PA Environment Digest Blog: Thursday 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]

House Voting Schedule

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

Senate Voting Schedule

April 20, 21, 22

May 4, 5, 6

June 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

April 3-- Virtual. Penn State Extension Webinar On Invasive Spotted Lanternfly, 1:00 to 2:15 p.m.

April 7-- DEP Public Hearing On Shell Petrochemical Plant Air Quality Plan Approval Application. Penn State Beaver Auditorium, 100 University Drive in Monaca, Beaver County. 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Read more here.

April 14-- Agenda Posted. Environmental Quality Board meeting. 9:00 a.m. Contact: Laura Griffin, Regulatory Coordinator, laurgriffi@pa.gov, (717) 772-3277.

April 14-- Agenda Posted. DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting. 12:30 p.m. Contact: Ian Irvin iirvin@pa.gov or 717-579-0329. Read more here on agenda.

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.

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

-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council Meets April 14 To Hear Presentations On GeoThermal Energy; Combined Sewer Overflows In Philadelphia [PaEN]

-- Environmental Quality Board Meets April 14 On Final Land Recycling Chromium (VI) Standard; Fee Report For Uniform Environmental Covenants Act [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Watershed Low-Flow Conditions Trigger Stop To Shale Gas Drilling Water Withdrawals At 11 Locations In Bradford, Susquehanna, Wyoming Counties [PaEN]

-- DEP Awards Nearly $5 Million In RISE PA Small Industry Track Grants To Support 14 Projects In 9 Counties To Reduce Energy Costs, Improve Air Quality; Next Application Deadline April 15 [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front: US Steel’s New Owner Gets Poor Marks In Climate Rating For Steel Industry

-- JDSupra.com: PA Commonwealth Court Address Legal Standing To Challenge Shale Gas Well Drilling Site

-- Erie Times: Erie Medical Equipment Sterilization Facility Has New Owner, Lower Ethylene Oxide Emissions

-- PA Resources Council: Go ‘Green’ For Earth Day And Every Day!

-- PennDOT, Keep PA Beautiful Invite High School Students To Apply To Join Young Ambassadors Education Program [PaEN]

-- Altoona Mirror: Tyrone H.S. Students Turn Out To Help Clean Up Their Community

-- Observer-Report: April 4 Glass Recycling Collection In Washington, PA

-- Morning Call: President’s ICE Pauses Warehouse Detention Center Purchases, Scrutinizes Ones Already Bought In Berks, Schuylkill Counties

-- Republican Herald: Opponents Of ICE Warehouse Detention Center In Berks County Launch Video Game Where 150 Trucks Hauling Sewage A Day Dodge Potholes, DEP Inspectors

-- DEP Chesapeake Bay Program News: Funding, Education, Technical Assistance Opportunities; County Projects Finished; More!

-- WPSU: Cause Of Fish Kill In Pine Creek, Centre County Unclear, But Environmentalists Say Documenting Issues Is Important

-- York Daily Record: Cleanup Crews Removed 90 Tons Of Oily Debris, 13,000 Gallons Of Oily Water From J&K Junkyard Fire

-- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service-PA: April 21 PA State Technical Committee Meeting, 1:00 p.m.

-- Tribune-Democrat: Somerset County Technology Center Students, Game Commission Benefit From Forestry Coop

-- TribLive: $7.5 Million Fallingwater Project Designed To Ensure Iconic Frank Lloyd Wright Home Will Stand The Test of Time

-- Republican Herald: Volunteers Needed To Clear Scenic Hiking Trail Along Schuylkill River In Port Clinton

-- ‘Spacelings’ In The Marsh And Other Wonders In The Upper Brodhead Watershed, Pike County - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association [PaEN]

-- What You Should Know: Black Bears Are Stirring In Penn’s Woods, Monroe County - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association [PaEN]

-- The Nature Conservancy PA News: Celebrate Earth Day With Hike At Cove Mountain Preserve; Join Statewide Cleanup Events; Be Part Of City Nature Challenge

A.I. /Data Centers

-- City & State PA: The Battle Over A.I. Data Centers: $100 Billion Rush To Turn PA Into A.I. Engine, And The Local Efforts Trying To Stop It

-- WITF: Watts Twp., Perry County Residents Oppose Zoning Ordinance Allowing A.I. Data Centers

-- Observer-Reporter: $1.7 Billion High Voltage Power Line Project To Cross Greene, Fayette, 8 Other PA Counties To Feed A.I. Data Centers; Consumer Advocate Opposes As Too Costly, Violates President’s Bring Your Own Power Policy [PDF of Article]

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Planning Determines A.I. Data Center Impacts, Researcher Tells Hazleton Chamber

-- Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver To Host April 13 Webinar With Penn State Extension On Data Center Development In PA, 6:00 p.m. [Columbia, Luzerne, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder]

-- The Center Square: Conservative American Legislative Exchange Council: PA Ranks 33rd Out Of 50 States In Affordability Of Electricity (2024 Prices), Gasoline, Diesel Fuel (2025 Prices) [Before 2025-26 Electricity, Natural Gas Price Spikes]

-- Bloomberg: America’s A.I. Data Center Build-Out Relies On Chinese Electrical Parts- Transformers, Switchgear, Batteries

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- Today’s Violations: DEP inspected 4 Amer Natural Resources LLC conventional wells in Allegheny County, Aleppo and Ohio Townships, Glenfield Boro found wells continued to be abandoned, not plugged, some leaking gas violating Dec. 2019 order-- 2,293 days and counting. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Big Dog Energy LLC failed to respond to NOVs or clean up spills at conventional well site in Westmoreland County, Hempfield Twp. for 277 days and counting. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP notified by Blackhill Energy LLC of 2 more ‘inadvertent returns’ on the Sultana horizontal drilling shale gas-related pipeline project- March 26 (200 gallons) and March 28 (30 gallons)-- in Bradford County, Springfield Twp.

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- April 2: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Continues To Climb - Up 4 Cents From Yesterday To 96 Cents/Gallon Higher To $4.07 Since Feb. 27

-- April 2: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.08 Ohio- $3.75 PA- $4.07

-- Feb. 27: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $2.98 Ohio- $2.79 PA- $3.11

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Inquirer: Republican Stacy Garrity Is A Staunch Supporter Of The President, Will That Help Or Hurt Her Campaign For PA Governor?

-- PennLive: Republican State Sen. Mastriano Write-In Campaign To Get On Ballot For Governor

-- Inquirer: Josh Shapiro Pulled In A Record $10 Million To Start 2026 Following National Media Blitz

-- Politics PA: Susquehanna Poll: Shapiro Holds Commanding Lead Over Garrity - 58% to 36%

-- PennLive - John Baer: Why Aren’t We Thinking Critically About Our Politics, Democracy?

-- Dept. Of Revenue Reports March Tax Revenue $91.9 Million (1.4%) Over Estimates; Fiscal Year $473.8 Million (1.4%) Over Estimates