109 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 109 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!

-- Daily American: Larry Hutchinson, Shade Creek Watershed Assn. In Somerset County, Honored By PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference  

-- WeConserve PA - The Derrick: Baytree Farm Owner Warren Thomas Named Venango County Chamber’s 2025 Citizen Of The Year

-- Stroud Water Research Center: When Local News And Science Go Dark, The River Loses Its Voice   https://stroudcenter.org/news/when-local-news-and-science-go-dark/

-- Post-Gazette: Post-Gazette To Publish Final Edition And Cease Operations On May 3

-- WESA: Experts Talk About Impact Of Post-Gazette Closure

-- PennLive - Nancy Eshelman: Post-Gazette Closure Is A Warning No Community Is Too Big To Lose Its News Source

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: In Defense Of Newspapers

-- TribLive: TribLive’s Enduring Commitment To Pittsburgh News

-- PennLive - John Beauge: Clinton County Record Ceases Publication After 154 Years

-- PA Farm Show 2026 Butter Sculpture Unveiled

-- PennLive: 2026 PA Farm Show Kicks Off With Large Crowds: ‘This Is A Phenomenal Show’

-- Post-Gazette: Pennsylvania Could Lose $200+ Million In Federal Funding For Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Plugging Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Their Owners Under Budget Bill Passed By US House  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette - Laura Legere: US House Spending Bill Cuts $785 Million From Federal Programs To Restore Abandoned Coal Mines, Plug Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Their Owners - A Severe Blow To Pennsylvania’s Cleanup Efforts  [PDF of Article]

-- Appalachian Voices: Coal Community Groups Urge Congress To Reject $500 Million Raid On Abandoned Mine Cleanup Funds; PA Would Lose Over $169 Million  [PaEN]

-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council Meets  Jan. 13 To Hear Update On Oil & Gas Program; Discuss EQB Rulemaking Petition Process; Presentation On Data Centers & Water Use  [PaEN]

-- DEP: MarkWest Liberty Midstream Reports Losing 197,000 Gallons Of Pipeline Drilling Fluid Into Abandoned Mine Voids In 3 Incidents In Washington County; Total Losses Reach 734,600 Gallons  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Issued Lazy Oil Company Violations For Abandoning 12 More Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Butler, Venango Counties  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Report Submitted By CNX Gas Company/Consol Coal Company On Cleanup Of A Major Shale Gas Wastewater Spill In Morris Twp., Greene County Failed To Show It Met  Act 2 Cleanup Standards  [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front: Takeaways From Oil & Gas Industry Waste Investigation In Pennsylvania

-- DEP Invites Comments On Water Quality Permits For Appalachia Midstream 3 Mile Natural Gas Gathering Pipeline In Lycoming County; And A 2nd Natural Gas Gathering Pipeline In Bradford County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Water Quality Permits For The Appalachia To Market 3 Pipeline Project In Adams, York, Bedford Counties; 3 Other Natural Gas Pipeline Projects In Greene And Washington Counties  [PaEN]  

-- TribLive: ‘Long Overdue:’ Tenaska Natural Gas Power Plant Faces Feb. 4 Public Hearing On Air Emissions, Monitoring In Westmoreland County 

-- The Allegheny Front - Rachel McDevitt: PA Environmental Groups Appeal Permit For Massive 4.5 GW Natural Gas Power Plant Meant To Fuel Homer City A.I. Data Campus In Indiana County

-- PennLive: 3rd Person Dies After Natural Gas Explosion At Bucks County Nursing Home

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Lawsuit Claims Bucks County Nursing Home Natural Gas Explosion Could Have Been Prevented; Nursing Home, PECO Failed To Protect People

-- AP: 4 Injured In Bucks County Nursing Home Natural Gas Explosion File Negligence Lawsuit

-- Inquirer: Survivors Of Bucks County Nursing Home Recount Persistent Gas Smell, Lack Of Concern By Staff And A Smoke Break Before Explosion

-- Indiana Gazette: Natural Gas Compressor On Private Property Damaged After A Series Of Five Explosions In Indiana County 

-- Warren Times Editorial: Does The President Have An Actual Strategy For Venezuela?  [Warning]

-- WSJ: Consumers Love Cheap Gasoline, But With More Oil From Venezuela, The Oil Patch Will Pay The Price  [Warning]

-- WashPost: Exxon CEO Calls Venezuela ‘Uninvestable’ Without ‘Significant Changes;’ The Numbers Don’t Add Up  [Warning] 

-- Financial Times: US Oil Groups Warn They Will Need Taxpayer Guarantees To Invest In Venezuela  [Warning]

-- Reuters: Shell Warns Of Loss In Chemicals And Products Unit, Weak Trading Results [Beaver County Petrochemical Plant]  [Warning]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Consent Decree Covering Wastewater Discharges To Continue Operation Of The Keystone And Conemaugh Coal-Fired Power Plants In Indiana And Armstrong Counties  [PaEN]  

-- Pit & Quarry: MSHA: US Mining Industry Finishes 2025 With 33 Fatalities; 2 In Pennsylvania 

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Supreme Court Dismisses Appeals To Revive RGGI Carbon Pollution Reduction Program [Part Of State Budget Deal]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Constitutional Amendment Demands Climate Action Now - By John Dernbach, Professor Emeritus, Widener University Law School 

-- PA Environmental Council In Case You Missed It In December  [PaEN]  

-- Centre Daily Times - Climate Watch: New Solar Projects And More Climate News From Around Pennsylvania

-- Altoona Mirror: PennDOT Advises Caution As Highland North Wind Farm Windmill Blade Superloads Move Through Blair, Cambria Counties 

-- Green Building Alliance Hosts Jan. 13 Online Roundtable On Restoring, Renovating Commercial Buildings Using C-PACE Financing  [PaEN] 

-- Planet Philadelphia Radio Show: Jan. 16 - Life Without Cars? 4:00 p.m. 

-- Help Wanted: Allegheny County Dept. Of Sustainability Financial And Administration Coordinator 

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - January 12  [PaEN] 

-- PennFuture News: There Isn’t Enough Energy For You And A.I. Data Centers In The PJM Grid, So Who Gets It? 

-- Canary Media: Is The US Headed Toward An Electricity Crisis Of Its Own Making As A Result Of A.I. Data Center Demand, President’s Policies? 

-- Washington & Jefferson College: Electric Bills Will Continue To Rise After PJM Auction Due To A.I. Data Center Power Demand Increases

-- Spotlight PA: As PA Energy Prices Rise, Advocates Skeptical That Lawmakers Will Put Aside Partisan Differences

-- TribLive: Pittsburgh Area Dollar Energy Fund Sees Requests For Heating Assistance Double From Last Year 

-- Observer-Reporter: Keeping Warm While Saving Energy Amid Rising Utility Costs 

-- TribLive: PA Consumers Have Options To Save On Utility Bills This Winter  

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: A Training Center In Homewood Teaches Home Energy Efficiency

-- Vistra Corp Buys 2 More PA Natural Gas Power Plants; Facebook/Meta Buys 20 Years Of Power From Beaver Valley Nuclear Plant; 18 PA Power Plants Now Locked Up To Feed A.I. Data Centers  [PaEN]

-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy Podcast: Why A New Natural Gas Power Boom Is Putting Methane Emissions Back In The Spotlight - By Mark Brownstein, EDF, Andy Stone, Kleinman Center

-- The Daily Yonder: The A.I. Data Center Rush In Appalachia, Rural Communities Push Back 

-- Wash Post: A.I. Data Center Rebellion Is Here And It’s Reshaping The Political Landscape  [PA Highlighted]  [PDF of Article] 

-- Sen. Boscola To Introduce 6-Bill Package To Protect Pennsylvania Communities And Ratepayers From Large-Scale A.I. Data Centers Rapidly Expanding Across The State  [PaEN] 

-- Republican Herald Editorial: State Must Aggressively Seek Regulations Specific To A.I. Data Centers [PDF of Article] 

-- Lancaster Farming: PA Congressmen Seek Silver Lining On Rural A.I. Data Centers,  Concerned About Impact On Farmland, Rural Economy   [PDF of Article]

-- PJM Interconnection: 2025 Year In Review Part II: PJM Revised Market Rules With Goal Of Supporting Efficiency, Increasing Generation Resources  [PaEN]

-- DEP Improves Protections For Communities By Increasing Public Engagement Through New Environmental Justice Policy, Updated PennEnviroScreen EJ Tool  [PaEN] 

-- The Center Square: Updated DEP Environmental Justice Policy At Odds With President’s Agenda 

-- Governor: 2025 Impact Report Shows How PA Is Delivering Faster Permitting, Supporting Business Development, Creating New Economic Opportunity [DEP Permitting Included]

-- Sen. Gene Yaw Elected Chair Of Interstate Chesapeake Bay Commission  [PaEN] 

-- Delaware County Conservation District, Volunteers, Watershed Groups Plant 700+ Trees, Shrubs In Prospect Park Boro, Ridley Township  [PaEN] 

-- Registration Open! 29th Annual Watershed Congress March 28 At Alvernia University, Berks County [PaEN] 

-- Stroud Water Research Center UpStream News: Open Source Hardware Solves Flood Monitoring Challenges; When Local News And Science Go Dark, The River Loses Its Voice  

-- Three Rivers WaterKeeper 2025 Annual Report

-- Post-Gazette: How Testing Allegheny County’s Wastewater Tracks Fentanyl, Xylazine And More Substances 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship: Groups Say FERC Erred In Preliminary Approval Of Cuffs Run Susquehanna River Pump-Storage Hydroelectric Project In York County 

-- PUC Report Makes Recommendations Coming Out Of April/May Storms In The Greater Pittsburgh, State College Areas Causing 679,000 Electric Customers To Lose Power  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: PUC Assesses How Electric Companies Handled Deadly April Storms 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Duquesne Light, FirstEnergy Face PUC Scrutiny In Wake Of April Power Outages

-- Post-Gazette: As Severe Weather Increasingly Upends Lives, Forecasters Are Working Closer With Pittsburgh Emergency Managers

-- WHYY: Thousands Of Bucks, Montgomery County Residents Live In Flood Zones; A New Study Of Perkiomen Watershed Suggests Ways To Lower The Risk ​​

-- The Guardian: President Has Left US Less Prepared For Natural Disasters, Experts Say  [Warning]

-- DEP Provides Update On A&M Composting Facility Fire In Lancaster County

-- Reminder! Keep PA Beautiful Litter Hawk Youth Award Entries Due January 31  [PaEN]

-- Morning Call Letter: Pennsylvania Road Litter Gives State A Bad Image - By Mark Porcaro, Palmer Township, Northampton County

-- PennEnvironment Year End Update On 2025 Accomplishments

-- Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy Partners With Landowner Allen Jones To Conserve 230 Acres In Snyder, Mifflin Counties  [PaEN] 

-- Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy Partners With Robin Read, John Bierley To Conserve 116 Acres In Lycoming County  [PaEN]

-- Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy Partners With Landowner Allen Jones To Conserve 230 Acres In Snyder, Mifflin Counties  [PaEN] 

-- Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy Partners With Robin Read, John Bierley To Conserve 116 Acres In Lycoming County  [PaEN]

-- Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, Parrish Family Partner To Preserve 91 Acres In Franklin County  [PaEN]

-- Natural Lands Partners To Preserve 23.4 Acres In East Bradford Twp., Chester County  [PaEN]

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Radnor Twp. Moves To Acquire 14 Acres Of Valley Forge Military Academy By Eminent Domain For New Recreation Center, Park In Delaware County 

-- The Nature Conservancy Pennsylvania Nature News: 2025 Brought Healthy Soils, Thriving Yields, Cleaner Water; Try Snowshoeing At Long Pond Preserve 

-- Reminder: Foundation For Sustainable Forests Jan. 16 Woods & Waters Virtual Film Series, 6:30 p.m. 

-- Reminder! Register Now For Penn State Extension 9-Part Woods In Your Backyard Webinar Series Jan. 14 to March 11 

-- Penn State Extension Home Garden News: Dig Into Gardening Learning Series; Garden Planning With Canning In Mind; Master Gardener Program Accomplishments

-- Wildlife Leadership Academy To Host Online Info Sessions Jan. 13, Feb. 4 For Students, Parents, Nominators On Summer Residential Field Experiences For Students 14 to 17  [PaEN] 

-- WESA: Wildlife, Forestry Programs At Closing DuBois, Mont Alto Campuses Will Move To Penn State Altoona

-- Delaware Highlands Conservancy Accepting College Scholarship Applications  [PaEN]

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: How Nature Is Fostering Kids’ Creativity In Philadelphia

-- Williamsport Sun/Spotlight PA: Battle For Heart, Health Of Allegheny National Forest [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times: Up A Tree: From High Peaks In 67 Counties, Van Wagner Sees The Beauty And Value Of Forests   [PDF of Article]   

-- Penn State Extension: Everybody Walk Across Pennsylvania Program - April 6 to June 1  [PaEN] 

-- PA Environmental Council Awards $35,000 In PA Water Trail Mini-Grants To Support 7 Local Projects  [PaEN]

-- PA Office Of Outdoor Recreation Hosts Jan. 21 Webinar On Economic Impact Of Outdoor Recreation  [PaEN]  

-- Warren Times: Therapist Takes Clinic To The Outdoors

-- Susquehanna Greenway Partnership: Quick Guide To Winter Hiking

-- TribLive: ATV, UTV Permit Process Streamlined For Gilpin, Bethel, Parks Townships, Allegheny County

-- KYW: ATVs Tear Up Sports Fields In Delaware County Causing Thousands In Damage

-- TribLive: Derry Plans To Spotlight Bigfoot At Proposed New Borough Park In Westmoreland County 

-- Observer-Reporter: 2 Washington County Parks Accepting Christmas Trees For Fish Habitats

-- Williamsport Sun: Watershed Journey To Be Featured At Jan. 14 Trout Unlimited Susquehanna Chapter Meeting

-- WFMJ: Shenango River Watchers Host Jan. 10 Eagle Fest 2026 At Shenango River Lake In Mercer County 

-- GantNews: Young Artists Invited To Showcase Wild Birds Of Pennsylvania In Seneca Rocks Audubon Art Contest In Clairon, Deadline March 21  

-- Warren Times - Audubon Community Nature Center: In Harsh Winter, Birds Add Life To Outdoors [PDF of Article]

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: PA Researchers Will Be First In The Country To Create A Firefly Inventory, Supported By DCNR Grant

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

REAL Leadership:

-- 109 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 89 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 6,365 Stories In 2025 - Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 5,895 Stories In 2024 - Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 4,258 Stories In 2023 - Environmental & Conservation Leadership PA 

-- 3,190 Stories In 2022 - Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

[Posted: January 11, 2026]   PA Environment Digest