PA Environment Digest Blog: Thursday 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 2025

December 8, 9, [Canceled- 10]

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule 2026

January 6, 26, 27, 28

February 2, 3 (Governor’s Budget Address), 4

Budget hearings will be held February 23-26, and March 2

March 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25

April 20, 21, 22

May 4, 5, 6

June 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30

House Voting Schedule 2025

December 15 [non-voting], 16, 17

-- Committee Schedule

House Voting Schedule 2026

January 6 (NV), 26, 27, 28

February 2, 3 (Governor's Budget Address, 4

Budget hearings will be held February 23-26, and March 2

March. 23, 24, 25

April 13, 14, 15, 27, 28, 29

May 4, 5, 6

June 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

September 28, 29, 30

October 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21

November 9, 10

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

TODAY 10:00: Agenda Posted. DCED PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council meeting. Technology Center Room 243, 200 Innovation Blvd, State College. 10:00 a.m. Click Here for instructions on joining remotely. Contact: Adam Walters 717-214-6548 or adwalters@pa.gov. [Read more on agenda.]

December 5-- Virtual. DEP Climate Change Advisory Committee, Subcommittee On Future Planning. 9:00 a.m. Contact: Lindsay Byron, lbyron@pa.gov or 717-772-8951. (formal notice)

December 9-- NEW. Agenda Posted. Environmental Quality Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 9:00 a.m. Check webpage for options for joining the meeting remotely. Contact: Laura Griffin, laurgriffi@pa.gov or (717) 772-3277. [Agenda Includes Petition On Increasing Setbacks From Shale Gas Wells. Read more here.]

December 11-- CANCELED. DEP Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. 10:00 a.m. Contact: Todd Wallace at twallace@pa.gov or 717-783-6395. (formal notice)

-- On The Eve Of New PJM Capacity Auction: Gov. Shapiro, 5 Other Governors Say PJM's Efforts To Deal With A.I. Data Center Demands Have Failed; Urge 'Decisive Action' To Avoid 'Extraordinarily’ High Prices [PaEN]

-- Independent Fiscal Office: Quarterly PA Natural Gas Production Up 5.1% From Last Year; Natural Gas Price Up 51.4% [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front: Ohio Landfills Take Shale Gas Drilling Waste, But Don’t Track Or Test Much Of It [PA Info Included]

-- Pennsylvania Solar Center, Philadelphia Energy Authority Host Dec. 12 Webinar On How Nonprofits, Schools, Faith Groups, Municipalities Can Use Federal Incentives To Go Solar [PaEN]

-- DEP Extends Driving PA Forward Freight Innovations Diesel Replacement Grant Deadline To Dec. 19

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Chesapeake Bay Leaders Approve Cleanup Plan They Call ‘Achievable’

-- DCED Awards $6.2 Million Community Development Block Grants To 5 Water/Wastewater Projects In 5 Counties

-- The Allegheny Front: How Drinking Water Treated For High Lead Levels Could Be Impacting Local Streams

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Congress Must Reauthorize Clean Water Revolving Fund That’s Saved Harrisburg Region $136 Million - By Charlotte Katzenmoyer, Capital Region Water

-- E&ENews: Clean Up Of Palmerton Superfund Site In Carbon County May Have Left Behind PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ From Contaminated Municipal Sewage Sludge Used As Fertilizer [PDF of Article]

-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers To Host Dec. 17 Webinar Showcasing Collaborative Community Watershed Organization Capacity Building Successes [PaEN]

-- Registration Open! PA Environmental Educators Annual Conference March 8-10 In Gettysburg [PaEN]

-- Applications Now Being Accepted For Rivers Conservation Fly Fishing Youth Camp June 21-26, Messiah University, Cumberland County [PaEN]

-- Wildlife Leadership Academy Now Accepting Nominations For 2026 Residential Field School Experiences For Students 14 to 17 [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Oldest Tree In Allegheny County Stands A Little Mightier After Eagle Scout Project

-- Altoona Mirror: New Blair County Trail, Park & Recreation Authority Sets Up Office, Bylaws

-- PA Firefly Festival Set For June 26-27 In Forest County, Ticket Raffle For Tours, Programs Opens Jan. 1; Festival Exhibits & Entertainment Will Now Be Open To Public [PaEN]

A.I. /Data Centers

-- TribLive: Fawn Twp. Considers Ordinance For Placement Of Wind Turbines, Data Centers And More In Allegheny County; Hearing Dec. 16

-- LancasterOnline: Developer Submits Plans For A.I. Data Center, 102 Backup Diesel Generators Near Long’s Park In Lancaster County [Not Subject To New Data Center Rules In Lancaster City] [PDF of Article]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Rural PA’s A.I. Data Center Mirage - Appalachian Communities In PA Know The Feeling Of Being Promised The World And Being Left With The Bill - By Panini A. Chowdhury, Professional Infrastructure Planner

-- TribLive Editorial: Could A.I. Be The New Twinkie Defense For Crimes?

-- Reuters: A.I. Companies’ Safety Practices Fail To Meet Global Standards, Study Shows; No Companies Had A Robust Strategy For Controlling Advanced A.I. Systems

-- Bloomberg: President’s Plan For A.I. Dominance Threatened By His Own Attacks On Solar, Wind Power

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Washington Energy Co LLC failed to comply with an Order to plug an abandoned conventional well in Peters Township, Washington County. Failed to plug the well for 2,171 days and counting from original violation: Read more here.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Timothy Cignetti failed to plug a conventional well in Washington Township, Westmoreland County or submit production and waste generation reports since 2015. Failed to plug the well for 523 days and counting. Read more here.

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- Reuters: Soaring US Natural Gas Prices Are Eroding LNG Producers’ Profit Margin That Could Force Exports Drop

Federal Administration

-- TribLive/AP: President’s EPA Proposal Would Weaken Vehicle Mileage Rules That Limit Air Pollution

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Altoona Mirror Editorial: State’s Fiscal Challenges Are Alarming [Facing $5.84 Billion Deficit In FY 2025-26]

-- TribLive Editorial: Could A.I. Be The New Twinkie Defense For Crimes?

-- PA Capital-Star: Democrats Eye A PA Senate Flip: ‘Prepared To Marshal Every Resource’

-- The Atlantic: The Operator - Josh Shapiro Has Spent His Life Preparing To Lead An America That Might No Longer Exist [PDF of Article]

-- TribLive/Inquirer: Gov. Shapiro Says Kamala Harris’ Descriptions Of Him Were False And Intended To Sell Books

-- Post-Gazette: PA Lawmakers Renew Stalled Plan To Curb Hospital Closures As Crisis Continues