121 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 121 new stories in the PA Environment Digest about individuals, groups, local governments, farmers, businesses, watershed groups and many more working all across Pennsylvania to restore and protect the environment and show others the beauty that surrounds us.

Thank you for your leadership!

-- In Memoriam: Remembering Roy Siefert - By Renee Carey, Executive Director, Northcentral PA Conservancy  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Defense Fund To Receive Dickinson College Rose-Walters Prize For Environmental Activism  [PaEN] 

-- The Derrick: Students From 7 Schools Compete In Clarion Conservation District Envirothon

-- Tribune-Democrat: Area Students Learn About Nature At Annual Envirothon 

-- Warren Times: Warren County Students Compete In Envirothon Competition

-- Pike & Wayne Conservation Districts, Trout Unlimited Chapter Host May 31 Stream Keepers Program For Youth Ages 11-14  [PaEN]

-- Amazon Web Services Partners With Stroud Water Research Center To Achieve Shared Water Stewardship Goals [PaEN] 

-- DCNR: Gov. Shapiro Visits Michaux State Forest To Thank Wildfire Fighters 

-- DCNR Celebrates Induction Of PA Wilds Forest Areas In Lycoming, Tioga Counties Into The National Old-Growth Forest Network  [PaEN]

-- PA Senate Committee Meets May 7 On Bill To Punish Communities Taking Steps To Protect Their Residents From Health, Environmental Impacts Of Shale Gas Drilling  [PaEN]  [Warning]

-- Ohio River Valley Institute May 6 Webinar To Announce New Report On The Growing Cost Of Plugging Thousands Of Shale Gas, Conventional Oil & Gas Wells  [PaEN]  [Warning]

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Continue To Push DEP To Legalize Road Dumping Their Wastewater  [PaEN]  [Warning]

-- Consol Conventional Well Plugging Incident Contaminates Livestock Water Supply, 2 Springs, Stream In Morris Twp., Greene County  [PaEN] 

-- Conventional Oil Well Storage Tank Rupture Causes 2,100 Gallon Spill Of Wastewater, Crude Oil In Upper Burrell Twp., Westmoreland County  [PaEN] 

-- 6-Inch Conventional Natural Gas Gathering Pipeline Rupture Causes Spill In Rostraver Twp., Westmoreland County; State Agencies Have No Jurisdiction Over Safety Issues  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - April 26 to May 2: Contaminated Livestock Water Supply; Ruptured Gathering Pipeline; Failure To Comply With Shale Gas Well Plugging Order  [PaEN] 

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Fracking Gas-Powered Cryptocurrency Mining Operation In PA Shuts Down Without A Word To Regulators, Site Found Abandoned  

-- EPA Will Hold May 6 Virtual Hearing On Proposed Permit For A Sandstone Development Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Lafayette Twp., McKean County  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Eastern Gas Transmission & Storage Hosted An Open House Tuesday On The Proposed Appalachian Reliability Gas Pipeline Project In Westmoreland 

-- DEP Received Air Quality Permit For 4.6 Gigawatt Homer City Generation Natural Gas Power Plant For Data Center In Indiana County  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro, CNX Resources Announce New Shale Gas Well Pad Air Monitoring Initiative  [PaEN] 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Shapiro, CNX Expand Air Quality Monitoring At A Shale Gas Drilling Site In Washington County

-- DEP Chesapeake Bay Update: Earth Week Highlights Watershed Restoration; Grant Opportunities; County Water Quality Improvement Projects

-- Center For Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training Hosts May 27 Webinar On Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance Practices For Dirt & Gravel Roads  [PaEN]

-- Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership: Trees Across PA Will Thrive With Grants To Nine Partner Groups  [PaEN] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Proposed FY 2026 Federal Budget Would Devastate Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration Effort; Cut Conservation Help For Farmers  [PaEN]  [Warning] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Jeremy Cox: Sediment Buildup Complicates Planned Dam Removal Along Chiques Creek In Lancaster County 

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Awards $6.1 Million To Support 17 Drought Resiliency Projects; 400+ Million Gallons Of Water Savings Expected Annually  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Clearer Waters Expected At Burrell Lake Following Last Year’s Algal Bloom In Westmoreland

-- Chester County Press: Octoraro Watershed Assn. Announces Photo Contest Winners

-- Observer-Reporter: PA American Water Takes Ownership Of East Dunkard Water System In Greene County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA American Water Takeover Of East Dunkard Water Authority In Greene County After Years Of Service Issues

-- House Hearing: Local Communities Ask For State, Federal Help After Devastating Floods  [PaEN]

-- Brandywine Conservancy, Partners Release Brandywine Flood Study Report [PaEN]

-- WHYY:  Eastwick Philadelphia Residents Travel To DC To Demand Federal Flood Solutions Funding Be Restored 

-- AP: Loss Of Federal Resilient Infrastructure Program Spells Disaster For Hundreds Of Communities, Their Projects

-- Pennsylvania Joins 25 Other States In Lawsuit Over Termination Of AmeriCorps Job Training Funding Approved For Distribution  [PaEN] 

-- EPA Announces Organizational Changes, $300 Million Cut In Agency Spending [Warning]

-- Reuters: US EPA Plans To Reduce Staff to 1980 Levels, Dissolve Research Office [Warning]

-- AP: EPA Announces Broad Reorganization That Includes Shuffle Of Scientific Research [Warning]

-- WPost: Proposed FY 2026 Federal Budget Cuts By Agency [Warning]

-- Centre Daily Times Guest Essay: Ensure America Keeps Investing In Rural Pennsylvania - By Philip Vonada, PA State Grange  [Federal Cuts Putting People At Risk]

-- DEP Releases 2024 Climate Change Action Plan Update; 2024 Climate Impacts Assessment Report [PaEN] 

-- WHYY: Philly’s Carbon Emissions Have Dropped, Here’s What Experts Say Should Be Next

-- Planet Philadelphia May 2 Program On Predicting Economic Effects Of Climate Change, 4:00 p.m. 

-- House Finance Committee Hears Testimony On Expanding Next Generation Energy Projects 

-- The Allegheny Front: Renewables Generate More Electricity Than Coal In PJM Regional Grid

-- New Interactive Map Highlights Federal Clean Energy Investments In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: Map Reveals Complex Nature Of Clean Energy Tax Credits

-- WESA: Double The Solar Energy Coming Soon To Pittsburgh Airport

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Duquesne Light Celebrates Its First Solar Power Agreement, For The Second Time 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Solar Expansion At Pittsburgh Airport To Boost Clean Energy Output To 7.7 Megawatts

-- PennLive: 22 Bay Electric Vehicle Charging Station Opens In Lower Swatara Twp., Dauphin County

-- PennDOT Focus On Innovations, Including Using Environment-Friendly Products, EV Charging Build Out

-- LevitttownNow.com: Waste Management Opens $131 Million Landfill Gas Facility In Falls Twp., Bucks County 

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: How Bucks County Landfill Produces Enough Gas To Power 63,000 Homes

-- Tribune-Democrat: Federal Cuts Fallout: LIHEAP Energy Aid Program ‘Lifeline’ For Many PA Households  [Warning]

--  TribLive: Proposed TECfusions Data Center To Use 2 Gigawatts Of Natural Gas-Fired Electric Generation In First Phases [‘No Health Effects’ To The Community From Burning Fossil Fuels]  [Warning]

-- WITF - Rachel McDevitt: Pennsylvania Weighs How To Manage Power-Hungry Data Centers

-- PA Capital-Star: Nuclear Energy Growth In PA, Other States Need Federal Action

-- Utility Dive: Exelon Data Center Projects Pipeline Doubles To 36 GW Since Year-End 

-- Floodlight.org: Transmission Line Conflicts Ahead As A.I. Drives US Electricity Demand  

-- Utility Dive: 9 Northeast States Seek Electric Transmission Proposals To Connect PJM, ISO-NE, New York  [Warning]

--  TribLive: Proposed TECfusions Data Center To Use 2 Gigawatts Of Natural Gas-Fired Electric Generation In First Phases [‘No Health Effects’ To The Community From Burning Fossil Fuels]

-- PJM Interconnection: 51 Generation Projects, 9.3 GW To Move Forward To Address Near-Term Electricity Demand Growth-- 39 Upgrades, 12 New Construction  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive Letter: Market Competition In PJM Is Solving Pennsylvania’s Energy Challenges - By Glen Thomas, Former Chair, PA Public Utility Commission [PJM Picks 51 Energy Projects]

-- Utility Dive: Electric, Gas Utilities Urge FERC To Launch Inquiry To Consider Natural Gas Pipeline Reliability Measures To Cope With Extreme Weather, Increased Demand

-- PUC: Storm Recovery Moving Ahead, But Work Remains: 136,000 Customers Remain Without Power  [PaEN] 

-- WESA: Duquesne Light Says All Customers Should Have Power Back By Tuesday

-- KDKA: Shapiro Says ‘Honest Dialogue’ Needed About Proactive Steps To Reduce Future Power Outages

-- PUC Working Closely With Utilities, State Agencies To Restore Power To 426,000 Customers After Powerful Storms; 3 Deaths Reported So Far  [PaEN] 

-- PEMA: Cleanup, Recovery Efforts Continue After Severe Storms Across Pennsylvania

-- TribLive: Harrison Twp. Under Mandatory Water Conservation Order After Damaging Storm In Allegheny County

-- TribLive: School Districts Deal With Lost Power, Storm Cleanup

-- TribLive: Fast-Moving Squall Line Leaves Death, Widespread Destruction In Western PA

-- WESA: A Perfect Storm Of Storms Behind Widespread Damage Across Pittsburgh Region

-- TribLive: Meteorologists Weigh Derecho Label After Powerful Storms Slam Western PA

-- Centre Daily Times: What Is A Derecho?  This Rare Storm Rocked Central PA With Strong Winds

-- Erie Times: Federal Judge Refuses To Cut Health, Safety Claims From Erie Coke [Coal] Plant Federal Environmental Charges 

-- Post-Gazette/AP: Is Norfolk Southern ‘Making It Right’ After Ohio Train Derailment? New Lawsuit Adds To Doubts

-- Post-Gazette: Local Ohio School Officials Sue Norfolk Southern Over Broken Promises To Reimburse Them For Costs Related To Train Derailment, Including Abandoning A $30 Million Plan Building Plan

-- DEP Sets June 4 Meeting/Hearing On Liberty Soils Biosolids Facility Permit In Schuylkill County  [PaEN] 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Sewage Sludge Fertilizer Resisted In Virginia, Maryland

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: PA Resources Council Starts Spring Hard-To-Recycle Collection Events In Western PA

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Oakmont-Verona Glass Recycling Project Celebrates Milestone In Allegheny County

-- Clean Philadelphia NOW Coalition Releases First In A 10-Part Series Of Videos On Illegal Dumping In Philadelphia Neighborhoods  [PaEN]

-- Observer-Reporter: PennDOT, State Police Tout ‘Litter-Free’ Event In Washington County

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill County Drug Take Back Day Collects 825 Pounds

-- Keep PA Beautiful Seeking Volunteers To Become PA Waterway Stewards To Reduce Litter On Water Trails, Waterways  [PaEN] 

-- Pocono Heritage Land Trust: How A Local Man Turned Personal Tragedy Into A Forever Legacy In Monroe County  [PaEN] 

-- Asbury Woods Environmental Center Names Sarah Bennett Executive Director  [PaEN] 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: North Branch Land Trust Holds Annual Dinner, Virtual Auction

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Marginalized Communities In Chesapeake Bay Watershed Struggle To Overcome The Nature Gap-- Deficit In Green Spaces, Protected Land

-- Warren Times: Warren Conservation District Celebrates Arbor Day With Tree Planting

-- Tribune-Democrat: Volunteers Put Funds To Use By Planting Fruit, Shade Trees In Johnstown: ‘Where Our Children Play’

-- DCNR Invests In New Green Space As Mineersville Community Park Opens In Johnstown, Cambria County

-- DCNR Grants Update: Transforming Open Space With Native Plants; Mark Hansford New DCNR Grants Director; Sojourn Grants, Schedule Announced; ADA-Accessible Park Bridge

-- Fish & Boat Commission: Highlights From April 28 Commission Board Meeting, Boating Grants Awarded

-- May 2 Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation  [PaEN]

-- The Derrick: Autism Stands Looks To Install New Playground Equipment In 6 Venango County Parks

-- ClearWater Conservancy Kicks Off 9th Season Of Centred Outdoors Adventures The Week Of May 4  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY: Montgomery County Launches 10th Annual Trail Challenge

-- PennWatch: DCNR Reports 100% Containment Of Hammonds Rocks Wildfire; 80% Containment Of Thompson Hollow Wildfire In Michaux State Forest, Cumberland County 

-- DCNR: Combined Efforts Of 150 Firefighters Have Stopped The Michaux State Forest Wildfires In Cumberland County From Growing  [PaEN] 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: 150 Firefighters Battle Wildfires At Michaux State Forest In Cumberland County

-- PennLive: Residents Return As Crews Stabilize Michaux State Forest Wildfires In Cumberland County

-- Williamsport Sun: Wildfires Affect Wildlife In A Number Of Different Ways

-- Chesapeake Conservancy, Bucknell University Students Partner On New Web Tool To  Help Chose Native Trees, Scrubs To Plant  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension Master Gardener Plant Sale Schedule, By County 

-- Inquirer: Pollen Is About To Peak In Philly, The Green Snow Season May Be Getting Worse

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: 100 Million Hummingbirds, Other Migrating Birds Winging It Through PA This Spring

-- Williamsport Sun: What Can We Do To Help Counter The Bird Decline?

-- Observer-Reporter: Assn. Of Rural Conservation Spring Fling Bird Watch Walk In Washington County

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Help Pick Name For US Steel Irvin Bald Eaglet And Donate To A Wildlife Center

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: The Votes Are In, US Steel Eaglet’s Name Is - Ocho 

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Our Wildlife Needs Humans To Connect Them - By Stephanie Wein & Rep. Jason Ortitay  [Wildlife Corridors]

-- WNEP: Pocono Wildlife Center Handling Busy Baby Animal Season

-- Republican Herald: Frantic Mama Duck Reunited With 12 Ducklings That Fell Into Storm Drain

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature: Acorns Provide Wildlife With Best, Most Reliable Food

-- The Allegheny Front - Kara Holsopple: What Changes To The Federal Endangered Species Act Could Mean For Wildlife  [Warning]

-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Highlights May Education Programs, Events 

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

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[Posted: May 4, 2025]   PA Environment Digest