PA Environment Digest Blog: Tuesday PA Environment & Energy Articles

"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

November 17, 18, 19

December 8, 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

House Voting Schedule

November 17, 18, 19

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

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

TODAY -- Election Day! Consider This: Vote YES! On PA Supreme Court Retention Races If You Want To Keep Local Land Use Regulation Of Shale Gas Development. Vote NO! On Matthew Wolford For Commonwealth Court If You’re Against Giving Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Even More Breaks From Environmental Regulations At Taxpayer Expense

TODAY 9:30: Agenda Posted. DEP Water Resources Advisory Committee meeting. 9:30 a.m. [Note: Beyond 2025 Chesapeake Bay Agreement.]

November 5-- Agenda Posted. 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 Read more here.

November 6-- Agenda Posted. DEP Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee meeting. 9:15 a.m. Questions should be directed to: RA-EPAQTAC@pa.gov. [Agenda: VOC reporting by conventional oil/gas and shale gas wells; Air pollution from A.I. Data Centers. Read more here.]

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.

November 12-- CANCELED. Environmental Quality Board meeting. Shale gas well setback petition will not be considered until at least the next meeting on Dec. 9. Contact: Laura Griffin, laurgriffi@pa.gov or (717) 772-3277.

November 12-- Agenda Posted. DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 12:30 p.m. Check webpage for options for joining the meeting remotely. Contact: Ian Irvin, Executive Director, iirvin@pa.gov or (717) 787-8171. [Agenda: DEP Environmental Justice Program; EJ Concerns With A.I. Data Centers]

-- New Healthy Waters Coalition Launches To Restore, Protect Waters Of Ohio River Basin, Home To 30 Million [PaEN]

-- Call For Student Submissions: Westminster College Student Symposium On The Environment [PaEN]

-- PennLive - John Beauge: Seneca Resources Natural Gas Driller Charged With Environmental Crimes In 8 PA Counties

-- Marcellus Drilling News: PA Attorney General Goes Wild, Charges Seneca Resources Natural Gas Driller With 100 Criminal Violations [PDF of Article]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Coterra Energy NE PA Shale Gas Well Gets Frisky, Sprays Mist During Fracking [PDF of Article]

-- PJM Winter Power Outlook: Adequate Power Supplies Available To Serve Growing Demand Under Expected Conditions; 1 GigaWatt Of Mostly Solar Power Capacity Added Since Last Winter [PaEN]

-- Water At Risk: A.I. Data Centers Bait And Switch? - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County [PaEN]

-- WESA: Testing Shows Lead Levels In Pittsburgh Drinking Water Hit A Record Low

-- Inquirer: Penn Climate Scientist Michael Mann, National Review Settle Decade-Long Libel Legal Battle

-- Scranton Times: PA American Water Completes Roaring Brook Stream Improvement Projects [Part Of A DEP Penalty Settlement]

-- Protecting Clean Water Together: Giving Thanks - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County [PaEN]

-- Warren Times Editorial: Allegheny River Cleanup Efforts Paying Off [PDF of Article]

-- Altoona Mirror: Altoona Water Authority Receives $479,000 Payment For Energy Production Guaranteed After Shortfall In At Its New Anaerobic Digester

-- Tribune-Democrat: PA Resources Council Traveling Glass Recycling Bin To Be At Johnstown Maintenance Building Nov. 8 to 20

-- DCNR Invests $8 Million To Improve Campground Facilities At Gifford Pinchot State Park, York County

-- DCNR Invests $8 Million To Improve Campground Facilities At Lackawanna [Lackawanna County], Ricketts Glen State [Columbia County] Parks

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: DCNR Investing $8 Million To Improve Facilities At Lackawanna, Ricketts Glen State Parks

-- DCNR Dedicates $14 Million Delaware State Forest Resource Center In Pike County

-- WNEP: New DCNR Delaware State Forest Resource Management Center Dedicated In Pike County

-- DCNR Seeks Info On Buchanan State Forest Hit And Run In Brush Creek Twp., Fulton County

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Allegheny Land Trust Closing In On Land Purchases On 2 Allegheny County Conservation Projects

-- Western PA Conservancy Hosts Dec. 3 Webinar On New Understandings Of Old-Growth Forests [PaEN]

-- M&T Charitable Foundation Renews Support For Hawk Mountain Education Programs [PaEN]

-- Help Wanted: Keystone Trails Association Executive Director [PaEN]

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Water At Risk: A.I. Data Centers Bait And Switch? - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association, Monroe County [PaEN]

-- PJM Winter Power Outlook: Adequate Power Supplies Available To Serve Growing Demand Under Expected Conditions; 1 GigaWatt Of Mostly Solar Power Capacity Added Since Last Winter [PaEN]

-- Wall Street Journal: What Happened When Small-Town America Became A.I. Data Center, USA [PDF of Article]

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- Today’s Violations: DEP notified of Oct. 27 loss of 20,000 gallons of horizontal drilling fluid into abandoned mine voids at MarkWest Liberty Midstream Chiarelli to Imperial Pipeline construction site in Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County. Happened twice before in the same area.Violation issued for not notifying DEP immediately, then marked “immediately corrected/abated.” No violation for 20,000 gallon spill. Resumed drilling. Read more here.

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- TribLive: President, Shapiro Weigh In On PA Supreme Court Retention Elections

-- AP: PA Could Keep Its Democratic Supreme Court Majority Or Get Partisan Deadlock On The Bench

-- TribLive: Westmoreland County Finalizes State Loan, Threatens More Job Cuts As State Budget Impasse Continues

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports October Revenue Was $44 Million, 1.3% Below Their Estimates; FYTD $49 Million, 0.4% IFO Projections

-- LancasterOnline: Franklin & Marshall College To Admit PA Students Tuition Free, If Families Make Less Than $75,000

-- TribLive: Effects Of Federal Food Stamp Cuts Are Wide-Reaching In PA

-- PennLive: Hershey Hoagie Shop Offered To Feed Food Stamp Recipients Running Out Of Benefits Because Of Federal Shutdown, And Then The Haters Came Out

-- York Dispatch Editorial: Hate Has Become Normalized In Our Streets, We Must Resist It

-- Erie Times: Erie County Residents Get Sticker Shock After Seeing Health Insurance Plan Costs On Pennie Website [Caused By Congressional Republicans Failing To Renew Tax Credits]

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader/AP: Two Federal Courts Order ICE Not To Deport Man Who Spent 43 Years In PA Prison Before Murder Case Overturned

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