In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - January 16

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

Federal Action

-- Gov. Shapiro Secures Federal Support To Extend PJM Electric Generation Auction Price Cap; Call For Emergency PJM Auction To ‘Build Big Power Plants Again’  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Interconnection Board Proposes Its Own New Plan To Integrate A.I. Data Centers, Large Loads Into Grid To Maintain Reliability  [PaEN]

-- AP: How The White House And Governors Want To Fix A.I.- Drive Power Shortages, Price Spikes

-- Reuters: White House Seeks Emergency Power Auction For Largest US Electric Grid [PJM]

-- Bloomberg: President Says He’ll Make Tech Firms Pay For Power; Calls For Emergency Electricity Auction In PJM

-- Utility Dive: US DOE, Interior Push PJM To Hold ‘Emergency’ Auction To Supply Data Centers

-- TribLive: Dina Powell McCormick, Wife Of PA US Sen. Dave McCormick, Named Meta [Facebook] President

-- Post-Gazette: Sen. McCormick Says He Will Recuse Himself From Issues Specific To Facebook/Meta With His Wife’s New Role As Meta President

-- Utility Dive: US Senate Bill Would Exempt Fully Isolated A.I. Data Centers, Other Large Loads From FERC, DOE Regulation

State Legislation

-- House Energy Committee To Consider Bill Giving PUC More Authority To Regulate A.I. Data Centers Jan. 26;  Hearings On Related Bills Jan. 26 and Feb. 2  [PaEN]  

-- City & State PA Guest Essay: Your Energy Bill Keeps Rising, Here’s What We Can Do About It - By Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia), Majority Chair, House Energy Committee  

Politics

-- Spotlight PA: Many PA Residents Don’t Want A.I. Data Centers In Their Communities; PA State Leaders Are Welcoming Them

-- WITF: Republican Candidate For Governor Stacy Garrity Says ‘A Lot Of Areas’ In Rural PA Could House Data Centers For A.I. Growth 

-- E&E News/Politico: Energy Set To Dominate State Politics In Runup To Midterm Elections [PA Highlighted]  [PDF of Article]

Energy Costs

-- PennLive Guest Essay: PA Ratepayers Shouldn’t Be Subsidizing Power Lines For Maryland, DC - By Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill

-- AP: Microsoft Pushes Big Tech To ‘Pay Our Way’ For A.I. Data Centers Amid Rising Opposition  [PA Highlighted] 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: US EIA Predicts Price Of Natural Gas To Dip 2% In 2026, Increase 33% In 2027 Driven By LNG Gas Exports [PDF of Article]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Expand Energy CEO: Natural Gas Drillers Won’t Add New Production At $3.50 Gas Price-- $4.00 to $4.50 Is Needed To ‘Activate Supply Growth’  [PDF of Article]

-- YaleEnvironment360: US LNG Gas Exports Are Pushing Energy Bills Higher, Report Finds

-- BBC: ‘I Had No Electricity For 6 Months:’ US Families Struggle With Soaring Energy Prices  

Grid

-- Utility Dive: PJM Updates 20-Year Forecast Of Electricity Demand Growth, Reducing Short Term Growth Estimates By Up To 2.6%, Increasing 2035 Estimate By 3.3%  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Interconnection: 2025 Year In Review Part III: Planning Prepares For Burgeoning A.I. Data Center Electricity Demand  [PaEN]

-- Wall Street Journal: America’s Biggest Power Grid Operator [PJM] Has An A.I. Program - Too Many Data Centers Threaten To Max Out Generation Capacity, Rate Increases Anger Consumers  [PDF of Article] 

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Cold Weather Alerts For Jan. 19 - Western Region; Jan. 20 Entire Regional Electric Grid [PaEN] 

Generation

-- WPSU/The Allegheny Front: Facebook/Meta Reaches Agreement To Buy Electricity From Beaver Valley Nuclear Plant To Fuel A.I. Data Centers

-- Beaver Times: Beaver Valley Nuke Plant Will Help Power Facebook/Meta In Region; What To Know

-- Public News Service: Clean Energy Boom Adding Much-Needed Electric Generating Capacity To Grid In PA Threatened As Federal Funding Stalls  

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: EOS Energy Storage Company Calls A.I. Data Centers An ‘Accelerant’ For Company’s Batteries

-- Talen Energy Buys 3 Natural Gas Power Plants In Ohio, Indiana To Service Growing Data Center Demand  [Locks Up More Power For Data Centers]

Land Use

-- Scranton Times - Chris Kelly Opinion: A.I. Data Centers Call For Hawks, Not Canaries [PDF of Article] 

-- Scranton Times - Chris Kelly Opinion: DEP Hearing Exposes Gravity Of The ‘Comically Speculative Nature’ Of A.I. Data Center Development  [PDF of Article] 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Dallas Twp. , Luzerne County Residents Fill Public Hearing Space In Support Of A.I. Data Center Zoning Ordinance Limiting Centers To Industrial Zones

-- The Citizens Voice: Dallas Twp. Holding Hearing TODAY At 5:30 On A.I. Data Center Zoning Ordinance To Allow Centers In Industrial Zones In Luzerne County [PDF of Article] 

-- Scranton Times: Dozens Of Residents Pack Ransom Twp. Meeting To Oppose A.I. Data Center In Lackawanna County [PDF of Article]

-- The Citizens’ Voice: New Luzerne County A.I Data Center Economic Development Division Would Help Deal With Growing Demand To Build Centers [PDF of Article] 

-- The Citizens Voice: Amazon Seeks To Discharge Used A.I. Data Center Water Into Susquehanna River In Luzerne County [PDF of Article]

-- TribLive: TECfusions Announces First Tenant In Upper Burrell Twp. A.I. Data Center In Allegheny County; 10 MW Needed, Scaling Up To 1 GW 

-- DEP Issues Air Quality Permit For 176 - 3.25 MW Backup Diesel Generators For A.I. Data Center Project In City Of Lancaster 

Impacts

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Will Homer City, An Old Pennsylvania Coal Town, Get A Reboot From 3,200 Acre A.I. Data Center Campus? 

-- Sustainable Pittsburgh Hosts Feb. 3 Webinar On A.I. Data Centers - Energy, Infrastructure, Policy Implications  [PaEN] 

-- ReImagine Appalachia Hosts Feb. 5 Webinar On Catching Heat: Opportunities, Challenges Of Using Waste Heat From A.I. Data Centers  [PaEN]

-- WNEP: Luzerne County Community College, Amazon Host A.I. Data Center Jobs Information Session 

-- AP: US Carbon Pollution Rose In 2025, Experts Blame Cold Weather, High Natural Gas Prices, Data Centers

Public Comments

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Jan. 29 Hearing On Water Withdrawal Requests, Including Amazon Data Center; And Statement Of Investment Policy  [PaEN] 

-- DEP To Hold Feb. 17 Meeting/Hearing On Revised Water Quality Permit For 1,300 Acre Project Hazelnut A.I. Data Center Project In Hazle Twp., Luzerne County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Federal Coastal Zone Consistency Determination For The Canada-US Lake Erie Electric Transmission Line Project, Landfall Erie County, PA  [PaEN]  

A.I. Policy

-- Penn State Extension Launches A.I. Agricultural Information Assistant Tilva™   [PaEN] 

-- NPR: Risks Of Using A.I. In Schools Outweigh The Benefits, New Brookings Institution Report Says

-- TribLive Guest Essay: A.I. Needs National Guardrails [Not State Regulation] - By PA Chamber of Business & Industry

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: President Won’t Create Safeguards For A.I. So PA Legislators Must - By Rep. Melissa Shusterman

[Posted: January 16, 2026]  PA Environment Digest