111 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 111 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!

-- Conestoga River Named Pennsylvania’s 2026 River of the Year; The Conestoga River Club Dedicated The Honor To Ad Crable, A Revered Outdoor Journalist [PaEN]  

-- LancasterOnline: The Conestoga Wins 2026 PA River Of The Year

-- LehighValleyLive: Once Polluted, Conestoga River In Lancaster County Now PA River Of The Year For 2026

-- The Derrick: Oil City Chapter Izaak Walton League Marks 100 Years Of Supporting, Advocating For Conservation, Hunting, Fishing [PDF of Article] 

-- PennLive: Governor’s Budget Address Feb. 3 - PA Gears Up For New Budget Less Than 3 Months After Shapiro Signed Last One

-- You Need To Read This: Highlights Of Shale Gas, Conventional Oil & Gas Compliance Actions During 2025  [PaEN] 

-- Major Challenges Faced By DEP’s Oil And Gas Enforcement Program In 2026  [PaEN] 

-- Governor’s Regulatory Agenda Includes Update Of Regulations For Conventional Oil & Gas Wells; New Injection Well Controls; Shale Gas Application Fee  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Eliminates Longstanding Permitting Backlog In 2025, Launches New Bureau of Permitting Coordination  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Jan. 3 to 30:  56 Conventional Abandoned Well Violations Start The Year; 1.2 Million Gallons Of Drilling Fluid Lost; Shale Water Pipeline Freezes; 1.5 Million Gallons Of Wastewater To Remove  [PaEN 

-- DEP: Eureka Resources Has Until Jan. 31 To Remove All Wastewater From Its 3 Closed Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plants; About 1.5 Million Gallons Of Wastewater Remains In Bradford County Facility  [PaEN] 

-- Williamsport Sun: DEP Conducts Follow-Up Inspection Of Closed Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Facility In Williamsport  [PDF of Article]

-- DEP: Seneca Resources Failed To Submit Area Of Review Reports To Identify Possible Conflicts With Other Wells Prior To Start Of Drilling 4 Shale Gas Wells In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County. 

-- DEP: Day 455 And Counting: Seneca Resources Continues To Release Wastewater, Frack New Shale Gas Wells At Taft Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Owner Of At Least 43 Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Issued Violations For 6 More On State Game Lands In Venango County; Efforts To Locate The Owner Have Been Unsuccessful  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Range Resources Force Heating, Cutting Apart Frozen Polyethylene Shale Gas Water Pipeline To Release Water, Ice In Mount Pleasant Twp., Washington County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Hosts April 15 Webinar On Trenchless Pipeline Construction Guidance After Major Inadvertent Return Incidents In 2025, Including Release Of 1.2 Million Gallons Into Abandoned Mine Voids In Washington County  [PaEN] 

-- New Legislation Announced To Strengthen Spill Response Law In PA After Energy Transfer/Sunoco Jet Fuel Pipeline Rupture In Upper Makefield Twp., Bucks County  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY: PA Lawmakers Push For New Cleanup Law, A Year After Energy Transfer/Sunoco Pipeline Rupture In Upper Makefield Twp., Bucks County 

-- Courier Times: Cong. Fitzpatrick, Officials Still Seek Answers To Energy Transfer/Sunoco Pipeline Rupture In Upper Makefield Twp. Bucks County A Year Later  [PDF of Article]

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Can’t Accept Oil And Gas Companies’ Self-Reporting - By Chris DiGiulio, Physicians For Social Responsibility-PA 

-- Republican Herald: House Passes Legislation To Address Natural Gas Safety After Fatal Reading Chocolate Factory Blast Killed 7 People [PDF of Article]

-- AP: Natural Gas Smell At Bucks County Nursing Home Was Reported Hours Before Deadly Explosion, Report Says 

-- PUC PaOneCall Damage Prevention Committee Issued $473,375 In Penalties To 290 Projects At January Meeting For Violating Underground Pipeline, Utility Notification Rules

-- The Allegheny Front: Fracking Produces A Lot Of Wastewater, Millions Of Gallons Are Stored Under Eastern Ohio Thru Injection Wells 

-- Gov. Shapiro Renews Call On PJM To Extend Electricity Capacity Auction Price Collar Protection To Consumers, Build Lasting Grid Reform  [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection Cold Weather Operations To Continue Thru Feb. 2; Electricity Demands Now Projected To Be Below Record Winter Peak  [PaEN] 

-- Reuters: PJM Suffers 21 GW Of Power Plant Outages Representing 16% Of Demand Amid Restricted Natural Gas Supplies, Frigid Weather 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Winter Storm Fern Freeze-Off Leads To 10-12% Drop In Shale Gas Supply  [PDF of Article]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Winter Storm Fern Stops Nearly All Natural Gas Going To Maryland’s Cove Point, Elba Island, Georgia  LNG Gas Export Facilities Fed By Appalachian States Shale Gas [PDF of Article]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Cove Point, MD, Elba Island, Georgia, Other US LNG Gas Export Facilities IMPORTED Natural Gas From Trinidad And Tobago Due To High Prices During Cold Weather [PDF of Article]

-- Bloomberg: US Natural Gas Prices Hit Three-Year High After Powerful Winter Storm Disrupts Production, Boosts Heating Demand 

-- Bloomberg: Winter Storm Tests US Power Grids As Natural Gas Price Breaks $6 For First Time Since Russia Invaded Ukraine In 2020 - 90% Increase In Last Week

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs-- 19-- First Increase In 8 Weeks

-- Reuters Commentary: When The US Freezes, LNG Natural Gas Market Prices Spike Over 70%

-- Industrial Energy Consumers Of America Urge President To Suspend Spot LNG Gas Exports To Reduce Natural Gas, Electricity Prices And Ensure Grid Reliability 

-- Bloomberg: PJM Gets US DOE OK To Divert Data Center Power To Households 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Does Not Expect To Call On Data Centers To Go To Backup Generation To Get Thru Current Cold Weather Conditions

-- DEP Issues Air Quality Permit For 15 Natural Gas Generators To Power Iron City Wells, LLC  Data Center In Karthaus Twp., Clearfield County  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: Communities Must Prepare If They Want Any Say Over A.I. Data Centers, Lessons Of Springdale, Allegheny County 

-- Scranton Times - Chris Kelly Opinion: On A.I. Data Centers, Officials Need To Read The Room [PDF of Article]

-- WVIA: Archbald Council Hears From Data Center Developer Eyeing 500-Acre Site, Possible Mine Water Use For Cooling In Lackawanna County  

-- Lancaster Farming: A.I. Data Center Developers Offered Farmer $60,000/Acre; He Preserved The Land Instead In Cumberland County

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - February 2  [PaEN] 

-- North American Electric Reliability Corp Report: Electric Power Resource Adequacy Risks Intensify Across North America As Data Center-Driven Demand Surges 24% In 10 Years  [PaEN]

-- NYT: Grids Are Surviving The Winter Storm, But NERC Warns The Next 5 Years Could Be Rough

-- Pittsburgh Public Source: Could Pennsylvania Run Out Of Electricity Due To A.I. Data Center Demands? PJM Won’t Meet Required Power Reserves Starting June 2027 

-- Spotlight PA: PJM Predicts Data Center-Driven Energy Shortfall By Mid-2027

-- Utility Dive: Ratepayers, Don’t Expect Electric Bill Relief In 2026: ‘The Cake Is Baked’ 

-- Independent Fiscal Office Mid-Year Revenue Update: Energy Costs Up 10.6%

-- UGI Gas Seeks 8.7% Increase To Base Delivery Rate 

-- Scranton Times: UGI Gas Seeks Another Gas Rate Hike In March

-- Erie Times: National Fuel Gas Requests 7.4% Hike To Base Delivery Rate

-- National Fuel Gas Requests 7.4% Increase To Base Delivery Rate  

-- National Fuel Gas Increases Default Natural Gas Cost 6.55% Starting Feb. 1

-- WFMJ: National Fuel Gas Increases Natural Gas Cost 6.55% On Feb. 1 

-- DCED Now Accepting Applications For PA Solar For Schools Grants  [PaEN]

-- Penn State's Local Climate Action Program Hosts Feb. 4 Online Info Session For Communities Who Want To Prioritize Climate Action  [PaEN]   

-- Post-Gazette: PA Turnpike To Test Electric Vehicle Charging Pads At Harrisburg HQ This Year 

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: NY, PA To See More Than $200 Million In Federal Funds For Electric Vehicle Chargers In Court Win Over President’s Administration ​​

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvania’s Energy Future Depends On Balance, Not Absolutes - We Need To Grow Renewables, Lead In Protecting Workers, Consumers, Health & Safety Of Our Communities - By Eugene Depasquale, Chair, PA Democratic Party

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: If Climate Change Is Warming Winters, How Did Philadelphia Get Over Half A Foot Of Snow?  

-- WESA: Union Workers Launch Initiative To Research Options For Soon-To-Be Closed Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Defunding Public Media Makes Communities Worse Off

-- TribLive: Pollution Control Equipment At US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Fails Resulting In Elevated Hydrogen Sulfide Levels

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Equipment Failure Leads To Elevated Air Pollution Readings

-- Post-Gazette: Allegheny County Warns Of Limited Pollution From US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Pollution Controls Failure

-- The Allegheny Front: Research Projects Look At Health Of Humans And Dogs 3 Years After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Post-Gazette: East Palestine, OH Trying To Reclaim Its Future 3 Years After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- TribLive: Radon Testing Kits Available For Free At Westmoreland County Libraries 

-- Observer-Reporter: Officials Monitoring Ice Build-Up On Western PA Rivers, No Threat For Ice Jams Just Yet ​​

-- Post-Gazette: As Ice Forces Restrictions On Allegheny River Traffic, Businesses Stuck Waiting

-- Spotlight PA: $2.6 Million In Federal Disaster Recovery Funds For PA Being Held Up By President’s Dept. Of Homeland Security  [Warning] 

-- Great Lakes Protection Fund Accepting Funding Proposals Thru March 18  [PaEN] 

-- Reforesting Appalachia: Suntory Group And Bosland Growth Join Forces To Elevate Hardwood Conservation In Pennsylvania, West Virginia  [PaEN]  

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Maryland Counties Drop Challenge To Conowingo Dam Watershed Restoration Deal

-- Dept. Of Agriculture Invests $2.2 Million In Research On Ag Technology,  Climate, Diseases And The Marketplace

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Feb. 24-25 In-Person Trees, Watersheds And Streams Educators Workshop In Chester County [PaEN]  

-- Penn State Extension Hosts In-Person Educator Workshops On First Investigation Of Stream Health March 18 In Butler County, March 31 In Cumberland County  [PaEN]

-- Apply Today! Shipboard Science Immersion For Educators Aboard The U.S. EPA R/V Lake Guardian On Lake Superior!  [PaEN] 

-- Pennsylvania Sea Grant Hosts Feb. 23 Webinar On Harmful Algal Blooms For Educators  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension Watershed News: PFAS In Surface Water & Fish; Why Are Streams Heating Up; Watershed-Friendly Deicing; Online Learning Opportunities

-- Penn State Extension: Wood & Wildlife News: Forest Health Snapshot: Native Plants & Wildlife Friendly Landscaping; Education Opportunities 

-- DEP Invests $4.1 Million To Support 116 Local Projects To Reduce Food Waste, Increase Food Security Across The State  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Invests $329,583 To Support 6 County Household Hazardous Waste Education, Collection Programs [Berks, Centre, Clinton, Fayette, Lebanon, Susquehanna Counties]

-- TribLive: US Army Corps Of Engineers Seeking Public Input On Project To Cleanup Nuclear Waste Dump In Parks Twp., Armstrong County 

-- Delaware County Times: Chester Mayor Urges Philadelphia To Not Send Trash To His City 

-- WHYY: Incinerator Or Landfill? Philadelphia’s Trash Problem

-- Courier Express: DuBois City Council Moves Forward With Creating Environmental Advisory Council In Clearfield County 

-- Penn State Extension Hosts 3-Part Webinar Series On Ticks And Biting Pests Starting Feb. 18  [PaEN] 

-- WESA: The Nature Conservancy Acquires 279 Acres In Cambria County To Protect Rare Birds 

-- Lancaster Conservancy Transfers 175-Acre Rock Springs Nature Preserve To DCNR To Protect The Future Of Globally Rare Serpentine Barrens In Lancaster County  [PaEN]

-- Natural Lands Finalizes The Protection Of 60 Acres Of Forest In Hopewell Big Woods, Berks County  [PaEN]

-- Lancaster Conservancy Partners With Landowner To Protect 11.6 Acres Of Woodlands In Conoy Township With New Conservation Easement  [PaEN] 

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Game Commission Board Votes For Land Swap Widely Opposed By Limerick Residents

-- WeConservePA Now Accepting Applications For Project Planning Grants  [PaEN]

-- Reading Eagle: Conservationists Voice Concerns Over Proposed Logging At Monocacy Hill In Amity Township

-- PA iMapInvasives Program News: Critical Needs Identified In Updated Invasive Species Plan; Anglers Help Shape Invasives Strategies; New Year Invasive Species Challenge

-- DCNR Invests $1.4 Million To Support 4 Local Projects To Expand, Improve ATV Trails; Next Grant Round Opens Feb. 2 [PaEN] 

-- DCNR Grants News: $82 Million Awarded To 295 Conservation Projects; Nature-Based Economic Development; Water Trail Grants Awarded; Grant Application Dates 

-- Registration Open!  WeConservePA Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference April 29 - May 1 In Lancaster  [PaEN] 

-- Erie Times: Erie’s Amazing Ice Dunes Aren’t Safe, Enjoy These Photos Instead 

-- Erie Times: New Tom Ridge Environmental Center Exhibit Highlights Wetland Wonders At Presque Isle

-- Discover NE PA: Explore Schuylkill County This Season With Outdoor Adventures, Parades and Can’t-Miss Events 

-- PA Capital-Star: Gov. Shapiro Joins Philadelphia Lawsuit Fighting Slavery Memorial’s Removal

-- Inquirer: Federal Judge Chastises President’s Administration At Hearing Over Dismantled Independence Mall Slavery Exhibits; Judge: ‘That’s Horrifying To Listen To,’ ‘That’s Not What We Elected Anybody For’ 

-- Register Now! Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Summer Nature Camps For Students Grade 1-6  [PaEN] 

-- Game Commission: Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area 2026 Event Guide Now Available

-- Reading Eagle: Audubon Christmas Bird Counts Affected By Adverse Weather In Berks

-- Williamsport Sun: Lycoming Audubon Volunteers Counting Birds For Community Science Bird Project

-- AP: Punxsutawney Phil Prepares To Issue His Groundhog Day Weather Verdict From Gobbler’s Knob 

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

REAL Leadership:

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

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[Posted: February 1, 2026]   PA Environment Digest