PA Environment Digest Blog: Saturday 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

Budget Hearings: Thru March 5

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

-- Committee Schedule

House Voting Schedule

Budget Hearings: Thru March 12

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

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

March 2-- House Energy Committee meets to consider House Bill 2150 (Mullins-D- Lackawanna) requiring energy consumption and water use by data centers [Draft Amendment], House Bill 2151 (Donahue-D-Lackawanna) directing DCED to develop Model Data Center Zoning Ordinance and provide assistance to municipalities [Draft Amendment #1 Draft Amendment #2]. Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online. Read more here.

March 2-- Agenda Posted.. House Energy Committee informational meeting on net metering policies. Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:30 a.m. to Noon. Copies Of Testimony. Click Here to watch online.

March 2-- House Appropriations Committee budget hearing: 1:00 - Departments of Environmental Protection and Conservation and Natural Resources. Click Here to watch live.

March 3-- Senate Appropriations Committee budget hearing: 1:00 - Public Utility Commission.

March 5-- House Appropriations Committee budget hearing: 1:00 - Public Utility Commission. Click Here to watch live.

March 16-- House Energy Committee hearing on House Bill 2223 (Fiedler-D- Philadelphia) advanced transmission technologies [Draft Bill], House Bill 2225 (Davidson) virtual power plants [Draft Bill] Room G-50 Irvis Building. Noon to 2:30 p.m. Click Here to watch online.

March 18-- CANCELED. Rescheduled for April 30. DEP Oil & Gas Technical Advisory Board meeting. 10:00 a.m. Contact: Todd M. Wallace twallace@pa.gov. (formal notice)

March 23-- House Energy Committee informational meeting on the PA Energy Development Authority. Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Click Here to watch online.

March 24-- House Energy Committee hearing on House Bill 2076 (Venkat-D-Allegheny) establishing a regulatory framework for geothermal energy for residential, commercial and industrial uses. Room B-31 Main Capital. 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online.

April 16-- DCED PA Grade Crude [Oil] Development Advisory Council meeting. Penn State, State College. 10:00. Contact: Adam Walters 717-214-6548 or adwalters@pa.gov.

-- House Energy Committee Meets March 2 On A.I. Data Center Disclosure, Model Ordinance Bills; Sets Hearings On Net Metering; Virtual Power Plants; Geothermal Energy; Transmission Line Tech [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For CDE Acquisitions, LLC 412 Acre, 6 Building, 5 Million Square Foot A.I. Data Center Campus In South Whitehall Twp., Lehigh County [PaEN]

-- Sen. Santarsiero Introduces Bill To Define Obligations Of Pipeline Owners, Anyone Discharging Hazardous Substances To Clean Up Spills, Releases [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - February 28 [PaEN]

-- DEP Publishes Corrected Notice Of Shell Petrochemical Plant Air Quality Plan Approval March 19 Meeting, April 7 Hearing In Beaver County [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 72 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In February 28 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

-- DEP Sets March 31 Hearing On Air Quality Permit For The BASF Corp Monaca Plant In Beaver County [PaEN]

-- PUC Damage Prevention Committee Issues $163,550 In Penalties To 120 Companies For Violation PA1Call Law

-- PA Capital-Star: State Senators Grill PA DEP Head On Efforts To Speed New Power Plant Permitting; Energy Affordability Key Concern Of Secretary

-- The Derrick: Aqua Pennsylvania Boil Water Advisory Now Lifted For Venango Water Company Customers In Reno, Venango County [Water System Impacted By 2023 Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill] [PaEN]

-- Morning Call: After All The Snow, Why Is The Lehigh Valley Still In A Drought?

-- DCNR State Parks Environmental Ed News: Begin The Transition From Hibernation To Spring Fever [PaEN]

-- Feb. 27 Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation Now Available

-- The Allegheny Front: Pine Creek Rail Trail Named PA’s Trail Of The Year

-- State Agencies Issue Do Not Eat Advisory For Fish From Briar Creek (Columbia County) And Middle Spring Creek (Cumberland, Franklin Counties) [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front: Monarch Butterflies, Hellbender Salamanders Await Federal Endangered Species Protection

A.I. /Data Centers

-- House Energy Committee Meets March 2 On A.I. Data Center Disclosure, Model Ordinance Bills; Sets Hearings On Net Metering; Virtual Power Plants; Geothermal Energy; Transmission Line Tech [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For CDE Acquisitions, LLC 412 Acre, 6 Building, 5 Million Square Foot A.I. Data Center Campus In South Whitehall Twp., Lehigh County [PaEN]

-- Republican Herald: Community Meeting March 2 In Kline Township On Proposed Amazon Data Center In Schuylkill County PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times: Data Center Developers Join Archbald Boro To Defend Zoning Ordinance Against Residents’ Court Appeal [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times: Scranton Materials Appeals Ransom Twp. Denial Of A.I. Data Center Zoning Change [PDF of Article]

-- Observer-Reporter: A.I. Data Center Ordinance Draws Crowd In South Strabane Twp. Public Meeting In Washington County [PDF of Article]

-- TribLive Editorial: Alcoa Sale Of 10 Sites For A.I. Data Centers Signals New Industrial Revolution - From Making Aluminum To Managing Data

-- Gov. Shapiro: Launching New A.I. Literacy Toolkit, A.I. Enforcement Task Force On Safe Use Of A.I., Protect Pennsylvanians From Bad Actors

-- Attorney General Sunday Embraces Collaboration In Combatting Harmful Tech, A.I. Use

-- The Allegheny Front: Ohio Towns Pushing Back Against A.I. Data Centers To Varying Degrees Of Success

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Inspection of two Allegany Resource Dev. LLC conventional wells in Keating Twp., McKean County found them abandoned and not plugged. DEP inspection report. Total of 15 abandoned conventional well violations so far this week.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Oil & Gas MGMT Inc. failed to clean up conventional oil and gas well spill site in Mount Pleasant Twp., Westmoreland County for 95 days and counting. No response to inspections, violations by owner. DEP inspection report.

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $2.98 Ohio- $2.79 PA- $3.11

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs-- 20-- Same As Last Week

-- TribLive Guest Essay: 10 Years Of US LNG Gas Exports - Why Pennsylvania Matters More Than Ever - By Jim Welty, Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition

-- Impact Of LNG Gas Exports: Independent Fiscal Office Reports 2025 PA Natural Gas Production Up 5.1% Over 2024; Average Natural Gas Prices Up 70.9% From 2024 [PaEN]

Federal Administration

-- Republican Herald Guest Essay: Tariffs Fostered The Anthracite Coal Industry, Now They Must Protect It - By William Rich, Reading Anthracite Company

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Gov. Shapiro: Launching New A.I. Literacy Toolkit, A.I. Enforcement Task Force On Safe Use Of A.I., Protect Pennsylvanians From Bad Actors

-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro Announces Safeguards From Predatory A.I. Practices

-- Attorney General Sunday Embraces Collaboration In Combatting Harmful Tech, A.I. Use