric effluent limitations, analytical standards, and monitoring and reporting requirements applicable to discharges from multiple outfalls, directly impacting Chartiers Creek in the Upper Ohio Watershed. 

The Creek is listed as impaired for aquatic life and fish consumption by DEP, which has identified PCBs as a source of impairment. 

PCBs are a group of man-made organic chemicals consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine. 

Because of their chemical stability, heat resistance, and excellent electrical insulating properties, they were widely used in industrial and commercial applications like electrical transformers, coolants, and hydraulic fluids. 

They do not readily break down and accumulate in the food chain, and exposure is linked to cancer, as well as immune, reproductive, and nervous system damage. 

Commercial manufacturing and importation of PCBs were banned in the U.S. by the US EPA in 1979. Globally, they are heavily restricted by the Stockholm Convention on POPs. 

“These toxic chemicals are being discharged into Chartiers Creek at exceptionally high levels and then flows into the Ohio River which provides drinking water to 5 million people, a recreational source for many, and critical habitat for a variety of plants and animals. We want to stop this ongoing harm as quick as possible and protect our communities and aquatic ecosystems from a toxic contaminate” said Dr. Heather Hulton VanTassel, Executive Director, Three Rivers Waterkeeper.

This notice is based on publicly available information, including discharge monitoring reports submitted by Pennsylvania Transformer. 

Relying on those reports and other related documents, Three Rivers Waterkeeper and Upper Chartiers Creek Watershed Association have identified numerous apparent violations of the Permit and applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act and the Clean Streams Law. 

The purpose of this notice is to identify those apparent violations and to provide an opportunity for these issues to be addressed during the statutory notice period.

"We work to restore and protect Chartiers Creek and believe no one should have to worry about toxic chemicals threatening the health of this watershed, or the people who live, work, and recreate along it," said Virginia McAnulty, President of the Upper Chartiers Creek Watershed Association. "We hope this action results in lasting protections so future generations can enjoy a cleaner, healthier creek and the many benefits it provides to our communities." 

Chartiers Creek flows north and east from the center of Washington County into the center of Allegheny County. It discharges into the Ohio River at McKees Rocks, PA. 

The upper portion of the watershed in Washington County is not considered to be a navigable waterway of the United States. 

The size of the Upper Chartiers Creek Watershed is approximately 139 square miles. It is the most developed of the watersheds in the County, yet agriculture is still a major land use activity. 

While Chartiers Creek Watershed had an abundance of rich natural resources, decades of use, abuse, and development have degraded the environment and impaired Chartiers Creek. 

Nevertheless, hope remains high for the future of Chartiers Creek. 

Three Rivers Waterkeeper and Upper Chartiers Creek Watershed Association want this notice letter to lead to the protection of a highly used creek from future harm of a highly toxic chemical.

Click Here for a copy of the intent to sue.

Visit the Three Rivers Waterkeeper and Upper Chartiers Creek Watershed Association websites for more information on water quality and other issues impacting the watershed.

Visit the Appalachian Mountain Advocates websites to learn more about their initiatives.

[Posted: July 28, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Western PA Conservancy Easement Protects More Farmland, Forestland In Westmoreland County

On July 28, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy announced the purchase of a conservation easement to permanently protect a 35-acre property in Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County.

The property contains a mix of farmland and mature forestland, including forested slopes that drain to Clark Hollow Run, a tributary to Loyalhanna Creek. 

It also contains the Clark Hollow Natural Heritage Area, which hosts special habitats such as those for the buffalo-nut (Pyrularia pubera), a shrub native to the Appalachian region and a state-designated rare species of concern. 

In addition, the farm fields and open areas on the property contain soil types designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as Farmland of Statewide Importance.

The property, which is approximately 80 percent forested, will remain privately owned and contains a small apple orchard and open fields of mixed grasses and wildflowers. Honored to continue a legacy of conservation, the landowners’ family farmed the property for many decades.

“We’re glad to continue partnering with Ligonier Valley landowners to protect land in the valley – it is a landscape with wonderful ecological resources and beautiful views,” says Conservancy President and CEO Thomas Saunders.

This land is protected via a conservation easement, a land protection option available to landowners who want to continue owning their property while preserving the land’s conservation values in perpetuity. 

Easements are permanent deed restrictions that limit future development of the land, ultimately helping wildlife species and their habitats, supporting climate change initiatives and saving natural lands for future generations. 

Conservation of this land was made possible thanks to grants from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation, Babcock Charitable Trust, Hillman Foundation and Stork Impact Partners.

To date, the Conservancy has permanently protected more than 30,000 acres of land in the Ligonier Valley, of which more than 12,000 are through conservation easements.

 For more information about conservation options, please contact the Conservancy at 724-238-2492 or laurelhighlands@paconserve.org. 

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. 

A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped establish 11 state parks, conserved more than 290,000 acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. 

The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. 

In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 125 community gardens and other green spaces and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers. 

The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members.

[Posted: July 28, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

PJM Interconnection Proposes One-Time Backstop General Capacity Auction In September With A $555/MW-Day Cap On Prices - Nearly 71% Higher Than Current $325 Cap

On July 27, the PJM Interconnection Board of Managers directed staff to take a series of actions to deal with the shortfall in electric generation capacity and increasing power demands of A.I. data centers.  The proposals were outlined in a July 27 letter to PJM stakeholders.

In the near future PJM will file proposals with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to take theses and other steps--

-- Hold a one-time backstop generation capacity auction in September to fill a 6.8 GW shortfall in generation need to ensure grid reliability;

-- Establish a Large Load Registry to track the location and loads of sites so they can be better managed during capacity shortages.  New large loads that do not bring their own generation by June 1, 2027 and that have not secured their own power will be subject to curtailment proper to deployment of pre-emergency load management procedures.

More Demand, Fewer Resources

PJM said, new Large Loads are forecasted to increase by an estimated 70 GW by 2038, while some 15 GW of electricity generating resources have retired since 2022. 

Meanwhile, the most recent capacity auction for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year resulted in a 6,831 GW shortfall below the system’s Reliability Requirement. 

The Reliability Requirement is a measure of capacity that can reliably serve grid needs during extreme conditions under the standard of one loss of load event every 10 years.

“The Board is also acutely aware of the affordability pressures facing consumers,” the letter added. “The present trajectory of rapid load growth, tightening supply and rising capacity costs is not sustainable. The region needs substantial new investment in supply, and the central affordability question is how the costs of that investment should be allocated.”

Facilitated Matchmaking

To avoid over-procurement, the ultimate quantity of generating resources secured through bilateral contracts and self-supply arrangements will reduce the target of the Reliability Backstop Procurement.

PJM expects initial matches in August between buyers and sellers interested in bilateral contracting. 

Launched June 9 with a Request for Proposals, this process is expected to continue until early next year.

 Running the bilateral matching process in parallel with the procurement process gives market participants another path to bring new supply online while reducing the amount PJM ultimately needs to procure.

Backstop Procurement

PJM proposes to conduct a one-time Reliability Backstop Procurement from Sept. 30 through Oct. 21, with results released in early December. 

Commitments of up to 15 years will be finalized prior to the December capacity auction for the 2029/2030 Delivery Year. 

PJM said resources eligible to participate in the auction would have to be new power resources or those that did not receive a commitment for the 2028-29 delivery year. 

The definition of “new power resources” is included in the PJM announcement.

To maintain affordability while incentivizing new resources, PJM proposed to cap the total cost of accepted supply offers at $555/MW-day.

[A cap of $325/MW-day applied to the last auction earlier in July.  Without this cap, PJM said prices would have surged to $554.72/MW-day in most areas, including Pennsylvania.  Read more here.]

PJM also said it will exclude new large loads from demand forecasts for general capacity auctions starting with 2029-30 so existing consumers will not bear the higher capacity costs caused by new large loads that do not bring, or otherwise contract for, the new supply necessary to serve them.

Large Load Registry

PJM will develop and maintain a Large Load Registry to improve load forecast accuracy and transparency; this has been supported by a broad cross-section of PJM stakeholders. 

Large Loads are defined as end-use customer load that has a cumulative peak load quantity of at least 50 MW at a single site behind one or more delivery points/points of interconnection within a one-mile radius.

During capacity shortages, new Large Loads that do not bring their own generation by June 1, 2027, and have not otherwise secured supply, will be subject to curtailment prior to deployment of Pre-Emergency Load Management. 

Compensation to customers directed to reduce load during grid stress will be subject to a FERC-approved compensation rate and jurisdiction of state authorities.

The proposed cost allocation framework aligns with the Ratepayer Protection principles endorsed by data centers, the White House and PJM governors, and respects state authorities, the Board noted.

“The federal government, PJM states and Large Load customers have emphasized that new Large Loads should bear the costs they cause,” the Board letter stated. “Because PJM does not have jurisdiction to allocate retail costs directly to individual data centers, state action will be essential. PJM will support those efforts by providing information from the new Large Load Registry and other data available through its settlement and billing processes.”

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:

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports Average Cost Of Electricity In PA Jumped 14.6% Over Past Year, Total Average PA Electricity Bill Has Increased 20.6% Since 2024  [PaEN]

-- FYI: -- A.I. Data Center Legislative Scorecard: Pennsylvania Failed To Finalize Meaningful Legislation On Energy Affordability, To Increase Electric Generation And Give Communities The Tools They Need To Cope With A.I. Proposals [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Utility Dive: PJM Board Proposes Backstop Capacity Auction In September, Data Center Curtailment Plans

-- WHYY - Zoe Read: ‘We Will Not Be Bullied:’ Plymouth Township Pushes Back Against Developer Or Proposed A.I. Data Center In Montgomery County 

-- Inquirer: Plymouth Township Officials In Montgomery County Say A.I. Data Center Developer ‘Bullied’ And ‘Intimidated’ Them, He Says That’s A ‘Bold-Faced Lie’ Bringing Legal Challenge To Local Zoning 

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Concerned Citizen Involvement Is Vital In Addressing A.I. Data Center Projects And There Are Many Ways To Get Involved

-- PennLive Guest Essay: A.I. Data Center Are Coming To PA, Here’s How Watts Twp., Perry County Can Protect Itself While Benefiting - By Jim Enders, Member Plumbers, Pipefitters Local 520 [Who Construct These Facilities And Move On, Rarely Living With The Consequences - Although Enders Says He’s From Perry County]

[Posted: July 28, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

PA Assn. Of Environmental Professionals Now Accepting Nominations For Karl Mason And Walter Lyon Awards

The PA Association of Environmental Professionals is now accepting nominations for the Karl Mason and Walter Lyon Awards to commemorate the vision of both remarkable pioneers.  The deadline for nominations is August 21.

These prestigious awards are presented to Pennsylvanians who made a unique and creative contribution to the field of environmental management in Pennsylvania with preference given to the fields of administration, law, regulation and community organization.

Each year, the Karl Mason Award is presented to meritorious nominees selected by the PAEP Board of Directors.

The Walter Lyon Award will be selected in the same manner and has been an annual addition that started in 2014. 

One nominee will be chosen for the two categories as follows--

-- An individual who demonstrated exemplary leadership in the field of environmental management. (the Karl Mason Award)

-- An organization, project or program that made a unique, creative, or significant contribution toward maintenance or restoration of Pennsylvania’s environmental quality or to the field of environmental management. (the Walter Lyon Award)

The Karl Mason and Walter Lyon Award presentations will take place on Thursday October 15, 2026, during the PAEP Annual Conference to be held at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, 310 Elks Club Road, Boalsburg, PA from October 14-16, 2026

Click Here to submit a nomination.

Karl Mason

Karl Mason served as Pennsylvania’s first State Environmental Administrator from 1952 to 1966. 

Karl’s holistic vision of environmental management embraced essential, but conflicting, needs associated with waste disposal and community environmental protection. 

The general framework established by Karl serves as the foundation for Pennsylvania’s environmental protection programs to this day.

Karl believed and put into practice the notion that environmental protection is primarily the business of professionals who have the skills, by virtue of their scientific training, to manage the technical and scientific complexities of maintaining a safe, healthy and clean environment. 

He was committed to the belief that continuing education was an essential part of the career of every environmental professional.

Walter Lyon

Walter Lyon began his professional career as a sanitary engineer at the U.S. Public Health Service in Washington D.C. serving as Assistant Chief of the Planning and Development Branch, Division of Engineering Resources from 1950-1954.

He then served for three years as the Assistant Chief of the Environmental Health Section, Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

From 1983 to 2013, Walter went on to teach and consult in the areas of environmental engineering and water policy. 

For many years, Walter participated in the Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Professionals conferences and special events and generously shared his knowledge and experience. 

He was a strong advocate for employing highly educated, qualified, and experienced environmental professionals in the public and private sectors and serves as a role model for the environmental professionals of today and tomorrow.

For more information on programs, initiatives, workshops and other special events, visit the PA Association of Environmental Professionals website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates on PAEP activities or Like them on Facebook.  Click Here to become a member.

[Posted: July 28, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Penn State Extension Hosts 5-Part Woodland Stewardship - Guided Engagement With Your Land Webinar Series Beginning Sept. 23

The Penn State Extension is hosting a five-part Woodland Stewardship - Guided Engagement With Your Land webinar series for forest owners to learn about forest ecosystems, management, and stewardship practices through live discussions and discussion boards.

The online sessions will be held September 23, October 7 and 21 and November 4 and 18.

Research shows that Pennsylvania's woodland owners overwhelmingly want to do the right thing when it comes to taking care of their land, but they consider a lack of knowledge and information to be their major stumbling block in that effort. 

Although this course focuses on Pennsylvania woods and landowners, much of the information applies to land in other states as well, particularly those in the Northeast.

In this educator-guided course, you will learn about forests and how to take care of them. 

Through a combination of educational videos and short readings, you'll gain a solid understanding of what it means to be a woodland steward and ways to apply your new knowledge to your own woodlot. 

You will learn practical, hands-on skills, as well as some "big picture" concepts related to woodland management. 

You can check your learning with quick, ungraded questions, and download and print the handouts that accompany this course. 

In addition, you can interact with fellow learners and instructors through discussion boards.

As you work through this course, you will have the opportunity to build a detailed map of your property.

This course has eight sections. At the end of each section, there is a short quiz. You will need to score 70% or better on these quizzes to earn a certificate of completion.

Who is this for?

-- Woodland owners

-- Anyone interested in better understanding forests and stewardship practices

What will you learn?

You will learn how to:

-- Recognize the importance of forests and the need for woodland stewardship

-- Outline forest management techniques

-- Identify trees

-- Measure diameter, height, and volume of trees

-- Collect field data on a forest stand

-- Protect wildlife habitat and water quality

-- Develop legacy plans for the future of forest health

-- Develop a detailed map of your woodland

-- Create the foundation for engaging a professional to help you manage your woodlot

Click Here to register and for more information.

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

[Posted: July 28, 2026]  PA Environment Digest