In Case You Missed It -- A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week - August 31

Here are Articles and NewsClips on A.I. and data center issues from last week you may have missed--

Increasing Electricity Costs

-- City & State PA: PUC Chair Stephen DeFrank Talks About Meeting Energy Needs Of A.I. Data Centers  [‘You Can’t Build Out And Meet [electric use] Peaks’]

-- Independent Fiscal Office: Residential Electricity Bills ‘Begin Surge:’ Natural Gas Prices Up 71%, PJM  Prices Up Due To A.I. Data Center Demand  [PaEN]  

-- PUC Approves 33.3% Increase In Natural Gas Rates From Pike County Light & Power And 5.7% Increase For Pike County Light & Power Electric  [PaEN] 

-- Inquirer: What PECO’s New CEO Has To Say About Your Electric Bill, A.I. Data Centers And Coal In PA  [A.I. Data Center Demand Could Cause PA To Be In A Generation Deficit, Price Increases]  [PDF of Article]

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Guest Essay: A.I. Data Center Energy Boom Tests President’s EPA Repeal Strategy - By Ken Silverstein, InsideSources.com

-- Bloomberg: Soaring Power Bills In PJM Pose Risk For Republicans In Face Of A.I. Data Center Demands 

-- Bloomberg Opinion: A.I. Is Booming, So Are Household Electricity Bills

-- Financial Times Opinion: Surging US Electricity Prices In Face Of A.I. Data Center Demands Put Presidents Pledge To Cut Electricity Prices In Half With 1 Year Of Taking Office 

Upcoming Event

-- September 2--PA Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing on A.I. Data Centers - Impacts, Operations, Policy Considerations. 4:00 p.m.  Click Here to watch online.

-- The Center Square: Sen. Flynn To Offer Amendment To A.I. Data Center ‘Regulatory Sandbox’ Bill Giving Local Governments Final Say

Local A.I./Data Center Projects

-- DataCenterDynamics.com: Essential Utilities Invests $24 Million Into Planned 1,400 Acre 944 MW Behind-The-Meter Data Center In Greene County  [Natural Gas, Water]

-- Utility Dive: International Electric Power Plans 944 MW Behind-The-Meter Gas Power Plant For Planned Greene County A.I. Data Center

-- WITF/LancasterOnline: Lancaster City Data Centers Face Zoning Hearing, Possible New Regulations 

-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster City $4 Billion A.I. Data Center Site Changes Hands For $75 Million As Developers Add Partner 

-- Newmark Group Advised  Blue Owl Capital, Chirisa Technology Parks, Machine Investment Group On $4 Billion Venture Supporting Development Of An A.I. Data Center In Lancaster

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: Sugarloaf Twp. Residents Raise A.I. Data Center Questions At Special Meeting 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: Luzerne County Council Approves Resolution Encouraging PPL To Consider Alternative Transmission Line Routes  [A.I. Data Center Projects]

-- WNEP: PPL Has No Plans To Change Transmission Line Route, Despite Luzerne County Concerns [A.I. Data Centers]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: NIMBYs Are Coming For The Data Centers A.I. Needs - Bloomberg Opinion

A.I. Data Center Impacts

-- Lehighton Times Guest Essay: Mine Water Discharge For A.I. Data Centers A Cool Idea - By Ed Socha 

-- New Castle News/Sunbury Daily Item: Susquehanna River Basin Commission Monitoring A.I. Data Center Development 

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Pittsburgh Is Poised For A Third Renaissance [A.I. Data Centers] - Sen. Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny)

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Range Resources CEO Sees Bright Future For Natural Gas In PA  [PDF of Article]

-- S&P Global: Natural Gas Utilities In US Advance A.I. Data Center Deals As Power Bottlenecks Persist [PA Included] [PDF of Article] 

-- Reuters Commentary: Strategies To Promote Sustainability In A.I. Data Center Build Out

A.I. Policy

-- Attorney General Sunday Joins Bipartisan Coalition In Putting Meta, Google And Other A.I. Companies On Notice For Hams Caused By A.I. Chatbots

[Posted: August 31, 2025]  PA Environment Digest