PA Environment Digest Blog: Wednesday PA Environment & Energy NewsClips

“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 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

June 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

TODAY 10:00: Agenda Posted. DEP Aggregate Advisory Board meeting.

TODAY Noon: Virtual. Better Path Coalition Hosts Webinar On Regional Water Use Policy And Siting Data Center Facilities. Noon to 1:00 p.m.

May 22-- Agenda Posted. DEP Small Business Compliance Advisory Committee meeting.

May 22-- Virtual. DCNR Conservation & Natural Resources Advisory Council Webinar On Sustaining The State Park, Forest System And Growing PA’s Outdoor Recreation Economy. Noon to 1:00 p.m.

May 22-- Virtual. Game Commission, DEP, DCNR Host Live Banding Of Young Peregrine Falcons; Connection To PA’s Rachel Carson. 10:00 a.m.

-- EPA Alumni Association: An Open Letter To EPA Administrator & Congress - We’re Not Done Yet! [PaEN]

-- House Committee Told PA Needs An Energy Policy, Doing Nothing Means We Are Going To Run Out Of Power; Overreliance On One Fuel-- Gas-- Is Raising Electricity Prices [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: Lawmakers Hear Testimony On Meeting PA Power Demand: ‘Huge Amount Of Growth’

-- DCED Awards $22.6 Million To 74 Schools To Help Schools Lower Electricity Costs, Create Jobs Under Solar For Schools Program [PaEN]

-- Solar Energy Advocates, Business Owners Urge PA Lawmakers To Unlock $156 Million In Solar For All Federal Funding [PaEN]

-- USDA Extends Deadline 30 Days To Rural Energy For America Program Funding Applicants To Make Changes To Realign Their Applications To New Administration’s Priorities

-- Centre Daily Times Guest Essay: Pennsylvania State Senators Attack Solar Energy - By Dan Alters & Dorothy Blair, Nittany Valley Environmental Coalition [PDF of Article]

-- WHYY: Bucks County Climate Lawsuit Against Big Oil Tossed By County Judge

-- The Center Square: Legal, Energy Experts Praise Dismissal Of Bucks County Climate Lawsuit

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: 9 In 10 Pennsylvanians Support Stronger Health Protection From Oil & Gas Fracking - By Joanne Kilgour, Ohio River Valley Institute, and Alison Steele, Environmental Health Project [PDF of Article]

-- The Citizens Voice Letter: Plan To Extract Lithium From OIl & Gas Wastewater Without A Full Accounting Of Its Hazards Is Not A Solution - By Tonyehn Verkitus, Physicians For Social Responsibility-PA [PDF of Article]

-- Inquirer: DEP: SPS Technologies Warehouse Fire Had No Impact On Drinking Water Or Air Quality

-- Erie Times: Erie Coke [Coal] Corp. Scheduled For Change-Of-Plea Hearing In June On Federal Environmental Charges

-- WHYY: Looming SEPTA Cuts Could Increase Climate Pollution In The Philly Area

-- PUC PA OneCall Damage Prevention Committee Announces $160,425 In Penalties For Underground Utility Violations

-- The Allegheny Front/PublicSourceorg: How Pittsburgh’s Alcoa Is Undermining A Rare Forest In Australia To Fuel Its Global Aluminum Empire

-- Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership Honored With A Foxwynd Foundation $10,000 Visionary Leadership Award [PaEN]

-- Tribune-Democrat: Cambria County Conservation And Recreation Authority Talks Test Site For Washout Prevention

-- Headwaters To The Ohio Water Network Hosts May 29 Webinar On The Changing Landscape Of Federal Clean Water Funding & Policy [PaEN]

-- Courier Times: EPA Rolls Back PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Regulations: What It Means For Bucks County

-- CBF: White House Proposes To Eliminate Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education Training (B-WET) Program [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette: Flood Watch Issued For Southwestern PA As Rain Moves In For Rest Of The Week

-- Tribune-Democrat: Flood Relief Resource Center Planned In Meyersdale

-- Tribune-Democrat: Somerset County Commissioners Outline Disaster Recovery Fund Plan, Make $10,000 Donation

-- TribLive: Pittsburgh Parks Rank 15th Nationally, Research Says

-- PublicNewsService.org: Protecting Pennsylvania’s Eastern Hellbender On Endangered Species Day

-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary: Berks Sinfonietta To Perform June 7 At Music On The Mountain

Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant Restart/Data Centers

-- House Committee Told PA Needs An Energy Policy, Doing Nothing Means We Are Going To Run Out Of Power; Overreliance On One Fuel-- Gas-- Is Raising Electricity Prices [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: Lawmakers Hear Testimony On Meeting PA Power Demand: ‘Huge Amount Of Growth’

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Prices Fall Into Negative Territory In Texas Due To Pipeline Maintenance

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Is Your Electric Bill Too High? Thank LNG Gas Exports - By Lt.. General Russel L. Honore (Retired) [Stop Selling LNG To Our Competitors]

-- US DOE Releases Response To Comments On 2024 LNG Gas Export Study Saying No Discernible Impact On Climate Emissions, Minimizing Impacts On Prices [DOE Said The Opposite In December ]

Other States

-- Utility Dive: Electric Utilities Must Disclose PJM Votes Under New Maryland Law

-- The Guardian: Colorado Oil & Gas Drilling Companies Not Complying With Fracking Chemicals Disclosure Law, Ban On Use Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

-- Physicians For Social Responsibility-Colorado, FracTracker: Oil & Gas Fracking Chemicals Still Secret In Colorado, Little Compliance With 2022 Law Designed To Prevent Toxic Exposures

New Federal Administration

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: DOGE Slashed AmeriCorps - Why The National Service Program Cuts Matter In PA - By State Rep. Dan Miller

-- USDA Extends Deadline 30 Days To Rural Energy For America Program Funding Applicants To Make Changes To Realign Their Applications To New Administration’s Priorities

-- Inside Climate News: Federal Judge Orders President To Restore USDA Climate-Smart Commodities Funding [Pasa Sustainable Agriculture Was Party In Lawsuit]

-- US DOE Releases Response To Comments On 2024 LNG Gas Export Study Saying No Discernible Impact On Climate Emissions, Minimizing Impacts On Prices [DOE Said The Opposite In December ]

-- The Hill: US DOE Now Says LNG Gas Export Environmental Impacts ‘Outside’ Its Authority

-- Utility Dive: US House Republican Budget Squeezes Out Of Committee, But Deeper IRA Clean Energy, Climate Cuts Could Come