Wednesday PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 2.25.26

“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: 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 

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

March 2-- NEW. 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]. Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online.

March 2-- NEW. House Energy Committee informational meeting on net metering policies. Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:30 a.m.  to Noon. 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-- NEW. 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-- NEW. 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-- NEW. 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. 

-- PA Shale Gas & Public Health Conference: Supervisor Cindy Fisher - How Cecil Township Adopted 2,500 Foot Setbacks From Shale Gas Well Pads With Extensive Public Involvement Facing Threats And Intimidation  [PaEN] 

-- Ohio Senate Committee Hearing I: Penn State Professor Testifies In Support Of A Ban On The Disposal Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater By Road Dumping  [PaEN] 

-- Ohio Senate Committee Hearing II: Studies By Ohio State Agencies Document Environmental, Health Hazards Of Disposing Of Oil & Gas Wastewater By Road Dumping [PaEN]

-- Ohio Senate Committee Hearing III: Ohio Farmers Union Supports Ban On Disposal Of Oil & Gas Wastewater By Road Dumping To Protect Soil, Livestock, Farm Products From Contamination  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Steelton Natural Gas Pipe Factory To Benefit Entire Commonwealth - By Jim Snell, Steamfitters Local Union 420

-- Centre Daily Times: 162 MW, 908-Acre Solar Energy Facility Proposed On Abandoned Mine Land In Centre County

-- Wellsboro Gazette: Tioga County Planning Commission Approves Plan For Morris Run/Tioga River Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Plant

-- US Army Corps Pittsburgh District, Southwestern PA Commission Host March 9 Public Meeting On Chartiers Creek Flood Risk Study In Allegheny, Washington Counties  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Hempfield Seeks More Information On Easements For Northmont Flood Control Project In Westmoreland

-- Penn State Extension Hosts 5-Part Advanced Stream Repair Webinar Series Starting March 27   [PaEN]   

-- Penn State Researchers Find Some Pesticides Can Slip Through Forested Stream Buffers, Other Natural Protections Into Streams [PaEN]  

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: How To Reduce PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Your Drinking Water

-- The Center Square: Proposed Elk County Trash Train To Landfill Worries Taxpayers

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Pittsburgh City Council OKs Larger Buffer Between Homes, Waste Transfer/Recycling Facilities

-- Triblive: Pittsburgh City Council Bans Waste Transfer Stations Within 500 Feet Of Homes, Schools, Parks

-- Penn State Mining Engineering Professor Barbara Arnold Elected To National Academy Of Engineering

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Philly’s Trails Will Get Dedicated Work Crew For First Time

-- WITF: Gov. Shapiro, Pennsylvania Ag Officials Look To Curb Harshest Bird Flu Outbreak In Decades; 7.48 Million Birds Affected

-- WESA: Gov. Shapiro Says PA Is ‘Epicenter’ Of Nationwide Bird Flu Outbreak

-- WHYY: Winter Blues Got You Down? Plant Native Blooms In Time For Spring With Philly’s Favorite Squid Scientist

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Inquirer: North Coventry Twp. Residents, Leaders Reject A.I. Data Center Plan,  Before It Was Even Formally Submitted In Chester County 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Proposes Behind-The-Meter Reforms To Facilitate Colocating Power Generation For A.I. Data Centers [For Machines, Not People] 

-- Reuters: Constellation Energy Tops Profit Estimates On Robust A.I. Data Center-Driven Power Demand  [For Machines, Not People] 

-- E&E News/Politico: Why The Cost For Powering A.I. Data Centers Will Keep Rising, Despite President’s Pledge

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- TribLive: Democrat A Landslide Winner In Special House Election In Allegheny County

-- Morning Call: Democrat Wins Special House Election In Lehigh Valley

-- Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania Holds Tons Of Special Elections That Cost Taxpayers Millions

-- PennLive: PA Senate Budget Hearings Dig Into $40 Million Post-Arson Work At Governor’s Residence, Shapiro Home

-- AP: Residents Question Police Response To Quakertown H.S. Protests Of President’s ICE Policies After Juveniles Arrested

-- PennLive: President’s Tariffs Cost PA Residents $4 Billion Last Year, Report

-- TribLive Editorial: US Supreme Court Tariff Ruling Spotlights Local Government Limbo

-- TribLive: PA Member Of Congress Summer Lee Delivers Working Families Party’s Response To President’s State Of The Union

-- PA Capital-Star: Warnings That Guardrails Are Needed In PA For A.I. Counseling,  Health Care

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[Posted: February 25, 2026]  PA Environment Digest