Wednesday PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 2.18.26

“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 will be held February 23-26, and March 2

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 will be held February 23-26, and March 2

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 

TODAY 10:00: Agenda Posted. DEP Aggregate Advisory Board meeting. 10:00 a.m. Contact: Daniel E. Snowden (717) 783-8846 or RA-EPMININGADVISORY@pa.gov. 

February 19-- In-Person/Online. PA League Of Women Voters, Duquesne University Host Shale Gas & Public Health Conference.  Pittsburgh.  8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. 

February 19-- Agenda Posted. DEP Climate Change Advisory Committee meeting. 9:00 a.m. Contact: Lindsay Byron lbyron@pa.gov. 

February 26-- Senate Appropriations Committee budget hearing: 1:00 - Department of Environmental Protection.

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.

-- Wednesday, Feb. 18: DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Action Day For Susquehanna Valley, Lehigh Valley, Southeastern PA

-- Post-Gazette - Laura Legere: PJM Interconnection Agrees To Extend Price Cap That Has Tamped Down Surging Electricity Prices  

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: PJM Grid Operator Plans To Cap Electricity Auction Costs For 2 More Years 

-- PA Capital-Star: Grid Operator PJM Agrees To Extension Of Electricity Auction Price Cap

-- Reuters: PJM To Extend Electricity Capacity Auction Price Cap For 2 Years, PA Governor Says

-- Utility Dive: PJM Board Approves $11.8 Billion In Electric Transmission Line Expansion Projects; $1.7 Billion NextEra/Exelon PA Project Opposed By PA Consumer Advocate

-- NextEra Energy/Exelon Welcome PJM Board Approval Of 220 Mile Electric Transmission Line

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Pennsylvania Spent Big On A ‘Petrochemical Renaissance,’ It Never Arrived  

-- Beaver Times: Shell Petrochemical Plant Struggles, Seeks Buyer Amid Job, Profit Concerns 

-- PennLive: Girardville, Schuylkill County Struggles To Conquer The Curse Of Coal As It Literally Crumbles Away  [Part I] 

-- PennLive: Girardville, Schuylkill County Coal Town A ‘Blank Slate’ For Spanish Speaking  Newcomers From Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Can They Spur A Rebirth? [Part II] 

-- Warren Times: DEP Progresses In Plugging 18 Conventional Oil Wells Abandoned By Their Owners At Chapman Dam State Park  [PDF of Article]

-- Reuters: Solar Energy On The Rise In Gas-Rich Pennsylvania  

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Pittsburgh’s Poor Neighborhoods Are Hotter Due To More Asphalt, Fewer Trees, CMU Study Finds  

 

-- Planet Philadelphia Radio Program Feb. 20: What’s Needed To Solve Climate Change? With Dr. Mark Z. Jacobson, 4:00 p.m.

-- Republican Herald: Shenandoah Boro Declares Disaster Emergency After Aqua Pennsylvania Shuts Down Drinking Water Plant Due To Water Leaks Without Warning

-- The Allegheny Front/WESA: Three Rivers WaterKeeper Says ‘Alarming’ Levels Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ From Pittsburgh Airport Are Being Discharged Into Montour Run Watershed

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Overshadowed By PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals;’ PCBs Remain A Toxic Threat To Chesapeake Bay Watershed Waters

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Proposed Chesapeake Bay Program Restructuring To Meet Revised Cleanup Goals Expected By Summer 

-- Foundation For PA Watersheds Now Accepting Applications For New Round Of Grants; Feb. 18 Webinar  [PaEN] 

-- Master Watershed Steward Stephen Hinds Helps Restore Riverbanks In Delaware County  [PaEN] 

-- The Derrick: Venango County To Host Electronics Waste Recycling Event Feb. 28

-- Spotlight PA: Gov. Shapiro Warns President’s ICE Wastewater, Water And Other State Approvals For Proposed Detention Centers May Not Qualify For Needed Permits

-- DEP Linkedin: Dam Safety Division Achieves Major Inspection Milestones In 2025 While Strengthening Public Protection [PDF of Article] 

-- The Allegheny Front: What’s Special About Conestoga River, PA’s 2026 River Of The Year

-- Post-Gazette: New Initiative Aims To Keep Pittsburgh’s Riverfronts Clean And Accessible 

-- Pennsylvania Invests Nearly $7.1 Million To Protect 1,905 Acres Of Farmland On 25 Farms In 17 Counties  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR Unveils Master Plan For New Big Elk Creek State Park In Chester County  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR To Host Feb. 25 Virtual Public Meeting To Discuss Presque Isle State Park, Erie Bluffs State Park, Tom Ridge Environmental Center Master Plan In Erie  [PaEN]  

-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Now Accepting Applications For Grants To Support Local River Sojourns  [PaEN]

-- PA Wilds Center Seeking Partnerships For Paid, Story-Driven Creator Placements Focused On Outdoor Recreation, Small Towns, Authentic Experiences Across The PA Wilds

-- ABC27: New Juniata River Canal Driving Trail Features 125 Miles Of History  

-- Inquirer: Historic Chester County Bridge Will Be Rehabbed To Extend A Scenic Trail

-- DCNR Linkedin: Recognizing Roots In New Growth: Ralph Brock’s Impact - Present And Future - New StoryMap [PDF of Article] 

-- TribLive: Panhandle Trail Extension Receives $850,000 Boost In Allegheny County  

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Extending Panhandle Trail To Carnegie Would Provide Benefits For All

-- The Derrick: Seneca Rocks Audubon Society Hosts March 11 ‘Leave No Trace’ Program In Clarion

-- Inquirer: President’s Administration Appeals Federal Court Ruling Ordering Restoration Of Slavery Exhibits In Philadelphia

-- Inquirer: History, Conservation Groups Suing President’s Administration Over Censorship At National Parks

-- Republican Herald: Red Creek Wildlife Center Helping Animals Struggling To Survive Winter

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Scranton Times: Lackawanna County Commissioner Urges 3-Year State Moratorium On A.I. Data Center Development [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times Chris Kelly Opinion: Wyoming Valley Rings With Echoes Of A.I. Data Center Exploitation [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times: Carbondale’s Proposed A.I. Data Center Regulations Allow Nuclear Reactors [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times: Dickson City Adopts A.I. Data Center Regulations, Halts Bell Mountain Campus   [PDF of Article]

-- Scranton Times: ‘Data Centers Are Coming:’ Developer Proposing 18 Data Center Buildings Addresses Archbald At Public Hearing  [PDF of Article]

-- PennLive: Proposed Cumberland County A.I. Data Center Secures $14.1 Million Water Deal With Middlesex Twp. Municipal Authority For 400,000 Gallons/Day 

 

-- KDKA: Beaver Valley Could Become Center Of A.I. Infrastructure For Region; Aligned Plans 2 Natural Gas Power Plants To Power Data Centers [For Machines, Not People] 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Clean Energy Roundtable Focuses On Electricity Supplies, Rising Utility Bills, Data Centers 

-- AP: As Electricity Costs Rise, Everyone Wants A.I. Data Centers To Pick Up Their Tab, But How?  

-- Wall Street Journal: Land Grab For A.I. Data Centers Is One More Obstacle To Much-Needed, And Affordable Housing In Northern Virginia

-- Financial Times: President’s A.I. Data Center Push Fuels Revolt In MAGA Heartlands

Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Explosion

-- TribLive: US Steel Fined $118,000 By OSHA For Safety Lapses In Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Fatal Explosion 

-- WESA/AP: OSHA Flags Safety Shortcomings That ‘Exposed’ Workers To Explosion At US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works

Train Derailments

-- Altoona Mirror Editorial: Open Talks With Railroads On Safety Important

Federal Administration

-- The Allegheny Front: What The End Of The Climate ‘Endangerment Finding’ Means For Pennsylvania

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Spotlight PA: State Treasury Officials Question Whether Taxpayers Can Legally Pay For Security Upgrades At Shapiro’s Family Home

-- The Center Square: Shapiro Charged Taxpayers For Luxury Hotels, Critics Question Spending

-- Spotlight PA: State Election Officials Warn President-Backed Federal Voting Bill May Be Impossible To Implement By 2026

-- WITF/Votebeat: What If Everyone Had To Prove Their Citizenship To Register To Vote? 

-- WITF: PA Congressional Republicans Pass US House Bill Restricting Voting, Now Moves To US Senate

-- Inquirer: PA Republican Sen. McCormick Says Chester County’s Voter Roll Problems Proves Need For National Election Rules County Says That Won’t Solve Their Problems

-- Post-Gazette: Struggling McKean County Hospital Prepares To Close

-- Inquirer: How Federal Food Stamp Cuts Are Taking A Toll On Thousands Of Pennsylvanians Losing Benefits: ‘I Fell Into A Downward Spiral’

-- LancasterOnline Editorial: County Law Enforcement Agencies Should Follow Quarryville Police In Exiting Agreements With President’s ICE

-- Spotlight PA: Gov. Shapiro Warns President’s ICE Wastewater, Water And Other State Approvals For Proposed Detention Centers May Not Qualify For Needed Permits

-- PA Capital- Star: Communities In PA And Other States Fight President’s ICE Detention Centers, But Have Few Tools To Stop Them

-- AP: Pennsylvania Man Cleared After 43 Years In Prison For Murder Denied Bail During Deportation Fight With President’s ICE

-- Inquirer: How Philadelphia Churches, Neighborhood Groups Are Preparing To Confront President’s ICE  

Click Here for latest PA Environmental News

Like PA Environment Digest on Facebook

Follow PA Environment Digest on Twitter  

Read Weekly PA Environment Digest

Diversity - Equity - Inclusion

[Posted: February 18, 2026]  PA Environment Digest