Awards/Recognition
-- 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]
-- DEP Eliminates Longstanding Permitting Backlog In 2025, Launches New Bureau of Permitting Coordination [PaEN]
Grants
-- DCED Now Accepting Applications For PA Solar For Schools Grants [PaEN]
-- 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]
Help Wanted
-- Help Wanted: Pennsylvania Sea Grant Part-Time Digital Engagement Specialist [PaEN]
-- Help Wanted: PA County Conservation Districts Are Hiring!
Upcoming Events
-- Penn State's Local Climate Action Program Hosts Feb. 4 Online Info Session For Communities Who Want To Prioritize Climate Action [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension Hosts 3-Part Webinar Series On Ticks And Biting Pests Starting Feb. 18 [PaEN]
-- Pennsylvania Sea Grant Hosts Feb. 23 Webinar On Harmful Algal Blooms For Educators [PaEN]
-- 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]
-- Registration Open! WeConservePA Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference April 29 - May 1 In Lancaster [PaEN]
-- Apply Today! Shipboard Science Immersion For Educators Aboard The U.S. EPA R/V Lake Guardian On Lake Superior! [PaEN]
-- 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
Public Participation
-- Governor’s Regulatory Agenda Includes Update Of Regulations For Conventional Oil & Gas Wells; New Injection Well Controls; Shale Gas Application Fee [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - January 31 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 75 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In January 31 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- Scranton Times: Jermyn Boro To Hold Feb. 5 A.I. Data Center Town Hall In Lackawanna County [PDF of Article]
-- Scranton Times: Archbald Boro To Hold Hearings TODAY, Feb. 11 On 2 Largest A.I. Data Center Proposals [PDF of Article]
Programs/Information
-- DEP Eliminates Longstanding Permitting Backlog In 2025, Launches New Bureau of Permitting Coordination [PaEN]
-- TribLive: Radon Testing Kits Available For Free At Westmoreland County Libraries
-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: If Climate Change Is Warming Winters, How Did Philadelphia Get Over Half A Foot Of Snow?
-- Post-Gazette: PA Turnpike To Test Electric Vehicle Charging Pads At Harrisburg HQ This Year
-- Courier Express: DuBois City Council Moves Forward With Creating Environmental Advisory Council In Clearfield County
-- 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]
-- Erie Times: Erie’s Amazing Ice Dunes Aren’t Safe, Enjoy These Photos Instead
-- 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
-- Erie Times: New Tom Ridge Environmental Center Exhibit Highlights Wetland Wonders At Presque Isle
-- PA iMapInvasives Program News: Critical Needs Identified In Updated Invasive Species Plan; Anglers Help Shape Invasives Strategies; New Year Invasive Species Challenge
-- Reading Eagle: Audubon Christmas Bird Counts Affected By Adverse Weather In Berks
-- Williamsport Sun: Lycoming Audubon Volunteers Counting Birds For Community Science Bird Project
-- 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
A.I./Data Centers
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - February 2 [PaEN]
-- Gov. Shapiro Renews Call On PJM To Extend Electricity Capacity Auction Price Collar Protection To Consumers, Build Lasting Grid Reform [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]
-- 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
-- Utility Dive: Ratepayers, Don’t Expect Electric Bill Relief In 2026: ‘The Cake Is Baked’
-- 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
-- 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]
-- Lancaster Farming: A.I. Data Center Developers Offered Farmer $60,000/Acre; He Preserved The Land Instead In Cumberland County
Winter Storm Fern
-- PJM Interconnection Cold Weather Operations To Continue Thru Feb. 2; Electricity Demands Now Projected To Be Below Record Winter Peak [PaEN]
-- 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]
-- Bloomberg: US Natural Gas Prices Hit Three-Year High After Powerful Winter Storm Disrupts Production, Boosts Heating Demand
-- Independent Fiscal Office Mid-Year Revenue Update: Energy Costs Up 10.6%
Background On Issues
-- 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]
-- 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
-- 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]
-- 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]
-- 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: 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 Issues Air Quality Permit For 15 Natural Gas Generators To Power Iron City Wells, LLC Data Center In Karthaus Twp., Clearfield County [PaEN]
-- The Allegheny Front: Fracking Produces A Lot Of Wastewater, Millions Of Gallons Are Stored Under Eastern Ohio Thru Injection Wells
-- 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
-- Delaware County Times: Chester Mayor Urges Philadelphia To Not Send Trash To His City
-- WHYY: Incinerator Or Landfill? Philadelphia’s Trash Problem
-- PA Capital-Star: Gov. Shapiro Joins Philadelphia Lawsuit Fighting Slavery Memorial’s Removal
Visit the DEP Calendar of Events; PA Parks & Forests Foundation’s Events webpage and DCNR’s Calendar of Events for activities happening near you.
Visit DEP’s Teaching Green webpage to learn about more environmental education resources.
Visit the PA Environment Digest Calendar Of Events for more opportunities.
[Posted: February 1, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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