153 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 153 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: DCNR State Park Ranger Alec Campbell  [PaEN]  

-- In Memoriam: DCNR Mourns The Death Of Dave Warfel, Weiser State Forest, Wildland Fire Academy Instructor  [PaEN] 

-- In Memoriam: Gerry Kaufman Founder Of The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership In Montgomery County And Philadelphia  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR Celebrates Path Of The Flood Trail In Cambria County As PA's 2025 Trail Of The Year  [PaEN] 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Stakeholders Celebrate Path Of The Flood Trail’s Recognition As 2025 Trail Of The Year: A ‘Remarkable Day’ 

-- Altoona Mirror: Path Of Flood Trailed Honored As PA Trail Of The Year

-- Tribune-Democrat: 1889 Johnstown Flood Anniversary Commemorated With Luminaria Event

-- Tribune-Democrat: Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority Earns PA Environmental Council’s Trailblazing Community Award 

-- PA Solar Center Hosts June 5 Lodestar Awards To Recognize 20 Business, School, Farm, Church Solar Energy Projects; Featuring DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn  [PaEN]

-- Chesapeake Bay Stormwater Network Honors Lancaster County Project To Capture And Treat Over 16 Million Gallons Of Stormwater In Long's Park  [PaEN] 

-- Master Watershed Steward Christine Boyle Makes A Splash In Luzerne County  [PaEN] 

-- Lakeshore Towing & Marine Services, Inc. Recognized With Keep PA Beautiful Community Pride Award For Helping To Install 2 Litter Control Booms In Presque Isle Bay, Erie  [PaEN]

-- Berks Nature Announces Retirement Of President Kim Murphy  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY Wins Edward R. Murrow Award For Reporting On Shale Gas Drilling In PA  - Fracking In Pennsylvania Hasn’t Gone As Well As Some May Think 

-- WITF Wins Edward R. Murrow Award For Reporting On Looming Closure Of A Coal-Fired Power Plant In Washington State

-- The Allegheny Front Wins Edward R. Murrow Award, Golden Quills For Stories On Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Erie Times: 40 Years Ago Tornadoes Kill 12 In Erie County

-- Beaver Times: Pennsylvania Remembers Outbreak Of Deadly Tornadoes 40 Years Later 

-- Inquirer: 40 Years Ago A Rare And Deadly Tornado Outbreak Struck Pennsylvania; Are More In Our Future?

-- DEP Invites Comments On State Plan To Implement Federal Rule Requiring Methane Emissions Reductions From Conventional Oil & Gas, Shale Gas Facilities; 7 Hearings Set  [PaEN]

-- DEP:  XTO Energy Failed To Restore 5 Multi-Million Gallon Shale Gas Water Impoundments In Butler County  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - May 24 to 31 -- Failed To Restore 5 Shale Gas Water Impoundments In One County; 5 New Cases Of Defective Shale Well Cement; More Abandoned Shale, Conventional Wells  [PaEN] 

-- Observer-Reporter: Senate Bill Would Cut Drilling Impact Fee Funding From Communities That Restrict Oil, Gas Activity  

-- Inside Climate News: PennEnergy Surrenders Water Withdrawal Approval/Permit Saying Big Sewickley Creek In Beaver County Could Not Provide Enough Water For Shale Gas Operations  [PaEN] 

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 45 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In April; 187 In 2025  [PaEN] 

-- AP: Oil And Gas Have Boomed In New Mexico, Its Schools Are Contending With Pollution’s Effects  [Warning]

-- Warren Times: Instead Of ‘Drill, Baby, Drill,’ US Rig Counts Falling, Layoffs Increasing [Due To Falling Oil/Gas Prices]

-- Guest Essay: Doubling Down On Pennsylvania's Fossil Fuel Extraction Is A Direct Threat To Public Health And Ecological Stability - By Pamela Darville, Co-Chairperson of Climate Justice and Jobs Team at POWER Interfaith  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Natural Gas Isn’t Southwest Pennsylvania’s Future - By Lou Tierno III, PA & Appalachian Sustainable Business Networks

-- Bloomberg: US DOE Orders 760 MW Eddystone Peaking Power Plant In Delaware County To Remain Open Due To The Energy ‘Emergency’ Declared By The President  [PaEN]  [Warning]

-- Reuters: Williams Working With Federal, State Regulators To Revive Pennsylvania To NY Natural Gas Pipelines  [Warning]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Avina Unveils More Details On Proposed 100 Million Gallon Ethanol To Jet Fuel Plant At Pittsburgh Airport

-- YaleEnvironment360: The ‘Green’ Aviation Fuel That Would Increase Carbon Emissions  [Warning]

-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council Meets June 10 To Hear Presentations From The Evangelical Environmental Network, Susquehanna River Basin Commission  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: Federal Officials Call Coal Miners’ Health A ‘Priority,’ But Are Cutting A PA Team Studying Mine Safety

-- Post-Gazette/AP: President Reverses Planned Closures Of 3 Dozen US Mine Safety Offices

-- Inside Climate News  - Kiley Bense: US Steel A Major Source Of Pollution In PA; Will Its Sale Lock In Emissions For Another Generation?   [Warning]

-- Wall Street Journal: Nippon Steel To Invest $6 Billion To Cut Carbon Emissions In Japan [Not PA]

-- Inquirer: These 26 Philly-Area Schools Getting State-Paid Solar Energy Facilities And Taxpayers Could Benefit

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Solar Energy Savings For Clairton, Other PA Schools At Risk From Proposed Federal Cuts

-- MCall Letter: Republican Cong. Mackenzie Needs To Fight For Federal Clean Energy Tax Credits

-- MCall Guest Essay: Congress Can’t Protect Us Without Protecting Clean Energy - By Tinku Khanwalkar

-- Centre Daily Times - Climate Watch: Why Congress Must Not Pull The Plug On PA’s Clean Energy Progress - By Lisa Richardson,  Citizens’ Climate Lobby, State College Chapter

-- TribLive Guest Essay: PA’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Renaissance - A Model For Economic Growth - By Diana Polson, Keystone Research Center

-- Lancaster Farming: Could Measuring Greenhouse Gases Increase Returns On PA Dairy Farms?

-- PA Elected Officials, Consumer, Clean Energy Advocates Demand Electric Grid Operator PJM Act To Hold Down Electricity Costs  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Provides Update On The Fight To Lower Energy Prices, Calls On General Assembly To Move His Commonsense Lightning Energy Plan  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY: Electricity Bills In PA, NJ, DE To Rise Starting June 1; Advocates Say More Renewables Would Lower Future Costs 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Electric Bills In PA Are Going Up Next Month, Your Utility Can’t Help It 

-- The Center Square: Poll: High Utility Bills Concern Most Amid Energy Crossroads

-- WVIA: Bradford, Northumberland, Tioga And Union Utility Customers Face Rate Hikes 

-- PUC Reminder Of June Hearings On Proposed 11% Columbia Gas Rate Increase 

-- Erie Times: Nearly 15,000 Penelec Customers In Erie, Millcreek Without Power For A Time

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Watt Home System Starts Offering No Combustion Fuel Cell Backup Power Solutions In Peoples Natural Gas Territory

-- TribLive: Prospect Of Springdale Data Center On Old Cheswick Power Plant Site Meets Mixed Reactions Among Neighbors In Allegheny County

-- Scranton Times: Jessup Borough To Hold Hearing For Stricter Data Center Rules

-- PennLive Guest Essay: PA’s Potential Data Center Mirage And Your Electric Bill - By Athan Koutsiouroumbas, Long Nyquist And Associates [Lobbying Firm]

-- Protect PT June 11 Webinar - Is Pennsylvania Ready For Data Centers?  7:00 p.m.

-- AP: States Are Rolling Out Red Carpets For Data Centers, But Some Lawmakers Are Pushing Back  [PA Included]

-- KYW: Emergency Siren Tests At Limerick, Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plants This Week 

-- PennFuture: PJM Interconnection Admits Its Bias For Fossil Fuel Power Plants, Rather Than New, Cheaper Shovel-Ready Clean Energy Projects

-- Reuters: Clean Power Produces More Electricity Than Fossil Fuels In US For 3rd Month In A Row  [Not In PA Or PJM ]

-- Reuters: US Electricity Generation Capacity Additions To Slow Sharply If Federal Clean Energy Tax Incentives Repealed  [Warning]

-- AP: $14 Billion In Clean Energy Generation Projects Canceled In US This Year Due To Federal Policy Changes [Warning]

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Sustainability Helps Institutions Get Ahead Of Their Peers - By Ron Cole, President, Allegheny College  

-- Delaware County To Host 4th Annual Sustainability Conference June 9 - 14

-- DEP Begins Accepting Applications For Grid Resilience Grants June 2  [PaEN]

-- DEP Seeking Qualified Contractors To Deliver Energy-Saving Upgrades Across PA As Part Of Penn Energy Savers Program  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: Delaware City Refinery Has Released Toxic Air Pollutants For Several Days Due To ‘Boiler Failure’

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Are Allegheny County Elected Officials Abandoning Us In The Fight Against Air Pollution? - By Howard Rieger, Southwestern PA Grassroots Town Halls

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Filmmaker Offering Online Preview Of Documentary On Pittsburgh Region’s Longtime Air Pollution Problems

-- Inquirer: US Dept. Of Justice ‘Not Ready To Proceed’ With Agreement Over Federal Investigation Of Asbestos Management Process In Philly Schools  

-- Inquirer: SEPTA’s Planned Cuts Could Add 70,000 Hours To The Region’s Morning Commute

-- TribLive: Canadian Wildfires Again Bring Smoke, Haze To Western PA 

-- EPA AirNow Fire And Wildfire Smoke Conditions Map 

-- Scranton Times - Chris Kelly: Big Beautiful Bill Would Prohibit Federal Courts From Enforcing Contempt Of Court Injunctions Or Orders; Republicans Just Voted To Crown President King  [PDF of Article]   [Warning]

-- The Citizens Voice: 2 Labor Dept. Job Corps Centers To Be Closed In Luzerne County  [Warning] 

-- WESA: From Classrooms To Farms, AmeriCorps Cuts Hit Pittsburgh  [Warning] 

-- Lancaster Farming: Stroud Water Research Center Floats New Restoration Approaches To Chesapeake Bay Cleanup 

-- Lancaster Farming: Lancaster County Farmer Works With Stroud Water Research Center To Improve Water Quality

-- Lancaster Clean Water Partners: Hope Episcopal Church In Manheim Completes Stormwater Bioretention Area To Reduce Stormwater Runoff  [Video] 

-- Gettysburg Connection: Calling Planting Volunteers, Join Watershed Alliance Of Adams County May 31 For Pine Run Planting

-- Observer-Reporter: Washington HS Students Plant Trees, Address Erosion Control At City Park

-- PA State Conservation Commission Farm Conservation Project Certification Expands Capacity To Approve More Projects  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Center For Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training Hosts June 24 Webinar On The Pennsylvania Right To Farm Law  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension Hosts In-Person Pest Biocontrol School Oct. 15 In Lancaster County [PaEN]

-- Tribune-Democrat: Proposed Food Stamp Cuts Could Impact Resident’s Access To Local Food Options, Advocates Say [Warning]

-- PennLive: DOGE Quietly Revises ‘Savings’ From Federal Leases As PA USDA Office Remains Open

-- Courier Times: How Are Bucks County Water Systems Dealing With PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals?’ It Depends

-- Courier Times: These 29 Bucks County Water Suppliers Tested Above EPA Limits For PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In 2024

-- Courier Times: DEP, Bracalente Manufacturing Released Test Results On Oily Ditch Water In Bucks County

-- PA American Water Announces $7.5 Million In Water Line Upgrades For City Of Pittsburgh

-- Gov. Shapiro Makes State Disaster Funding Available, Secures Federal SBA Low-Interest Loans To Support Flood Victims In Somerset, Bedford, Cambria, Fayette And Westmoreland Counties  [PaEN] 

-- Daily American: Gov. Shapiro Visits Flood Sites In Somerset County: ‘We Can’t Keep Going Through This’  [Text Version]

-- Tribune-Democrat: Gov. Shapiro Says Help For Flood Victims Available; State Will Help Region Rebuild: ‘As Long As It Takes’

-- WJAC-TV: Gov. Shapiro Tours Flood Areas; Pledges Aid To Somerset County Flood Victims

-- Bloomberg: President Rolling Out A New Way To Shrink FEMA’s Role In Disaster Recovery Efforts [Denying Hazard Mitigation Funding]  [Warning] 

-- AP: Turmoil, Worry Swirl Over Cuts To Key Federal Agencies As Hurricane Season Begins [Warning]

-- EPA Completes Final Cleanup Actions At Reading Drum Site Following Fires At The Lincoln Chemical Company  [PaEN]

-- Reading Eagle: EPA Finishes Cleanup Of Former Lincoln Chemical Co. Site In Reading

-- Martins Ferry Times Leader: PA’s Austin Master Services Abandoned Frack Waste Plant Cleanup In Martins Ferry, OH Slated For Completion

-- KDKA: Legislation To Be Introduced Aimed At Banning Single-Use Plastic Bags In PA

-- WHYY: Invasive Asian Longhorned Tick Is Swarming SE PA; Here’s What You Need To Know

-- Cumberland County Master Gardeners: June 12 In-Person Trees For Climate Change Workshop  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension: June 16 Community Forestry Webinar On Resolving Tree-Sidewalk Conflicts  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive Letter: Change In Federal Logging Policy Could Destroy Our Forests - By Dakota Latusek, Loyalhanna

-- TribLive: Laurel Caverns Proposed As PA’s First Underground State Park 

-- May 30 Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension June 25 Pennsylvania Harmful Algal Blooms Webinar  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Reports Termination Of $830,862 Federal Grant To Support City Of Easton Trail, Green Space Land Acquisition Projects [PaEN]  

-- MCall - Anthony Salamone: Easton Loses Nearly $1 Million Federal Grant For Trail Extension, But City Officials Hope Project Will Continue 

-- Republican Herald: Volunteers Aim To Bring The Pumpy Reservoir Back To Life As A Recreation Area In Schuylkill County

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Hootenanny On The D&L Trail To Celebrate National Trails Day June 7 

-- Dept. Of Agriculture: Follow An Ice Cream Trail This Summer! 

-- DCNR Grants: Johnstown Improving Urban Park Access; Wild Resource Grants Available; Bald Eagle Valley Trail Completes Another Phase  

-- TribLive: Allegheny County Parks Create Economic Spillover In Nearby Municipalities 

-- WNEP: Upgrades Coming To Sunbury Wetland Ecological Education Park

-- DCNR: Shapiro Administration Launches Free Menstrual Products In 68 State Parks

-- Post-Gazette: Free Menstrual Products Now Available At 68 PA State Parks

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Philly Rises 4 Spots In National Ranking On City Parks

-- WESA: Pittsburgh Parks Improve Access, Creep Higher In National Ranking

-- Post-Gazette: Bike Share Pittsburgh Celebrates 10 Years Of ‘Connecting Various Communities’

-- Courier Times: These Dams Look Harmless, But They’re Deceptive, Dangerous And Deadly 

-- WNEP: Staying Safe On Area Waterways

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill River Sojourn A Great Way To Begin Summer Adventures

-- Reading Eagle: Officials Set Course For New Boat Launch On Schuylkill In Muhlenberg

-- Inquirer: Six More Tails Philly-Area Readers Love

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Questions Remain About Chromium Leak That Has Kept Bartram’s Mile Trail Shut For Nearly A Year 

-- Wildlife For Everyone Foundation: June 21 Great Outdoor Picnic At Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park, Centre County

-- Spring Creek Chapter Trout Unlimited June 1 Family Fishing Picnic Boalsburg, Centre County

-- Game Commission: New Pymatuning Wildlife Learning Center Under Construction In Crawford County

-- Beaver Times: Great Horned Owls Make Their Home At Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park

-- LehighValleyNews: Allentown, Bethlehem Achieve Gold Status From Audubon Bird Town Pennsylvania 

-- LehighValleyLive: Easton Joins Statewide Bird Town, Nature Conservation Effort

-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary: Spring Migration Wrap Up 

-- Williamsport Sun: Chirping Away - A Closer Look At PA’s Songbird Mimics -- Robert Ross, USGS Ecologist & Tiadaghton Audubon Society  

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature - Our Feathered Friends Have Already Started Laying Eggs 

-- Penn State Extension Woods & Wildlife Notes - June Forest Snapshot, Timber Market Report, Forest Birds, Education Programs

-- Warren Times - Audubon Community Nature Center: Spring Is A Time To Nerd Out Over Nature 

-- Republican Herald - Doyle Dietz: Fear Not This Misunderstood Beneficial Springtime Visitor [Garter Snakes]

-- The Allegheny Front: River Otters In Western PA Are An Environmental Success Story

-- Fort Indiantown Gap In Lebanon County Offering Regal Fritillary Butterfly Tours July 5, 11, 12, Register Now 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: First-Ever Wilkes-Barre BioBlitz Uncovers Hundreds Of Species 

-- The Citizens Voice: May 30-31 BioBlitz In Nesbitt Park, Kirby Park Natural Area In Wilkes-Barre  

-- Williamsport Sun: Native Wildflowers Are Abundant In Our Region

-- Beaver Times - Paul Zavolta, Master Gardener: Embracing Moss In Your Yard

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

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[Posted: June 1, 2025]   PA Environment Digest