Wednesday PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 10.29.25

“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]

Senate Voting Schedule

October 29

November 17, 18, 19

December 8, 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

House Voting Schedule

October 29

November 17, 18, 19

December 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events 

WARNING: This Is Budget Season, Watch Out For Anything!

TODAY 10:00: Agenda Posted. House Energy Committee holds hearing on House Bill 1539 (Madsen-D-Dauphin) establishing a grant program to assist school districts in transitioning to electric school buses.  Room B-31 Main Capitol.  10:00 a.m.  Click Here to watch live.

TODAY 10:00: House Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee meets to consider bills related to preventing natural gas pipeline service explosions [Reading Chocolate Plant] -- House Bill 1522 - install gas detectors and House Bill 1526 - requiring degraded natural gas pipeline prevention plans. Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:00 a.m. Click Here to watch live.

TODAY 6:00: Citizens Interested In Submitting Comments To DEP On Tenaska Natural Gas Power Plant's First Title V Air Quality Permit Invited To Public Meeting In West Newton, Westmoreland County.   6:30 p.m.

November 5-- NEW. House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee holds a hearing on LNG gas export terminals proposed in Southeast PA. Community Room, City of Chester City Hall, 1 E. 4th Street in Chester, Delaware County. 10:00 a.m.  Click Here to watch live [if available]

November 6-- Public Utility Commission meeting to consider model tariff for connection large load - A.I. data centers-- to the local electric grid.  10:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online. Read more here.

-- Tribune-Democrat: Larry Hutchinson Receives Mayfly Award For Shale Creek Watershed Assn., Work In Somerset County  [PDF of Article]

-- Gov. Shapiro, Oklahoma Gov. Stitt Lead Bipartisan National Governors Assn. Group Recommending Energy Facility Permitting Reform To Address Nation’s Energy Crisis [PaEN]  

-- PA Senate Republicans Pass Bill To Abolish DEP Climate Change, Recycling Fund, Coastal Zone Advisory Committees  [PaEN] 

-- Conventional Oil & Gas Well Producers Consolidate Lobbying Organizations Into PA Independent Oil & Gas Association, Controlling The PA Independent Petroleum Producers Assn.

-- WNEP: No Fire, No Threat To Public After Explosion At Talen Energy Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant In Luzerne County After ‘Off-Gassing’

-- Salem Township Fire Dept. Video Of Talen Energy Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant Off-Gassing Explosion In Luzerne County 

-- Delaware River Watershed Forum Unites Conservation Organizations, Advocates, Attracts Over 100 Conservation Leaders  [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Water Authority Achieves Historic Low Lead Levels In Latest Drinking Water Testing

-- Morning Call: PA American Water Customers In Nazareth Service Area In Northampton County Asked To Voluntarily Reduce Water Use

-- Inquirer: Water Wars Over Sale Of City Of Chester’s Water System Escalating In Chester’s Bankruptcy Proceeding

-- Observer-Reporter: Army Corps Closes Access To Yough Lake As Low Water Levels Exposes Great Crossings Bridge 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Volunteers Add Trees To Path Of The Flood Trail Near South Fork

-- Scranton Times: DEP Denies Dunmore Boro Request For Lackawanna County-Based DEP Landfill Inspector  [PDF of Article]  [Does Dunmore have a host municipality inspector for waste facilities? ]

-- Williamsport Sun: An Inside Look At Lycoming County Landfill Operations

-- Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Welcomes Newest Affiliate - Keep Hanover Beautiful In York County  [PaEN] 

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: PA Resources Council Lens On Litter Photo Contest Deadline Oct. 31

-- The Derrick: Hands-On Learning: Environmental Education Trailers Visit Cranberry Area H.S. Arranged By Venango County Conservation District  [PDF of Article] 

-- Post-Gazette: Meet The Chatham University Student Who Turned Beekeeping Into A Business That Pays His Tuition 

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: State Parks Offer Outdoor Wedding Venues

-- Game Commission: Drivers Warned - Deer Crossing Roads More Frequently

-- Fish & Boat Commission: Summary Of Oct. 27 Fish & Boat Commission Board Meeting

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Deer Management And Chronic Wasting Disease - By Robert T. Smith, Environmental Scientist

A.I. /Data Centers

-- LancasterOnline Editorial: PA Residents Shouldn’t Pay The Price For A.I. Data Center-Spiked Electricity Rates  [PDF of Article]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: The Energy Utility Association Of PA Proposes To Place Risk Of Increasing Electric Generation On Ratepayers - By Nora Brownell, Former PA PUC Commissioner

-- PennLive: PA US Sen. McCormick Says PA Should Be The ‘Tip Of The Spear’ On A.I. Technology, Data Center Development  

-- Wall Street Journal: Tens Of Thousands Of White-Collar Jobs Are Disappearing As A.I. Starts To Bite  [PDF of Article] 

-- WHYY: Republican Lawmakers From PA, NJ, VA, MD Weigh Solutions To Rising Electricity Bills Driven By A.I. Data Centers - Faster Permitting, Ending Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative In PA [That Was Never Implemented]

-- TribLive: Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse Strikes $80 Billion Deal With US For Nuclear Reactors To Power A.I. Data Centers  

-- Inside Climate News: ‘Rapid Explosion’ Of A.I. Data Centers Causes Planning Struggles In Texas

-- Inside Climate News: As A.I. Data Center Boom Ramps Up In Rural Midwest, What Should Communities Expect?

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Markwest Liberty Midstream failed to correct slope failure,  E&S violations, repair township road repairs at site exposing 4 natural gas pipelines ahead of longwall coal mining in Donegal Township, Washington County for 169 days and counting.   Read more here.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: BB Mulvaney failed to clean up spills and stop audible venting of conventional gas well in Richhill Township, Greene County for 547 days and counting after a DEP order on May 17, 2024. Read more here.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Routine inspection of a Diversified Prod LLC conventional well in Richland Township, Allegheny County found the well abandoned and not plugged.  Read more here.

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- Bloomberg: New Fortress Energy Mulls UK Restructuring Instead Of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy  [Company Proposed A.I. Data Center, LNG Projects In PA, Just Issued Permit For 248 MW Gas Power Plant]

-- The Guardian: All Operational US LNG Gas Export Terminals Have Violated Pollution Limits, Report Says

Other States/National

-- Financial Times: The Global Boom In Solar Energy - With Or Without The US; Falling Prices For New Panels Make Compelling Business Case Around The World

Federal Administration

-- Utility Dive: Kentucky Electric Power Cooperative, Attorney General Challenge PJM’s Regional Cost Allocation Plan For US Dept. Of Energy ‘Emergency’ Orders To Keep Power Plants Running Past Their Closure Dates 

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Post-Gazette: Officials In York County Say If State Won’t Send Payments To Them, They Will Withhold Payments To State During State Budget Impasse

-- Inquirer: Delaware County School District Says It Will Run Out Of Cash By January Without State Budget 

-- Republican Herald: Shenandoah Valley School District, Schuylkill County Considers Loan Due To State Budget Delay

-- TribLive: Westmoreland Commissioners Vow To Keep County Running As State Funds Dry Up

-- TribLive: Westmoreland Intermediate Unit To Borrow $2 Million, Layoffs Coming If There Is No State Budget By New Year

-- State Treasurer Garrity Announces 24 Organizations Receive Budget Impasse Bridge Loans Totaling $8.7 Million  [$21 Million Loaned To 48 Groups So Far]

-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: State Needs Responsible Budget

-- Spotlight PA: Why Tracking Spending In This Year’s PA Supreme Court Retention Races Is So Difficult

-- Gov. Shapiro Takes Legal Action To Demand USDA Use Available Contingency Funds To Pay Nov. Food Stamp Benefits To Ensure Nearly 2 Million Pennsylvanians Are Fed

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Senate Democrats Pitch $62 Million Grant Program To Offset Federal Food Stamp Cuts

-- AP: What To Expect If Federal Food Stamps, WIC Infant/Children’s And Head Start Preschool Nutrition Assistance Ends 

-- TribLive: Expected Lapse In Federal Food Stamp Benefits Puts Food Banks In Crisis 

-- PA Capital-Star: Ambridge, Beaver County Prepares To Feed Hungry If Federal Food Stamps Program Goes Dark 

-- WITF: Across 19 Central PA Counties 300,000+ People Receive Help From Federal Food Stamps

-- WITF: ‘Now I Have Nothing;’ Pennsylvanians Expect Hardship Without Federal Food Stamps Nov. 1 

-- TribLive: Western PA-Based Giant Eagle Food Stores Needs Pennies, Offers Double Their Value In Gift Cards [President Ending Minting Of Pennies]

-- Inquirer: Gov. Shapiro Joins Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia In Federal Court Fight To Stop President’s Justice Dept. From Obtaining Medical Records Of Transgender Youth

-- AP: Man Who Spent 43 Years In A PA Prison Before His Conviction Was Overturned Now Faces Deportation After He Legally Came To The US When He Was 9 Months Old

-- TribLive Editorial: Courtrooms Aren’t Ready For A.I.

-- Republican Herald Editorial: President Should Put Pettiness Aside And Negotiate Trade Deal With Canada 

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Diversity - Equity - Inclusion

[Posted: October 29, 2025]  PA Environment Digest