158 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 158 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!

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill Conservation District Holds Awards Ceremony

-- PA Conservation Heritage Project Profile: Tina Terrell, US Forest Service Advocate For Nature And People  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: Retiring Western PA Audubon Director Jim Bonner Has Gone From ‘Feathers To Fur And Back To Feathers’  

-- TribLive: Jim Bonner To Retire As Head Of Audubon Society Of Western PA 

-- Susquehanna Greenway Partnership Announces 2025 Photo Contest Winners  [PaEN]

-- DEP Announces More Than $1 Million Available For Environmental Education Grants

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Pushing 3 More Ways To Legalize Road Dumping Their Wastewater; Not Clear How The Public, Put At Risk By Dumping, Will Be Involved  [PaEN]  [Warning] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 16 to 22 - Conventional, Shale Gas Wastewater Spilling All Over, Seeping From Hillsides; 4th Pipeline Construction Spill; Where Did You Put That Waste?  [PaEN]  [Warning]

-- DEP: Leatherwood LLC Issued Violations For Illegally Disposing Of 43,176 Gallons Of Conventional Gas Well Plugging Wastes At Coal Refuse Disposal Area In Greene County  [PaEN]

-- DEP: An Estimated 16,000 Gallons Of 'Black Goop' Spills From Closed Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant In Williamsport, Reaching Susquehanna River  [PaEN]

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Volunteers Find Persistent Oily Waste From Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant Spill In Williamsport; Advise Public To Avoid Recreational Use Of River For Now 

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Initial Radioactivity Scan Show No Elevated Levels From Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Spill In Williamsport

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog/PennLive: 1.3 Million+ Oil & Gas Wastewater Stored At The Closed Eureka Resources Facility In Williamsport; DEP Issued Violations 10 Days Before Aug. 17 Spill Into Susquehanna  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive - John Beauge: DEP Issued Violation 10 Days Before Tank At Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Facility Leaked Oily Discharge Into Susquehanna River

-- PennLive - John Beauge: Oily Substance From Tank In Closed Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant Leaks Into Susquehanna River  [PDF of Article]

-- Williamsport Sun: Extensive Cleanup Underway After Oil Substance Leaks Into River In Williamsport  [PDF of Article]

-- DEP: 3rd & 4th Spills From Horizontal Drilling At EQM Gathering Pipeline Project In Washington County; Overflowing Tanks; Water Supply Complaint Investigated  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Contaminated Wastewater Found Seeping From Saturated Shale Gas Well Pad Fill Slope In Great Bend Twp., Susquehanna County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Issues Violations For Failing To Report How Waste Was Disposed Of Safely From 133 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells, Including 50 Owned By CNX Gas Company  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Day 38 Of Cleanup: Borehole Found Under Stormwater Basin During Continuing Cleanup Of Repsol Shale Gas Well Pad After A 34-Hour Uncontrolled Wastewater Release In Bradford County  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Now Accepting Bids To Plug 7 Conventional Gas Wells In Washington County [PaEN] 

-- The Derrick: Leak Found In Service Station Underground Gasoline Tank In Downtown Titusville, Crawford County

-- Susquehanna River Basin Low Flow Water Conditions Trigger Water Withdrawal Restrictions On 47 Shale Gas Development Water Withdrawal Points In PA  [PaEN] 

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 57 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In June/July; 282 In 2025  [PaEN]  

-- Post-Gazette/Inside Climate News: Pennsylvania Lured The Shell Petrochemical Plant To The State With A $1.65 Billion Tax Break, Now The Company Wants To Sell The Plant 

-- Financial Times: US Oilfield Services Group Weatherford International Expands Russian Unit Despite New Sanctions  [Works With PA Shale Gas Industry, Member of Marcellus Shale Coalition]  [Warning] 

-- DEP Announces SPEED Permitting For Oil & Gas Well Pads, Air Quality, Dam Safety, Chapter 105, 102 Permits  [PaEN]

--  Gov. Shapiro Visits Blair County Farm To Highlight Work To Speed Up Permitting, Support Farmers, Rural Communities

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 23 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 61 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 23 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

-- State Conservation Commission Agricultural Conservation Funding Guide For Pennsylvania Now Available  [PaEN]  

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Jeremy Cox: Draft, Revised Bay Agreement Criticized As ‘Weakening’ Commitment 

-- Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance Hosts Sept. 17 Meeting On Upper Watershed Assessment & Restoration Plan In Northumberland County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Invites Comments On Draft Assessment & Strategy For PA Coastal Zone Resources; Apply For Coastal Zone Grants Starting Aug. 26  [PaEN]  

-- Delaware Currents: Public Wastewater Agencies Ask For Reprieve To New Federal Water Quality Improvement Rules On A Portion Of The Delaware River  

-- York Daily Record: Rural York County Water Systems Struggle With New PFAS ‘Forever Chemical’ Standards

-- Post-Gazette: Montour Run: A Perfect Storm Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Firefighting Foam, Frequently Stocked Fish 

-- Penn State Extension, Monroe Master Gardeners Host Sept. 24 Introduction To Agroforestry; Other Extension Programs Coming Up  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension In-Person Tap Talk Aug. 21 - Exploring York County Waterways And Craft Brews, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

-- TribLive: Westmoreland County’s Ag Challenge: Keeping The Next Generation On The Farm

-- Penn State Extension, Monroe Master Gardeners Host Sept. 24 Introduction To Agroforestry; Other Extension Programs Coming Up  [PaEN]

-- Watershed Alliance Of York: 23rd Annual York Watershed Week - Sept. 13 to 20 

-- York Watershed Week Sept. 15 Waterways On Wheels - Codorus Creek Bike Tour, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Sept. 5 In-Person Workshop On Manure Management Essentials In Indiana County, 9:00 a.m. to Noon 

-- Penn State Watershed Stewards Sept. 29 In-Person Plant A Tree, Support Healthy Stream Volunteer Event In Shippensburg, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. 

-- US Geological Survey Study Tracking 7 Key Water Quality Trends In The Chesapeake Bay Watershed 

-- DCNR Releases Technical Bulletin On Managing Stormwater In Karst Areas Of Pennsylvania  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension Nov. 11 Webinar On What Home Buyers Should Know About Onlot Septic Systems During Property Transfers, Noon to 1:30 p.m. 

-- Penn State Extension Webinar Sept. 30 Septic System Series - Alternative Onlot Septic Systems, Noon to 1:30 p.m. 

-- Penn State Extension Oct. 14 Webinar On Landscaping Around Onlot Septic Systems, Noon to 1:30 p.m.  ​

-- Lehigh Valley-Based Wildlands Conservancy Highlights Upcoming Programs, Activities In September: Tree Planting- Stream Restoration Projects; Education Programs; Farm To Table Experience 

-- Hanover Evening Sun: Hanover Now Requires Developers To Contribute To Expanding Water Supply  

-- Morning Call: 70 Years After Hurricane Diane, Is The Lehigh Valley Better Prepared For Major Floods? 

-- Joint State Government Committee Identifies 382 Potential Sites For Geothermal Facilities Using Abandoned Mine Pools; Geothermal Energy Could Reduce A.I. Data Center Energy Demand By 30-40%  [PaEN]  

-- TribLive: Solar Panels At Highland School District Greenhouse Could Save District $70,000 In Allegheny County 

-- TribLive: Developer Seeks Approval For Proposed Solar Energy Facility In Ligonier Twp., Westmoreland County  

-- Beaver Times Guest Essay: Clean Energy Shouldn’t Be Excluded From Pennsylvania’s Future - By Katie Blume, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania  [PDF of Article]

-- Morning Call Guest Essay: Transforming Pennsylvania’s Energy Future By Reforming Act 129 Energy Conservation Program - By Brian Jenkins, Building Decarbonization Coalition  [PDF of Article]

-- Washington & Jefferson Center For Energy Policy & Management Hosts Oct. 21 Pennsylvania Energy Ecosystem Conference  [PaEN]

-- Reuters: USDA Ends Programs For Solar, Wind Projects On Farms 

-- PA Capital-Star: PA, 18 State Sue US DOE Over New Funding Caps On Sustainable Energy Projects

-- DEP Now Accepting Applications For $23 Million In The Driving PA Forward Freight Innovations in Transportation (PA-FIT) Grant Program  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Turnpike Expands Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure For Customers  [PaEN] 

-- Coalition Of Community Groups, Philadelphia Gas Works Reach Proposed Rate Settlement Containing Wins For Affordability, Clean Energy  [PaEN]  

-- WHYY: Philly Climate Activists Celebrate A Rare Win In Their Battle To Reform The Philadelphia Gas Works

-- PA Green Gov Council To Mark Commonwealth Sustainability Week Oct. 6 - 10 With Special Webinars  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette: Service Held At Clairton Church In Honor Of Those Killed, Injured In US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Explosion 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Residents, Advocates Unhappy With Delay In Fenceline Air Monitoring Around US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Benzene Levels At US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Highest Among US Plants, Sparking Calls For Continued Monitoring 

-- KDKA: Gas Valve That Failed Ahead Of US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Plant Explosion Was ‘Significantly Overpressurized’ By Workers, Union VP Says  

-- WESA: Steelworkers Rally In Downtown Pittsburgh To Call For Better Worker Safety

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Protecting Our Workers And Communities After US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Explosion - By Matt Shorraw, Physicians for Social Responsibility PA, Former Mayor Of Monessen 

-- TribLive Editorial: US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Explosion Investigation Demands Federal Safety Board Continue To Exist 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: What’s Next For US Steel After Deadly Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Explosion? 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Federal Chemical Safety Board Faces Shutdown Amid US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Explosion Probe

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: President’s Rollbacks Keep New Clean Air Rules Out Of Pittsburgh’s Mon Valley [Warning]

-- TribLive/AP: Railroad Companies Fail To Join Safety Program After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Post-Gazette/AP: Many Towns Are Unprepared To Handle Train Derailments, Hazmat Spills

-- WESA: Apply Safety Rules To More Trains Carrying Flammable Cargo, Lawmakers Urge, Including PA Cong. Chris Deluzio

-- PennLive: Cleanup Underway After Nearly A Dozen Norfolk Southern Rail Cars Derail In City Of Harrisburg

-- TribLive: Residents, Landowners Tell DEP They Oppose New 2nd Rustic Ridge Underground Coal Mine In Donegal, Westmoreland County

-- Post-Gazette Investigation: Deadly Dust: Missed Inspections, Enforcement Failures Imperil The Lives Of Coal Miners  [Warning] 

-- PA Capital-Star: Union Calls Continued Delay Of Silica Dust Rule A ‘Death Sentence’ For Coal Miners In PA And Beyond  [Warning] 

-- CBSBaltimore: Explosion, Fire On Coal Cargo Ship In Baltimore Harbor

-- AP: President Blames Renewable Energy For Rising Electricity Prices, Experts Point To A.I. Data Centers, Extreme Weather  

-- WNEP: A.I. Data Centers Consumer Massive Amounts Of Water, Companies Rarely Tell The Public Exactly How Much

-- Morning Call: A.I. Data Centers Are Coming, Hungry For Space, Power, Water, Is The Lehigh Valley Ready? 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader/AP: Impact: As A.I. Becomes Part Of Everyday Life, It Brings A Hidden Climate Cost 

-- Joint State Government Committee Identifies 382 Potential Sites For Geothermal Facilities Using Abandoned Mine Pools; Geothermal Energy Could Reduce A.I. Data Center Energy Demand By 30-40%  [PaEN]  

-- In Case You Missed It -- A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week - August 24  [PaEN] 

-- Inside Climate News: Utilities Want To Regain Ability To Build Power Plants To Feed A.I. Data Center Power Demand In PJM, Consumer Advocates Say That’s Probably A Bad Idea [PA, PPL Included] 

-- Beaver Times Guest Essay: If PA Electric Utilities Are Allowed To Own Power Plants Again Due To A.I. Data Center Power Demands, Electric Monopolies Win, We All Lose - By Rep. Robert Matzie (D-Beaver) 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Surplus Interconnection Capacity Can Support 153 GW Of Solar, Wind, Storage: UC Berkeley Researchers Find  

-- WHYY: New Jersey Seeks To Rein In Rising Electricity Bills By Increasing Transparency Of PJM Decisions 

-- PUC: Pennsylvania Electric Grid Challenged By Record Number Of Outage Events In 2024; So Far In 2025 There Were 38 Outage Events  [PaEN] 

-- WTAE: Duquesne Light Cancels Participation In Allegheny County Storm Response Meeting At Last Minute

-- PUC Hosting 6 Regional Be Utility Wise And Be Wise Consumer Education Conferences Starting Sept. 18  [PaEN] 

-- WTAE: Duquesne Light Customers Report Higher Electric Bills This Summer

-- Utility Dive: Clean Energy Groups Challenge US DOE Electric Grid Reliability Report

-- Utility Dive: FERC Approves Cost Recovery Paths For Power Plants US DOE Ordered To Keep Running Past Shutdown Dates; All PJM Customers Will Pay For Keeping PA’s Eddystone Plant Going 

-- PA Resources Council To Hold 7 Hard-To-Recycle, Household Chemical, Electronics Waste Collection Events in Allegheny, Beaver, Delaware, Montgomery Counties [Starting Aug. 23] [PaEN]

-- Republican Herald: I-81 Litter Removal To Begin Monday In Schuylkill County

-- DEP To Host Aug. 28 Meeting/Hearing On ERSI Demolition Waste Landfill Permit Modifications In Lackawanna County  [PaEN] 

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Unhealthy Air Pollutants Will Rise With SEPTA Cuts, Planners Say 

-- Post-Gazette: Mold, Lead, Air Quality, Radon And More Environmental Factors Threaten Health Of PA Schoolchildren, New Report Says 

-- WHYY: Report: Many Pennsylvania School Districts Fail To Address Environmental Hazards

-- LehighValleyLive: Radon Testing Scheduled For Bethlehem Schools After JAMA Study Raises Concerns

-- Spotlight PA: When The Ground Gives Way In Sinkholes, Landslides, Homeowners Are Often Left With The Bill, PA Lawmakers Propose A Safety Net

-- TribLive Editorial: Sinkholes Are A Problem, Lawmakers Could Do Something About Them 

-- Dept. Of Agriculture Invests $8.8 Million To Ensure 33 Farms, 2,017 Acres of Prime Farmland In 16 Counties Stay Farms Forever  [PaEN] 

-- Morning Call: 9 More Lehigh Valley Farms Saved From Development 

-- LancasterOnline: State Preserves 2 Lancaster County Farms In Martic, Mount Joy Townships

-- WHYY: Nicetown-Tioga Residents In Philly Celebrate Neighborhood Greening Initiatives: 400 Trees, 12 New Gardens

-- Inquirer: Chaos Gardening - Wild Beauty Or Just A Mess?  A Sustainable Landscape Specialist Explains The Trend 

-- PA iMapInvasive Program News: Invasive Replace-ive Great Success; Biological Control Of Knotweed; Tracking Invasive Species; Diversity Of French Creek Valley  

-- Erie Times: Goats-- Nature’s Lawn Mowers-- Are Back To Clear Out Invasive Species

-- TribLive: Ragweed Near Full Bloom In Western PA As Fall Approaches

-- Williamsport Sun - Reflections In Nature: The Cattail Grows Brown In August

-- WESA: Plum Boro Resident Tests Positive For West Nile Virus, Allegheny County’s First Human Case Of The Year

-- TribLive: Allegheny County Health Dept. Confirms First Human West Nile Virus Case Of Year

--Post-Gazette: First Human Case Of West Nile Virus This Year Identified By Allegheny County Health Officials 

-- Tribune-Democrat: West Nile Virus On Rise In Cambria County Region, Officials Say

-- DCNR, Aging, Health Agencies Unveil New Toolkit To Help Older Pennsylvanians Stay Healthy, Active Outdoors At Codorus State Park, York County  [PaEN] 

-- WTAE: Cucumber Falls, Trail Closed For ‘Foreseeable Future’ After Storms Roll Through Ohiopyle State Park In Fayette County 

-- Post-Gazette: Visitors Evacuate Ohiopyle State Park After ‘Unexpected High Wind Event’ Sunday Afternoon

-- TribLive: Storms Force Closure Of Popular Spots At Ohiopyle State Park 

-- DCNR Invests $2.1 Million To Expand, Improve ATV, Snowmobile Trails Across PA; Deadline To Apply For Next Round Sept. 30  [PaEN]  

-- Tribune-Democrat: Somerset County And Regional ATV Trail Awarded Planning Funds

-- Warren Times: Region Is Recipient Of DCNR Snowmobile Trail Grants

-- Observer-Reporter: Fayette County Commissioners Approve Sheepskin Trail Grant Applications, Agreement To Build Another Section Of Trail 

-- Observer-Reporter: Montour Trail Opens New Stretch Of Trail In Muse, Washington County  

-- Altoona Mirror: Altoona Water Authority, Motorcycle Group Draft Deal To Develop Trail Network On 600 Acres Of Authority Land

-- DCNR Grants News: 50 Outdoor Ambassadors Complete Training; New Furnace Run Park Nature Center, Franklin County; Registration Opens For PRPS 2025 Urban Exchange 

-- DCNR Names Chelsea DePoe Manager For Colonel Denning State Park Complex In Cumberland, Perry Counties

-- York Daily Record: Rangers Rescue Great Horned Owl At Gifford Pinchot Park

-- DCNR Releases Technical Bulletin On Managing Stormwater In Karst Areas Of Pennsylvania  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR State Parks Environmental Education News Now Available - Back To School Edition  [PaEN]

-- Keystone Trails Assn. Seeking Volunteers For 2025 Trail Love In Allegheny National Forest Sept. 26-27 In Elk County  [PaEN] 

-- Reading Eagle: Lifelong Friendship Of 2 Berks Men Forged On The Horse-Shoe Trail

-- WNEP: Woman Killed In Wyoming County UTV Crash

-- The Allegheny Front: Elk Cam Gives People A Chance To Safely Watch Wildlife During Rutting Season

-- The Derrick: Eagles In Pennsylvania: A 50-Year Recovery From 3 Nests To More Than 300  [PDF of Article] 

-- York Daily Record: Rangers Rescue Great Horned Owl At Gifford Pinchot Park

-- Reading Eagle: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Opens 2025 Fall Migration Season

-- LehighValleyNews.com: Purple Martins, Threatened Bird Species, Finds A Welcoming Home At St. Luke’s Arboretum, Bucks County 

-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary First Update On Fall Migration Season 

-- Tribune-Democrat: ‘Honor And Remember’: Friends Of Flight 93 Commemorative Keepsake Calendars Generating Strong Response 

-- The Guardian: President’s Move To Sanitize US History Gets Little Support With National Park Visitors  [Warning]

-- TribLive: President To Expand Push To Whitewash ‘Woke’ Museum Exhibits On Slavery  [Warning]

-- Republican Herald Editorial: President’s Smithsonian Order Damaging Assault On Our History  

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

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[Posted: August 24, 2025]   PA Environment Digest