PA Environment Digest Blog: 183 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 183 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!

-- PA’s Penncrest High School Envirothon Team From Delaware County Takes 7th Place In International NCF-Envirothon In Canada! [PaEN]

-- PA Association Of Conservation Districts Recognizes County Conservationists [PaEN]

-- Echo-Pilot: Franklin Conservation District Manager Dave Stoner Wins PACD Employee Excellence Award

-- Master Watershed Steward Rose Johnson Brings A Green Thumb To Philadelphia Rain Garden [PaEN]

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Is Underappreciated

-- WPXI: Family Leaves Mon Valley After Testing Shows Elevated Benzene Levels At Their Home

-- Reading Eagle: Berks County Reaches 80,000 Acres Of Preserved Farmland

-- LancasterOnline: Ephrata Boy Scout Ethan Garman, Troop, Friends Build Bridges For Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area [PDF of Article]

-- Attorney General Sunday Files Criminal Charges Against Equitrans For 2022 Leak Of 1.1 Billion Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas From Its Rager Mountain Gas Storage Field In Cambria County [PaEN]

-- WJAC: Attorney General Files Charges Against Gas Company Responsible For 2022 Natural Gas Leak In Cambria County

-- Tribune-Democrat: Attorney General Files Charges Against Company Over 2022 Natural Gas Leak At Cambria County Storage Field

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: EQT Faces Criminal Charges Over Equitrans Natural Gas Storage Well Leak In Cambria County

-- DEP: Cleanup Efforts Continue At Repsol Shale Gas Well Pad Where A Well Control Problem Caused An Uncontrolled Release Of Wastewater For 34 Hours In Bradford County [PaEN]

-- DEP Samples Confirm Contaminated Wastewater Released During Well Plugging Operations Polluted Areas Off The Seneca Resources Vandergrift Shale Gas Well Pad In Tioga County; Cleanup, Monitoring Continue From May Incident [PaEN]

-- Protect PT: CNX Appeals EHB Decision Requiring DEP To Enforce Local Environmental Protection Settlement At The Drakulic Shale Gas Well Pad In Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Activists Pledge To Resist Any Federal Effort To Lift Shale Gas Fracking Ban In Delaware River Basin

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 19 to 25 - More Criminal Charges; Weeks Long Wastewater Cleanups Continue; 27 More Abandoned Conventional Wells [PaEN]

-- NBC10: Energy Transfer/Sunoco Installing Testing Wells In Upper Makefield Twp. Months After Pipeline Leak Contaminated Drinking Water Wells In Bucks County

-- Financial Times: Pittsburgh-based EQT Shale Gas Producer Urges US Congress To Cut Permit Times For Natural Gas Pipeline Projects, Limit Permit Appeals [Warning]

-- PublicServiceNews.org: PA Seeks Comments On Stronger Oil & Gas Methane Reduction Plan

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Power Of Rail Industry Looms Over Stalled Federal Train Safety Bill That Could Prevent Another Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: State’s Role In Environment Needs Tighter Focus - ‘Pennsylvania Has A Long History Of Industries And Business Flouting Environmental Concerns’

-- DEP Invites Comments On Water Quality Permits For Daylighting 5.33 Miles Of 4 Texas Eastern Natural Gas Pipelines To Allow For Longwall Coal Mining In Greene County [PaEN]

-- PA Independent Oil & Gas Assn. Holds July 30 Training On Managing PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Contaminated Water, Waste In Washington County [PaEN]

-- Republican Herald Guest Essay: Stop Playing Whac-A-Mole With PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ - By Lara Williams, Bloomberg Opinion

-- PUC Safety Division Continues Examination Of June Fatal Rowhouse Explosion In Philadelphia Focused On Natural Gas Utility Infrastructure [PaEN]

-- TribLive: ‘Series Of Failures:’ Lawsuit Blames Fatal Plum Boro Natural Gas Explosion On Pipeline Leak, Water Heater

-- TribLive: Plum Boro Mayor, Neighbors Hope Lawsuits Will Bring Answers In 2023 Fatal Rustic Ridge Natural Gas Explosion In Allegheny County

-- TribLive: ‘It’s Hard Not To Break:’ Daughter Of Plum Natural Gas Explosion Victims Continues To Grieve Without Closure

-- Post-Gazette: Families Of Plum Natural Gas Explosion Victims File Wrongful Death Lawsuits Against Companies

-- WTAE: Families Of 6 Victims Who Died In 2023 Natural Gas Explosion In Plum Boro, Allegheny County Sue Companies For Wrongful Death, Negligence

-- TribLive: Work Crew Strikes Natural Gas Line Near Monessen High School, Gas Leaked For 90+ Minutes Before Being Made Safe

-- Office Of State Fire Commission Begins Accepting Applications For Fire Company & EMS Services Grants Sept. 5

-- Guest Essay: Rewriting The Energy Story — Together - By Stephen M. DeFrank, Chairman, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission [PaEN]

-- A.I./Data Center Articles - NewsClips - 7.28.25

-- PUC: Brace For Higher Electric Bills As A Result Of Soaring Power Use; Consumers Should Review Energy Options [PaEN]

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: PUC Urges Consumers To Prepare For Higher Summer Electric Bills

-- PUC Sets Hearings On Proposed Wellsboro Electric, Valley Energy Natural Gas, Citizens Electric Of 11% to 37.5% On Aug. 19 & 21

-- Reading Eagle: Frequent Met-Ed Power Outages In Southeastern Berks Called Into Question

-- July 31 Webinar - Why Is My Electricity Bill So High? PJM Decisions Have Driven Up The Cost Of Electricity [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: Extended LIHEAP Energy Assistance Proposed In PA [In Face Of Proposed 100% Federal Cut]

-- PJM Electricity Capacity Auction Bids For 134,311 MW Come It At Highest Price Allowed Under FERC-Approved Cap [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette: PJM Says Settlement Of Complaint Filed By Shapiro Tamped Down Electricity Auction Prices {$380.57 vs. cap of $329.17]

-- Gov. Shapiro: Legal Action Against PJM Saved PA Consumers An Estimated $1.6 Billion

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: PJM Grid Operator Auction Will Result In Higher Electricity Bills For PA, NJ, DE Customers

-- TribLive: PA Electric Bills To Rise After PJM Ups Payments To Power Plants

-- PA Capital-Star/Inside Climate News: PJM Capacity Price Hits Cap As Clean Energy Projects Remain Stalled

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Joins Bipartisan Governors Demanding Leadership Reform At PJM Interconnection

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Hot Weather Alerts For Mid-Atlantic, Southern Regions July 26 & 27, And For The Entire Service Area On July 28 [PaEN]

-- A.I./Data Center Articles - NewsClips - 7.28.25

-- What The A.I. Data Center & Energy Summit Missed: Exploding Electricity Demand Already Raising Prices - Ratepayers Need Protection; No Longer An ‘All Of The Above’ Energy Strategy [PaEN]

-- What The A.I. Data Center & Energy Summit Missed: It’s Deja Vu - False Promises, Dirty Power - Our People And Communities Deserve Respect [PaEN]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Who Pays The Price For New A.I. Data Centers? - By Destinie Nock, Carnegie Mellon University Professor, Founder Of Peoples Energy Analytics

-- TribLive Guest Essay: A.I., Cryptocurrency And PA’s War On The Little Guy - By Joe Morinville, Energy Independent Solutions

-- WESA: Carnegie Mellon A.I. & Energy Summit Offered All-Positive Message, With Concerns Cast Aside

-- PennLive: Controversial A.I. Data Centers Set For Big Expansion In PA, Some Ask, At What Cost?

-- PA Capital-Star: Energy And Tech Companies Said They’re Investing $90 Billion In PA, Fossil Fuel Projects Make Up Largest Category

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Many Projects Credited To A.I. & Energy Summit Were Already Underway

-- Citizens Voice: Talen Energy To Buy Nearby Salem Twp. Gas Power Plant In $3.5 Billion Deal To Lock Up Power For Data Center Plans In Luzerne County

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: Talen Energy Announces Purchase Of Moxie Freedown Gas Power Plant In Salem Twp. To Lock Up Power For Data Centers

-- Utility Dive: FERC Approves Constellation Energy Purchase Of Calpine To Lock Up Data Center Power, Including Power Plants In PA; And Sell 2 Plants In PA

-- Reuters: Rush For Natural Gas Power Plants Drives Up Costs, Increases Delivery Times For Turbines, Other Components 3 to 5 Years

-- Post-Gazette/Bloomberg: CEO Of Utility Giant Southern Co. Warns Of Revolution If Power Costs Associated With A.I. Demand End Up On Backs Of Utility Customers

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: We May See A Pittsburgh Renaissance That’s Really A Renaissance [Concerns By Environmental Groups Not Entirely Misplaced] - By Oliver Bateman, RealClearWire

-- Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Is Being Whipsawed On Energy, We Need A Comprehensive Strategy - By Kate Harper and Conor Lamb, Co-Chairs Of Energy Future PA [PaEN]

-- White House Unveils A.I. Action Plan To Remove Barriers For Building A.I. Infrastructure [PaEN] [Warning]

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader/AP: President’s A.I. Plan Calls For Massive Data Centers; Here’s How It May Affect Energy In The US

-- AP: President’s A.I. Plan Calls For Massive Data Centers; Here’s How It May Affect Energy In The US

-- WSJ: The New Microchips Designed To Solve A.I.’s Energy Problem

-- Inquirer: Betty, University Of Pennsylvania’s New Supercomputer Joins The A.I. Arms Race In Montgomery County; Hums Louder Than A Jet Plane Taking Off, Uses As Much Electric As 1,000 Homes

-- Citizens Voice: Debate Over Rumored A.I. Data Center Draws Large Crowd In Dorrance Twp., Luzerne County

-- WNEP: Covington Township Residents Oppose Development Of Proposed A.I. Data Center In Lackawanna County

-- Scranton Times: Archbald, Jessup Work Toward A.I. Data Center Zoning As Developers Target Towns

-- LancasterOnline: Work Already Underway On 450,000 Sq. Foot A.I. Data Center Inside A Vacant Printing Plant; Officials Say It Won’t Affect Water, Electrical Grid

-- LancasterOnline: Residents Push Back Against Proposed $6 Billion A.I. Data Center In Lancaster City

-- PennLive: Owners Of Idled Steelton Steel Mill Raise The Potential Of The Site Becoming A.I. Data Center In Dauphin County