Friday PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 6.12.26

“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

June 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

September 28, 29, 30

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

November 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

June 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events 

Anything Can Happen: June State Budget Marathon Happening NOW!

June 15-- In-Person. DEP To Hold Hearing On 22 Transfer LLC Municipal Waste Transfer Station Permit In Cooper Twp., Montour County 

June 15-- Virtual.  Delaware River Basin Commission Webinar On PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Contamination Field Investigation Results. Noon.

June 16--  In-Person. DEP Hearing On Water Quality Permit For Rustic Ridge II Coal Mining Permit In Westmoreland County

June 16-- Virtual. ReImagine Appalachia, Ohio River Valley Institute, Partners Host Webinar On Applying For DEP’s RISE PA Industrial Decarbonization Funding. 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.

June 17-- NEW. House Energy Committee meets to consider House Bill 2380 (Rivera-D- Lancaster) requiring electric utilities to set targets and procure grid-stabilizing battery energy storage; House Bill 2595 (Inglis-D-Allegheny) establishes deadline requirements for the interconnection safety reviews of small-scale energy projects [draft amendment]; House Bill 2539 (Steele-D-Allegheny) requires data centers seeking sales tax exemptions to obtain recognized energy efficiency certifications, such as LEED, Energy Star, Green Globes, or International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Room 523 Irvis Building. 10:00 a.m.  Click Here to watch online.

June 23-- Agenda Posted. DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting. 12:30 p.m. Contact: Ian Irvin iirvin@pa.gov or 717-579-0329.

June 24-- Virtual. Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy and the Built Environment Webinar on Getting The Most From Your Building: Smart Assessment And Monitoring. 11:00 a.m. to Noon

June 25-- DEP Hearing On Air Permit For ETC Northeast Pipeline Cryo II Project At The Revolution Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plant In Smith Twp., Washington County.  Burgettstown Area Middle/High School Campus, LGI Room, 100 Bavington Road in Burgettstown from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

June 25-- In-Person. ReImagine Appalachia, Ohio River Valley Institute, Partners Host Workshop On Applying For DEP’s RISE PA Industrial Decarbonization Funding. Pittsburgh. 9:00 a.m. to Noon

June 26-27-- In-Person. PA Firefly Festival Exhibits & Entertainment In Downtown Tionesta, Forest County 

-- PA Capital-Star: Republican Candidate For Governor Stacy Garrity Lays Out Plan To ‘Unleash’ Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas Industry 

-- PoliticsPA: Republican Candidate For Governor Stacy Garrity Plans To Unleash Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas 

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Pennsylvania Activists Urge Lawmakers To Help Curb Soaring Electric Bills 

--  Altoona Mirror: Cambria County-Owned Solar Energy Project Progressing

-- Tribune-Democrat: PUC Collecting Testimony On Complaint By Johnstown Pizza Shop Owner That His Penelec Electricity Bill Doubled For No Apparent Reason  

-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Receives $25,000 Grant From West Penn Energy Fund For Facility Energy Assessments  [PaEN]  

-- June 13 - Pennsylvania Bulletin Now Available

-- PA American Water Announces 2026 Wonderful World Of Water Camps For Students 7 to 11 In Luzerne, Lackawanna Counties  [PaEN]

-- PA Dept. Of Agriculture Invests Nearly $8.8 Million To Protect 1,775 Acres Of Farmland On 22 Farms In 16 Counties  [PaEN] 

-- Morning Call: 3 More Lehigh Valley Farms Preserved From Development

-- DCNR Makes State Parks, Forests More Accessible For All Visitors

-- DCNR Resource News: Celebrating PA River Trails; Conestoga River Of The Year; Investments In Recreation On Pine Creek, Delaware Canal; Campfire Safety; Upcoming Events

-- York Daily Record: 24-Year-Old Identified As Drowning Victim At Codorus State Park

-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: Pine Creek Accessible Fishing Platform A Matter of Leadership

-- TribLive: BikePGH Wants You To Join Car-Free ‘OpenStreets’ On Major Pittsburgh Roads

-- Observer-Reporter: Mt. Pleasant Police Deploy e-Bikes On Montour Trail In Washington County 

-- PennLive/LehighValleyLive: Northeastern Bulrush Now Thriving In PA, Removed From Endangered Species List, Feds Say

-- TribLive: Tarentum Bridge Peregrine Falcon Chicks Expected To Fledge Next Week In Allegheny County 

-- TribLive: Masters Of The Sky: At Pittsburgh National Aviary This Summer, Meet ‘Remarkable Raptors’

-- PA Natural Heritage Program News: Mudpuppy & Salamander Mussel Research; No Stone(fly) Left Unturned; Viva Vernal Pools! Herbivorous Insect Diversity Workshop June 23 

-- WPSU: Bucktail High School Group Works To Get PA To Change Its State Fossil To One Found In Clinton County

 

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Scranton Times: Dickson City Hearing Reveals More Info On 3 Proposed A.I. Data Center Power Plants  

-- Scranton Times: Still No Hearing Set On Appeal Of Proposed Newton Twp. A.I. Data Center Proposal Denial

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill County Residents Pack Public Meeting To Talk Federal ICE Warehouse Detention Facility, A.I. Data Centers, BRADS Landfill

-- TribLive: Lots Of Changes Proposed To Springdale A.I. Data Center Proposal In Allegheny County  

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: A.I. Data Centers Are On The Ballot In Pennsylvania - Democratic State House Candidate Won Her Primary Keeping Them Top Of Mind 

-- WVIA: Republican Con. Bresnahan’s Proposed Legislation Aims To Keep Control Local Over A.I. Data Center Development Decisions

-- Inquirer: PA’s ‘Explosive’ A.I. Data Center Growth Is Driving This Philly Company’s Investments In Appalachian Natural Gas

-- The Center Square Guest Essay: Shapiro’s Utility Crackdown Won’t Fix Pennsylvania’s Power Shortage - By Ross Marchard, Taxpayers Protection Alliance

-- PJM: FERC OKs Temporary Process To Fast-Track Large Electric Generation Projects To Meet A.I. Data Center Demand

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- DEP Soliciting Bids On New Contract To Clean Out, Plug 24 Conventional Gas Wells Abandoned By Their Owner In The Allegheny National Forest, Hamilton Twp., McKean County At Taxpayer Expense On BidExpress 

-- Warren Times: Abandoned Conventional Well Plugging Begins In Allegheny National Forest As State Hits Plugging Milestone

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Seven Daniel L. Heath conventional wells never inspected before  in Venango County, Cranberry Twp. were found abandoned, not plugged, with no production, waste generation, well integrity reports filed. Violations issued. Example inspection report.

Gas Explosions

-- WNEP: Neighbors In  Disbelief After Propane Explosion Injures 3, Destroys Multiple Homes In Wayne County

Storms/Power Outages

-- TribLive: Another Round Of Storms In Western PA Leave 11,000 Customers Without Power 

-- Pennsylvania Power Outages: 13,283 As Of June 12, 7:00 a.m.

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

--  June 12: PA Average AAA Gasoline Prices Dropped 1 Penny From Yesterday, Now $4.25/Gallon - $1.14/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Potter County Average Price Now Highest at $4.67] 

-- June 12: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.10 Ohio- $4.12  PA- $4.25

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

-- Bloomberg: US LNG Gas Exporters Find Few Takers In Europe For New Supply As Buyers Are Wary Of Becoming Too Reliant On US LNG

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- TribLive: PA Senate Votes Down Proposal To Create Independent Marijuana Regulatory Board

-- WITF/PA Capital-Star: PA House Education Committee Passes Cyber Student Safety Bill After Heated Debate Over Making Online Private Charter School Responsible For Student Wellbeing

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvanians Are Paying The Price For President’s Chaos And We Can End It In November - By Eugene DePasquale, Chair, PA Democratic Party

-- PA Capital-Star: Refunds Of The President’s Illegal Tariffs For Small Business Past Due, US Senate Dems Say

-- AP: Federal Appeals Court Says President Can Keep Collecting New 10% Worldwide Tariffs While Legal Challenges Make Their Way Thru Courts

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Diversity - Equity - Inclusion

[Posted: June 12, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

PA Dept. Of Agriculture Invests Nearly $8.8 Million To Protect 1,775 Acres Of Farmland On 22 Farms In 16 Counties

On June 11, the Department of Agriculture announced Pennsylvania is investing nearly $8.8 million to purchase development rights for 1,775 acres on 22 farms in 16 counties, protecting them from future residential or commercial development and continuing the Administration’s support of one of Pennsylvania’s key industries.  

Farms were preserved in Berks, Bucks, Centre, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Erie, Franklin, Lehigh, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Schuylkill and Wayne counties.

“The farm families we are investing in today have remained resilient and committed to the noble work of growing the food that helps feed their neighbors-- and we are proud to help ensure that their family legacies are embedded into our agriculture heritage for generations to come,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “The Shapiro Administration is grateful for their dedication to Pennsylvania’s agriculture, and we will continue to honor them by doubling down on our leadership in farmland preservation and investing in innovation and infrastructure that will help grow our agriculture industry.”

Among the farm families choosing to preserve their land today are the Ickes family in Cumberland County and the Wisler family in Bucks County.

John and Joel Ickes preserved their farm in Penn Township, adding to an established block of protected farmland that now totals 518 contiguous acres. Their property becomes the 33rd farm preserved in the township.

The Wisler family preserved a 17.39-acre crop farm in Bedminster Township, Bucks County. 

The property is the third farm preserved by Thomas Wisler, who also owns an adjacent 90-acre preserved farm and a separate 28-acre county-preserved property, further expanding the area of permanently protected farmland in Bedminster Township.

Pennsylvania leads the nation in preserved farms. 

Since 1988, when voters statewide overwhelmingly supported creating the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,726 farms and 667,360 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.84 billion in state, county, and local funds.

Click Here for a list of farms preserved.

Visit Agriculture's Farmland Preservation webpage to learn more about this program.

[Posted: June 12, 2026]  PA Environment Digest