Awards/Recognition
-- Warren Times - Audubon Community Nature Center: Spotlighting The Women Of Nature [PDF of Article]
-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Taylor Allderdice High School Students In Pittsburgh Are Raising $5,000 To Fund A Well Done Foundation Project To Plug A Conventional Oil & Gas Well To Reduce Methane Emissions
-- Penn State Extension Watershed Winds News: Stroud Water Center Recognized; Livestock Fencing; Rain Barrel Kits; Online Learning Opportunities
-- Earth Day 2026: PA Resources Council Invites Participation In Gene Capaldi Lens On Litter Photo Contest To Put The Spotlight On The Litter Problem [PaEN]
Grants
-- PA Sea Grant: Apply For 2027 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship By June 3
-- Observer-Reporter: Washington County Community Foundation Offering $250,000 Higher Education, Trade School Scholarships
-- DCNR, Agriculture Announce The Opening Of The PA Invasive Replace-ive Program To Encouraging Replacing Invasive Species With Native Trees, Scrubs In Landscape Plantings; March 26 Webinar [PaEN]
Help Wanted
-- Penn State Master Watershed Stewards: Call For Street 2 Creek Storm Drain Artists
-- Help Wanted: PA Interfaith Power & Light Tree Program Manager
-- PA Fibershed Accepting Applications For University Ambassador Program To Train Next Generation Of Sustainable Textile Leaders; March 27 Info Webinar [PaEN]
Upcoming Events
-- Penn State Extension: Upcoming Pennsylvania Forest Seminar Series
-- Penn State Extension Ag Conservation Currents: Online Learning Opportunities
-- Lehigh Valley-based Wildlands Conservancy Highlights Upcoming Experiences, Educational Programs; 2026 Lehigh River Sojourn
-- Planet Philadelphia March 20 - Discovering Biological Diversity, 4:00 p.m.
-- Aultman Watershed Association For Restoring the Environment March 28 McIntyre/Coal Run Cleanup Day, Indiana County
-- Lower Susquehanna RiverKeeper Speaker Series: April 1: Dr. Dorothy Merritts, Dr. Robert Walter And The Potential Of Restoring Buried Pre-Colonial Landscapes And Removal Of Legacy Sediments [PaEN]
-- The Progress: Clearfield County Senior Environment Corps To Host April 6 Program On Pennsylvania’s Energy Future
-- Penn State Extension: April 9 Webinar On Uses And Benefits Of Rain Barrels [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension: April 11 In-Person Workshop In Beaver County On Managing Invasive Species [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension Hosts April 14 Webinar On The Vital Role Of Headwaters - Using The Art Of Haikus For Observing Nature’s Details [PaEN[
-- Alliance For The Chesapeake Bay Wild & Scenic Film Festival Lancaster Screening April 14 [PaEN]
-- Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Receives Funding From Amazon For Community Litter, Trash And Tire Removal Projects [PaEN]
-- Adams County Conservation District, Master Watershed Stewards Host April 23 Earth Extravaganza In Gettysburg [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension Holds April 29 Webinar On How Climate Change Is Impacting Seasonal Events In Nature - Migration, Bud Break, Fall Leaf Color, Human Activities Tied To Seasonal Cycles [PaEN]
-- Green Building Alliance To Hold Free Virtual Green Professional Operations & Maintenance Certification Training For PreK-12 School Facilities Teams April 29 – May 1; Technical Assistance Available [PaEN]
Public Participation
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - March 21 [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For 5-Mile Long Expand Operating LLC Water Pipeline To Support Shale Gas Development In Auburn Twp., Susquehanna County [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 64 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 21 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- Calendar Of Data Center Meetings/Hearings - Physicians for Social Responsibility-PA
-- Observer-Reporter: South Strabane Twp. To Hold March 31 Hearing On A.I. Data Center Ordinance In Washington County [PDF of Article]
-- Observer-Reporter: South Strabane Planners Recommend Supervisors Approve A.I. Data Center Ordinance In Washington County
-- The Citizens’ Voice: Dallas Twp. Hosting March 18 Special Meeting On A.I. Data Center Ordinance [PDF of Article]
-- PUC Schedules 10 Hearings On Proposed UGI Utilities 8.05% Natural Gas Distribution Rate Increase Starting March 30 [PaEN]
-- PUC Sets Hearings On Proposed National Fuel Gas 7.4% Natural Gas Distribution Rate Increase Starting March 31 [PaEN]
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Real Transparency Means Meeting People Where They Are - By David Sanko, Executive Director, PA State Association of Township Supervisors
-- PA Capital-Star: The Ever-Constant Evolution Of PA’s Right-To-Know Law
-- WITF: Fighting For Public Records Is More Common In Pennsylvania, Sometimes Aided By A.I.
Programs/Information
-- Physicians For Social Responsibility-PA Establishes Scientific Advisory Board To Advise The Group On Scientific Issues [PaEN]
-- Penn State Outreach Shaver's Creek Environmental Center In Huntingdon County Names Anna George New Executive Director [PaEN]
-- TribLive: Skating Into Science: STEAM Program In New Kensington Helps Girls Discover Science, Math
-- TribLive: Does Your Westmoreland County Home Have Lead Paint? This Free Program Provides Repairs
-- Washington & Jefferson College Center Expands Role, Becomes Center For Energy And The Built Environment In Washington County [PaEN]
-- The Allegheny Front: How Climate Change Is Pressuring Western PA Farms, Restaurants And Food Supply
-- Aqua Pennsylvania Marks Fix A Leak Week By Spotlighting Its Leak Repair Program For Income-Eligible Customers [PaEN]
-- DCNR: Since 2023, US Bureau Of Economic Analysis Data Shows PA Outdoor Recreation Economy Grew By 21%, Added 12,000 Jobs [PaEN]
-- Erie Times: Giant Troll Sculptures Will Lurk In Allegheny National Forest Starting In 2027
-- Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau: Trolls In The Forest Sculptures Coming To PA
-- Erie Times: See Which Birds And Plants You Can Find Around Erie In The Spring
-- TribLive: Pittsburgh Faces Longer Allergy Seasons, Study Finds
A.I./Data Centers
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - March 23 [PaEN]
-- Calendar Of Data Center Meetings/Hearings - Physicians for Social Responsibility-PA
-- PennFuture Calls For A Statewide Pause On A.I. Data Center Development Until Lawmakers Can Adopt Strict Policies To Site These Facilities Properly [PaEN]
-- City & State PA Guest Essay: PA Lawmakers Must Do More To Protect Residents From A.I. Data Centers - By Joseph Minott, former Executive Director Of The Clean Air Council
-- Post-Gazette: Winds Of President’s War: Consumers Across Western PA Feeling Impact Of Price Spikes
-- Scranton Times: Advocacy Groups, Constituents Rally In Favor Of Affordable Energy [PDF of Article]
-- TribLive Letter: Legislators Must Help Bring Down Skyrocketing Utility Bills - By Diana Vahabzadeh, Pittsburgh
-- Financial Times: World Faces Natural Gas Supply Cliff As Gulf’s Final LNG Gas Shipments Approach Ports Sending Prices Soaring
-- Scranton Times: National Developer Spends $580 Million On Dozens Of Properties In Salem Twp. For Data Center Campus In Luzerne County [PDF of Article]
-- Scranton Times: Throop Declares Own Zoning Invalid, Buys Time To Regulate A.I. Data Centers [PDF of Article]
-- PA House Committee Hears How Virtual Power Plants, Advanced Transmission Line Technologies Allow Us To Quickly Get More Out Of Our Energy Infrastructure In Less Time, Without Huge Investments Or Delays [PaEN]
-- Utility Dive: North American Electric Reliability Corp: January’s Winter Storm Fern Was ‘Classic Near-Miss’ For US Electric Grid As Reliability Risks Are Risking
-- Scranton Times: PPL Utilities: A.I. Data Centers Are Poised To Consume More Electricity Than Northeast PA Can Deliver [PDF of Article]
-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Precedent-Setting PPL Utility Rate Proposal Would Protect Residential Electricity Customers From A.I. Data Center Costs
-- DEP Issued Chapter 105 Permit For Homer City Generation LP A.I. Data Center Campus Natural Gas Power Plant Site In Indiana County [PaEN]
-- Post-Gazette: PA Awaits Information About New 4.3 GW Natural Gas Power Plant In SW PA: ‘Will Play A Critical Role In Meeting The Rapidly Growing Electricity Demand’ [Code Words For Data Centers]
-- Utility Dive: US DOE Emergency Orders For Fossil Power Plants Complicate Utility Planning, Experts Say; Orders Cost Ratepayers $230 Million So Far
-- Scranton Times: NE PA A.I. Data Centers Could Look To Abandon Mine Water To Cool Server Farms
-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: With A.I. Data Center, Housing Growth Coming, Middlesex Authority Approves Boost In Water Storage In Cumberland County
-- NPR: President Threatens To ‘Obliterate’ Iran’s Power Plants [Further Straining Supply Chains For Power Generation]
-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader/AP: President Urges Congress To ‘Preempt State A.I. Laws’ That He Views As Too Burdensome
President’s War on Iran
-- March 22: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Still Going Up-- 82 Cents/Gallon To $3.93 Since Feb. 27
-- March 22: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.94 Ohio- $3.71 PA- $3.93
-- Feb. 27: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $2.98 Ohio- $2.79 PA- $3.11
-- PA Capital-Star: Pain Of Soaring Gasoline, Diesel, Heating Oil, Propane Prices Compounded By Electricity, Natural Gas Increases Across Pennsylvania
-- Post-Gazette: Winds Of President’s War: Consumers Across Western PA Feeling Impact Of Price Spikes
-- Food & Water Watch Blog: President’s War Against Iran Exposes The Lie Of How ‘Energy Independence’ Based On Oil & Natural Gas Will Lower Prices For Consumers - Prices Are Unbreakably Linked To International Markets As War Price Spikes Again Show
-- Inside Climate News: Iran War Shows That Doubling Down On Oil/Natural Gas Is ‘Delusional,’ UN Climate Chief Says
-- The Guardian: Congressional Democrats Urge Windfall Profits Tax As Big Oil/Gas Set To Make Billions From President’s War On Iran
-- Reuters: President, Iran Step Up Threats Over Energy Infrastructure Targets As War Escalates
-- Financial Times: World Faces Natural Gas Supply Cliff As Gulf’s Final LNG Gas Shipments Approach Ports Sending Prices Soaring
-- Financial Times/Reuters: EU Urges Members To Cut Natural Gas Storage Targets Due To Iran War
-- International Energy Agency: Consumer Demand-Side Measures To Help Ease Oil Price Impacts: Work From Home; Public Transit; Switch To Electric Cooking
Background On Issues
-- The Allegheny Front: Allegheny County Health Dept. To Make Recommendations On How To Better Protect Residents From Health Impacts Of Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- DEP To Tighten Residual Waste Coproduct Regulations That Allow Unrestricted Disposal Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater By Dumping It On Public Roads [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 14 to 20 - Conventional Well Owners Failed To Comply With Orders To Plug Wells, Restore Drilling Sites; Stop Gas From Bubbling Out Of The Ground [PaEN]
-- The Allegheny Front: DEP Proposes Shell Petrochemical Plant Air Permit With Higher Emission Limits In Beaver County [PaEN]
-- WPXI: Beaver County Shell Petrochemical Plant Seeking Air Quality Permit, Residents Express Concerns
-- WTAE: Shell Petrochemical Plant Wastewater Treatment Plan Raises Environmental Concerns In Beaver County
-- Energy Security & Freedom Blog: Two Rivers, No Justice! It’s Time The Delaware River Basin Commission Ban On Fracking Is Ended
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 22 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In February; 54 In 2026 [PaEN]
-- Gov. Shapiro Joins Other States In Lawsuit Against EPA Over Repeal Of 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding [PaEN]
-- LancasterOnline.com Guest Essay: Despite EPA’s Decision To Repeal The Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding - You Can’t Fool Mother Nature - By Richard D. Clark, Professor of Atmospheric Science Emeritus, Millersville University [PaEN]
-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: What EPA Repeal Of Climate ‘Endangerment’ Finding Means For Chesapeake Bay
-- Mon Valley Initiative, PA Solar Center Announce RFP For Qualified Solar Developers [PaEN]
-- Tribune-Democrat: Johnstown Airport Exploring Solar Energy Facility As Possible Revenue Stream
-- PUC: Deadly West Reading Chocolate Factory Explosion Prompts PUC Safety Complaint Against UGI Proposing $2,576,627 In Penalties [PaEN]
-- WESA/The Allegheny Front: Three Rivers WaterKeeper Files Intent To Sue US Steel Over Oily Releases Into Monongahela River
-- DEP Issues Order To J&K Junkyard In York To Cease Operations, Begin Removing Waste; Asked Commonwealth Court To Jail The Owner For Failure To Comply With 2024 Court Order [PaEN]
-- York Daily Record: DEP Orders J&K Junkyard To Close, Seeks Jail For Owner For Not Complying With 2024 Court Order
-- LancasterOnline: DEP Wants York County Junkyard Shut Down, Owner Jailed For Contempt Of Court
-- York Daily Record: Years-Long Trail Of Violations And Citations Led To J&K Junkyard Closing In York County
-- Allegheny National Forest Spring Prescribed Fire Plan April 1 to May 15
-- Erie Times: ‘Extreme’ Temperatures Could End This Year’s Maple Season In Erie Area
-- York Daily Record - Brian Whipkey: Senate Committee Meeting Looks At How To Keep Hunting, Fishing Affordable In The Future
-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader - Liz Baumeister: The Majesty Of Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area
-- LancasterOnline: First Of 4 Bald Eagle Eggs Hatch At Livestreamed Lancaster County Nest
-- TribLive/AP: Ohio Jury Deliberating Corruption Trial Of ex-FirstEnergy Executives Accused Of $4.3 Million Bribe
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: March 22, 2026] PA Environment Digest
No comments :
Post a Comment