PA Environment Digest Blog: Wednesday 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 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

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

STARTS TODAY - May 1-- WeConservePA Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference. Lancaster.

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

April 30-- NEW. Public Utility Commission To Consider Model Large Load [Data Center] Tariff At Thursday, April 30 Meeting, 10:00 a.m.: [Available Online]

April 30-- In-Person. PA Emergency Management Agency Flood Recovery Workshop. East Mountain Business Center Auditorium, 1190 East Mountain Blvd, Plains Township, Wilkes-Barre. 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

April 30-- Virtual. PA iMapInvasives Webinar Introduction To Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt.

May 4-- NEW. House Energy Committee meets to consider House Bill 2450 (Mehaffie-R- Dauphin) increases and makes other changes to the fees for nuclear power plants to fund safety and emergency preparedness programs; House Bill 2264 (Davidson-D-Cumberland) establishes requirements for regulating virtual power plants [draft amendment]; House Bill 2348 (Fiedler-D-Philadelphia) makes numerous changes to PUC net metering requirements [draft amendment]; House Bill 2429 (Cerrato-D-Montgomery) requires utilities to publish accessible maps showing distribution system hosting capacity. Room B-31 Main Capitol. 10:30 a.m. Click Here to watch online. Read more here.

May 5-- Agenda Posted. DEP: Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority meeting. Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg. 10:00 a.m.

May 5-- In-Person. PA Emergency Management Agency Flood Recovery Workshop. Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Conference Room 112, 301 Peninsula Drive, Erie. 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

May 5-- In-Person. Penn State Extension Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium. Harrisburg.

May 6-- DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson Building. 10:00 a.m. Contact: Fernando Treviño, Special Deputy Secretary, (717) 783-7753, FTrevinoMa@pa.gov. (formal notice)

May 7-- Agenda Posted. DEP Public Water System Technical Advisory Center Board meeting. Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg.9:00 a.m.

May 7-- In-Person. PA Emergency Management Agency Flood Recovery Workshop. Allegheny Co Public Safety Center, 150 Hookstown Grade Road, Coraopolis. 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

May 7-- Virtual. POWER Interfaith Webinar On Energy Rate Cases And Energy Affordability Advocacy At The PUC. 6:00 p.m.

May 7-- Tri-County Regional Planning Commission 60th Anniversary Luncheon featuring guest speaker Jill Whitcomb, DEP Deputy Secretary for Water Programs. Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel, 4650 Lindle Road, Harrisburg. 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

May 8-- Virtual. Physicians For Social Responsibility PA Host May 8 Online Southeast PA Environmental Movement Committee Meeting On A.I. Data Centers, Chester Incinerator, LNG Gas Terminal Proposals. 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

-- [UPDATED] Gov. Shapiro Announces $267 Million Investment In 31 PA Industry Projects To Reduce Air Pollution, Cut Energy Costs, Create Jobs, And Combat Greenhouse Gas Emissions In 23 Counties; Next Grant Round Opens May 15 [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: PA DEP Industrial Decarbonization Program RISE PA Doles Out First Large Grants

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: CNX Green Ventures LLC Received $31.5 Million RISE PA Decarbonization Grant For Coal Mine Methane Recovery, Largest State Grant

-- PA Senate Committee Hears Electric Grid Issues Getting Worse; PJM Has Attracted 220 GW Of New Generation Proposals; PJM ‘Backstop’ Procurement Critical To Making Data Centers Pay For New Generation [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection: 220 GW Of New Power Generation Project Proposals Submitted To Connect To The Grid Under New Process

-- Reuters: PJM Grid Operator To Begin Processing 220 GW Of New Generation Project Proposals

-- Public Utility Commission To Consider Model Large Load [Data Center] Tariff At Thursday, April 30 Meeting, 10:00 a.m.: [Available Online]

-- PA House Energy Committee Sets May 4 Meeting To Act On More Bills To Address Electric Grid Reliability, Affordability Issues: Authorize Virtual Power Plants, Update Net Metering, More [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: Electricity Grid Maps Could Speed Addition Of Renewable Energy To PA, PA House Panel Hears

-- UGI Utilities To Sell Electric Division With 63,000 Customers To Argo Infrastructure Partners, A Investment Fund Manager

-- The Citizens’ Voice: UGI To Sell Off Electric Division For $470 Million Affecting 63,000 Customers In Luzerne, Wyoming Counties

-- TheDerrick.com: Drones Survey Venango County For Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells As Part Of Environmental Defense Fund Project [PDF of Article]

-- Environmental Defense Fund: Rollback Of Federal Methane Emission Limits On Oil & Gas Facilities Have Wasted $4.8 Billion Worth Of Natural Gas That Could Have Served 22 Million Homes- And Counting [PaEN]

-- Natural Resources Defense Council: Congress Raids Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund [$500 Million], Well Plugging Funds [$285 Million] That Help Rural Communities [Cuts Impact PA]

-- South Mountain Partnership, Shippensburg University: Warehousing And Particulate Matter Pollution Study In The Cumberland Valley [PaEN]

-- PA House Committee Unanimously Reports Out Bipartisan Legislation To Ban PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' In Baby And Personal Care Products [PaEN]

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Guest Essay: Reflecting On Progress Protecting Public Health And The Environment In The Wyoming Valley - By Andy Reilly, CEO of Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority

-- Pennsylvania Turnpike Releases Report On Award-Winning Pollinator Initiative [PaEN]

-- Warren Times: Growing Tradition: Community Members Gathered At Crescent Park To Celebrate Arbor Day

-- Warren Times: Allegheny National Forest Controlled Burn Concludes, Achieved Objectives

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Scranton Times - Chris Kelly Opinion: A.I. Data Center Developer’s ‘Experts’ At A Loss For Answers At Archbald Hearing On Proposed 400 MW Data Center Power Plant

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: New A.I. Data Center Developer Targeting Monroe Twp., Cumberland County For New Data Center Site Proposal

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Cumberland County Planning Commission TONIGHT Holds Online Data Center Information Session On Site Under Construction In Middlesex Twp. At 6:30 p.m.

-- Pittsburgh City Paper: Environmental Groups Decry Plans To Burn More Coal For A.I. Data Centers [Keystone & Conemaugh Power Plants]

-- TribLive: Allegheny County Condemns PJM Power Grid Operator For Slow Connection Approval Process For New Electric Generation

-- Utility Dive: NYISO Grid Operator Says Extended Heat Wave Could Cripple New York’s Grid This Summer; Reliability Margins Will Be Lowest In Recent History

-- City & State PA: Conversation With Attorney General Dave Sunday On How A.I. Tools Are Affecting Children, Teens And Vulnerable Populations

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Inspections of 3 Glendorn Land Inc. conventional oil and gas wells in Warren County, Spring Creek Twp. found the wells abandoned and not plugged, no production, waste generation, well integrity reports for 2025. Violations issued. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP inspected C & K Coal Co conventional well In Butler County, Allegheny Twp. and found the well abandoned, not plugged, no production, waste generation, well integrity reports. Violations issued. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP: Big Dog Energy LLC failed to respond to violations at shale gas well in Westmoreland County, Hempfield Twp. involving spill clean up, lack of secondary containment, no emergency response plan for 31 days and counting. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP routine inspection of a Trinity Mineral Partners LLC conventional well in Warren County, Sugar Grove Twp. found evidence of a large, unreported wastewater spill that traveled 250 feet to a stream. Violations issued. DEP inspection report.

-- Today’s Violations: DEP follow-up inspection of a MSL Oil & Gas Corp. conventional well in McKean County, Hamilton Twp. found no action was taken to restore well pad (well never drilled) for 140 days and counting. DEP inspection report.

-- In Case You Were Wondering: ‘Emergency’ Upset Flares Still Burning Over MarkWest Harmon Creek/Energy Transfer Revolutions Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plants In Washington County - Live Breathe Project Cameras [April 29]

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- April 29: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Jumped Another 5 Cents A Gallon From Yesterday, Now $1.20/Gallon Higher To $4.31 Since Feb. 27 [Sullivan County, PA highest at $4.399] [My Local Sheetz In Harrisburg- $4.39- Up 10 Cents]

-- April 29: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.22 Ohio- $4.22 PA- $4.31

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

-- PennLive: Gasoline Prices Climb Again In Pennsylvania Amid Oil Surge And Iran Tensions

-- WTAE: City Of Pittsburgh Budget Taking A Hit Due To Soaring Gasoline, Diesel Prices

-- Bloomberg: US Has More Natural Gas Than It Can Use As Iran War Chokes Global Supply

-- Financial Times: Total Profits Jump 29% As Iran War Drives Oil, Natural Gas Price Surge And Trading Gains

-- Wall Street Journal: Iran War Is Breaking Down Global Energy Order Accelerating Shift From Oil Market And Economic Efficiency To One Shaped By Politics And Conflict

Other States/National