PA Environment Digest Blog: Wednesday PA Environment & Energy Articles & NewsClips: 4.1.26

“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]

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

TODAY 9:00: Draft Agenda Posted. DEP Radiation Protection Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 9:00 a.m. Contact: John S. Chippo jchippo@pa.gov. (formal notice)

TODAY 6:00: Lower Susquehanna RiverKeeper Speaker Series: Dr. Dorothy Merritts, Dr. Robert Walter And The Potential Of Restoring Buried Pre-Colonial Landscapes And Removal Of Legacy Sediments. RiverKeeper Office, Wrightsville, York County. 6:00 p.m.

April 2-- Virtual. DEP State Water Planning Program Hosts Webinar On Act 167 Stormwater Management Planning, 10:00 a.m.

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 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)

-- Inquirer - Andrew Seidman: How LCT Energy’s Rustic Ridge Coal Mine In Westmoreland County Won Over Harrisburg, Shapiro Administration, Now In Fight With Local Environmental Group

-- TribLive - Jack Troy: Coal-Heavy Nippon Steel Could Undo US Steel’s Limited Environmental Progress, Green Group Warns

-- Republican Herald: Anthracite Heritage Museum To Host April 11 Mine Rescue Day Events In Scranton

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Grant Will Help Pennsylvania Farmers Connect For Healthier Local Waters [PaEN]

-- City & State PA: Pennsylvania’s Next Generation Of Farmers Are Finding Their Roots

-- Penn State Extension Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium Set For May 5 In Harrisburg [PaEN]

-- Spotlight PA: As Shapiro Opposes ICE Warehouse Detention Centers, His Republican Opponent For PA Governor Stays Vague

-- DCNR Launches New Statewide Volunteer System To Expand Access To Outdoor Service Opportunities [PaEN]

-- LancasterOnline: Here’s What’s New In Outdoor Recreation This Spring Thanks To Lancaster Conservancy

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

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Pennsylvania Trout Anglers Divided Over State-Run Stocking Program Versus Supporting Wild Fish

-- Morning Call: Frog Crossing: Northampton County Road To Close For Weeks To Protect Breeding Amphibians

-- PennLive: Some Pennsylvania Roads Closing To Protect Migrating Amphibians

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Inside Climate News - Kyle Bagenstose: PA Lawmakers Are Talking The Talk On A.I. Data Center Regulation, But Will They Walk The Walk?

-- Axios Pittsburgh: Largest Natural Gas Power Plant In PA To Provide 3,700 MW Of Power To Homer City A.I. Data Center Machines (82.2%), 800 MW (17.8%) For ‘Ordinary People’ To Use In Indiana County

-- Reuters: Constellation Energy To Ask FERC To Transfer Eddystone Delaware County Power Plant Rights To Connect To The Grid To Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant To Feed Microsoft A.I. Data Centers [Eddystone Is Under A DOE ‘Emergency’ Order To Stay Open To Provide Power To The Grid]

-- Scranton Times: Mericle Land Eyed For A.I. Data Center Zone In Jenkins Township, Luzerne County; Amazon To Build 15 More Data Centers In Salem Twp., Luzerne County

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader: Jenkins Twp., Holds Hearing On A.I. Data Center Ordinance, Luzerne County

-- Scranton Times Letter: Put A.I. Data Centers In Old Coal Mines; The Wealthy Usually Get What They Want, This Time Let’s Propose A Solution That Benefits Our Communities - By Luke Wickenheiser, Tobyhanna

-- PennLive - John Beauge: Developer Looking To Put A.I. Data Center Along Route 15 In Union County

-- Utility Dive: ArcLight In Deal To Buy 2.2 GW From Infrabridge, Including Half Of Natural Gas Power Plant In Jessup, Lackawanna County To Help Power Data Centers

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- Williamsport Sun: Eureka Resources Fined $60,000 For Oil & Gas Wastewater Leak Into Susquehanna River

-- Today’s Violations: DEP follow-up inspection of March 15 3,000 gallon spill at Coterra Energy Inc. shale gas well pad in Susquehanna County, Gibson Twp. found contaminated fluid in need of proper disposal, unidentified pipe discharging into drainage basin. DEP inspection report.

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- NOT A JOKE: April 1: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Continues To Climb - Up 6 Cents From Yesterday To 92 Cents/Gallon Higher To $4.039 Since Feb. 27

-- The Joke IS On Us: Same Sheetz I’ve Been Monitoring Since The President’s War On Iran Began On Derry Street In Harrisburg Jumped 20 Cents A Gallon This Morning.

-- April 1: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.06 Ohio- $3.77 PA- $4.039

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

-- Warren Times: Warren County PA Gasoline Prices Still Highest In The State [Center Of Conventional Oil Industry, With Its Own Refinery]

Federal Administration

-- PA Capital-Star: States Sue President’s EPA Over Rollback Of Mercury, Toxics Metals Emission Limits On Power Plants [Not PA]

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- PennLive: President Signs Order To Establish A List Of Eligible Voters For Each State: Shapiro- ‘I Will Protect Your Right To Vote’

-- AP: President Signs Order Directing Creation Of A National List Of Eligible Voters For States, A Move Already Facing Lawsuit Threats

-- PennLive: PA House Legal Spending Less Transparent Than Senate, Records Show

-- PennLive: PA Senate Hired Ex-Staffer Drew Crompton, Former Commonwealth Court Judge, As Outside Lawyer - No Bidding Required

-- PennLive: PA Senate Republicans Spent $1.1 Million On Legal Fights Related To 2020 Election

-- Spotlight PA: As Shapiro Opposes ICE Warehouse Detention Centers, His Republican Opponent For PA Governor Stays Vague