124 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 124 new stories in the PA Environment Digest about individuals, groups, local governments, farmers, businesses, watershed groups and many more working all across Pennsylvania to restore and protect the environment and show others the beauty that surrounds us.

Thank you for your leadership!

-- Choose Clean Water Coalition Recognizes Robert Hughes And John Dawes With Lifetime Achievement Awards  [PaEN] 

-- Conestoga River Named PA River Of The Year: A River Once Associated With Pollution, Degradation, Now Source Of Community Enjoyment, Recreation  [PaEN] 

-- LancasterOnline: Conestoga River, PA River Of The Year, Celebrated At Wednesday Event In Lancaster

-- Conservation Efforts In Upper Conestoga River Watershed Highlighted In Berks County To Improve Water Quality In Chesapeake Bay  [PaEN] 

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill River Water Trail Designated A National Water Trail 

-- TribLive: 15-Year-Old Boy Scout Leaves Lasting Mark On Rachel Carson Trail In Allegheny County

-- WPSU: Bucktail High School Group Works To Get PA To Change Its State Fossil To One Found In Clinton County

-- Tribune-Democrat: Well-Known Outdoor Writer, Photographer Tim Flanigan Dies From Heart Surgery Complications

-- FracTracker Alliance Appeals DEP Conventional Oil & Gas Mineral Brine Well Permit Due To Concerns The Permit Creates A New Loophole For Disposing Of Contaminated Groundwater Without Testing Or Restrictions On Its Use  [PaEN]   [Warning]

-- Briefing:  DEP Issues A New Type Of Conventional Oil & Gas Well Permit Allowing Groundwater Contaminated By Oil & Gas Formations To Be Dumped On Roads, Used In Consumer Products Without Restrictions  [PaEN]   [Warning]

-- House Committee Moves Bills To Prohibit Road Dumping Contaminated Groundwater Released By Conventional Oil & Gas Well Drilling; Setting Minimum Standards For Power Plant Community Benefit Agreements; Encouraging Native Insect Habitats  [PaEN] 

-- State Budget Brief: DEP Oil & Gas Program Enforcement & Permitting Staff Has Been Frozen For Last 10 Years, Meanwhile Drilled Shale Gas Wells Increased By Nearly 50%  [PaEN]  [Warning]

--PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - June 6 to 12: AG Files Criminal Changes; Shale Gas Impacted Water Wells; 587 Days Of. Continuing Spills; Failure to Restore Impounds For Nearly 9 Years; 15 More Abandoned Conventional Wells  [PaEN]

-- PennLive: Attorney General Sunday Files Criminal Charges Against Eureka Resources For Oil & Gas Wastewater Leaks From Its Now Closed Standing Stone Facility In Wysox Twp., Bradford County  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive - John Beauge: Attorney General Sunday Files Criminal Charges Against Eureka Resources For Oil & Gas Wastewater Leaks From Its Now Closed Standing Stone Facility In Wysox Twp., Bradford County 

-- DEP Investigation Finds CNX Gas Company LLC Shale Gas Facilities Caused The ‘Diminution’ Of 2 Private Water Supplies In Bell Twp., Westmoreland County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Frontier Natural Resources Shale Gas Driller Failed To Restore 4 Multimillion Gallon Water Impoundments, 4 Well Pads For 3,252 Days In Clinton County  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Day 587 And Counting: Seneca Resources Continues To Release Wastewater, Frack New Shale Gas Wells At Taft Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]

--DEP Inspection Finds Continued Failure To Comply With E&S, Stream, Wetland Crossing Permit Requirements At Expand Operating Shale Gas Water Pipeline Construction Site In Bradford County [PaEN] 

-- DEP Marks Plugging 400th Conventional Oil & Gas Well Abandoned By Its Owner Under A Taxpayer Funded Program  [PaEN]

-- DEP Soliciting Bids On New Contract To Clean Out, Plug 24 Conventional Gas Wells Abandoned By Their Owner In The Allegheny National Forest, Hamilton Twp., McKean County At Taxpayer Expense On BidExpress 

-- Warren Times: Abandoned Conventional Well Plugging Begins In Allegheny National Forest As State Hits Plugging Milestone

-- Independent Fiscal Office Estimates 2025 Act 13 Drilling Impact Fee To Yield $243.9 Million, $79.3 Million More Than In 2024  [PaEN]

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Philadelphia Gas Works Considering 2 Pathways To Lower Its Carbon Footprint - Full Electrification And A ‘Hybrid’ That Includes Gas

-- WNEP: Neighbors In  Disbelief After Propane Explosion Injures 3, Destroys Multiple Homes In Wayne County

-- Environmental Defense Fund Files Lawsuit Against The President’s EPA Over Weakening Of Oil And Gas Methane Standards  

-- PA Capital-Star: Republican Candidate For Governor Stacy Garrity Lays Out Plan To ‘Unleash’ Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas Industry   [Warning]

-- PoliticsPA: Republican Candidate For Governor Stacy Garrity Plans To Unleash Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas  [Warning]

-- Bloomberg: US LNG Gas Exporters Find Few Takers In Europe For New Supply As Buyers Are Wary Of Becoming Too Reliant On US LNG

-- The Street: New Fortress Energy LNG Gas Bankruptcy Splits Company Into 2 Different Entities -CoreCo And BrazilCo, Records Show It Never Generated A Cent Of Positive Cash Flow [Planned PA Facilities] 

-- Institute For Energy Economics & Financial Analysis: New Fortress Energy LNG Gas Company Bankruptcy Reveals Financial Misstatements, Systemic Mismanagement, Operational Failures [Planned PA Facilities] 

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Republican Candidate For Governor Garrity Breaks With Shapiro As She Calls For Pause In A.I. Data Center Development 

-- The Allegheny Front: Gov. Shapiro Courted New A.I. Data Centers, Then Public Opinion Shifted 

-- Morning Call: Republican State Senator Coleman Urges Residents To Keep Up A.I. Data Center Fight: ‘There’s Power In Numbers’

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Residents Deserve A Voice In Pennsylvania’s A.I. Data Center Future - By Sen. Rosemary Brown (R-Lackawanna) 

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: A.I. Data Centers Are On The Ballot In Pennsylvania - Democratic State House Candidate Won Her Primary Keeping Them Top Of Mind 

-- PA Capital-Star: Congressional Legislation Would Make President’s A.I. Data Center Principles Gov. Shapiro, Other PJM Governors Supported Into Law 

-- WVIA: Republican Con. Bresnahan’s Proposed Legislation Aims To Keep Control Local Over A.I. Data Center Development Decisions

-- Scranton Times - Chris Kelly Opinion: Archbald Gets Its Turn At Being A Star With A Staggering 51 A.I. Data Centers Poised To Erase The Borough  [PDF of Article] 

-- The Center Square: Clinton Twp. Wayne County Facing 20 A.I. Data Center Buildings, 2 Power Plants Shaken By Township Supervisors’ Conflict Of Interest, Transparency Questions  

-- Williamsport Sun: Group Seeks To Put A.I. Data Center In Muncy Twp., Lycoming County Despite Assurances In April No Plan Was Submitted By Twp. Supervisor   [PDF of Article]

-- Williamsport Sun: A.I. Data Center Plans Offer Details On Proposal In Muncy Twp. 

-- Williamsport Sun: Lycoming County Water/Sewer Authority Initially Told No A.I. Data Center Proposed In Muncy Twp.  

-- Inquirer - Will Bunch Opinion: You Hate A.I. Data Centers, They Think You Could Be A Terrorist Or Chinese Dupe [Same Playbook As Shale Gas Drillers Only They Said Russians]

-- PUC Releases Summer Readiness Overview Reports By PA Electric Utilities [PaEN] 

-- PJM Interconnection Issues 3rd Hot Weather Alert For June 11-12 In Mid-Atlantic, Southern Regions [PaEN] 

-- Erie Times: Erie Experiences City-Wide Penelec Power Outages June 5, 6

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Luzerne County Residents Urge PUC To Reject Proposed 12.8% UGI Electric Rate Increase 

-- Tribune-Democrat: PUC Collecting Testimony On Complaint By Johnstown Pizza Shop Owner That His Penelec Electricity Bill Doubled For No Apparent Reason  

-- PUC Sets Aug. 19 Telephonic Prehearing On The Transource 230 kV Transmission Line In Franklin County Connecting To A Maryland Substation  [PaEN]  

-- The Daily Item: Talen Energy To Add 2 Natural Gas Generating Units To The Montour Power Plant In Montour County [To Help Meet PJM Data Center Demands] 

-- Utility Dive: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Approves PJM Fast-Track Review For 10 Large ‘Shovel-Ready’ Power Projects A Year 

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Behind-The-Meter A.I. Data Center Natural Gas Power Plants Will Raise The Cost Of Natural Gas, Electric For Homes, Businesses - By Jeffrey Rissman & Eric Gimon of Energy Innovation 

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - June 15  [PaEN] 

-- New Study Finds If Pennsylvania Leaders Act Now They Could Save Households $841 Per Year In Energy Costs By 2030  [PaEN] 

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Pennsylvania Activists Urge Lawmakers To Help Curb Soaring Electric Bills 

-- The Allegheny Front: PA Lawmakers Consider Balcony Solar Energy Generation To Help Consumers Offset High Electricity Bills 

--  Altoona Mirror: Cambria County-Owned Solar Energy Project Progressing

-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Receives $25,000 Grant From West Penn Energy Fund For Facility Energy Assessments  [PaEN]  

-- Community Advocates For Clean Energy Of Greater Philadelphia To Host June 17 Webinar On How To Move A Community Energy Project From An Idea To Action  [PaEN] 

-- PennDOT: PA Invests $25 Million In Federal Funding For Public Electric Vehicle Chargers In Western PA  [Video & Photos]

-- PennDOT Announces $25 Million For New Electric Vehicle Charging Stations In Western PA

-- TribLive: Plan Set To Bring More Electric Vehicle Charging Ports To Western PA

-- PennDOT Announces $25 Million For New Electric Vehicle Charging Stations In Western PA

-- Southern Environmental Law Center: Federal Court Rules President’s Termination Of $2.8 Billion Environmental And Climate Justice Block Grants Was Illegal

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Braddock Delays Vote On US Steel Project Amid Air Pollution Concerns

-- The Allegheny Front: How President’s $700 Million Coal Industry Funding Could Impact Pennsylvania [No Power Plants In PA]  [Going Backwards]

-- Morning Call: Smoke From New Jersey Wildfire Drifts Into Lehigh Valley  

-- EPA AirNow Wildfire And Smoke Map Showing Present Conditions

-- PennLive Editorial: Fire Departments On Life Support - We Can’t Let Them Die

-- Foundation For Pennsylvania Watersheds Awards More Than $300,000 In Conservation Grants; Next Funding Opportunities  [PaEN]

-- Appalachian Region Independent Power Producers Assn. Award Local Reclamation Mini-Grants  [PaEN]

-- Indiana Gazette: New Tide Trail Crowns Cleanup Initiatives For ‘Boney Pile,’ Mine Drainage In Center Twp., Blacklick Creek Watershed

-- Indiana Gazette: Naturally: Blacklick Creek Watershed And Resilience

-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Hosts June 25 Online Conversation Café - Flood Risk Communication  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette: A Billion-Dollar Ohio River Tunnel Is Kicking Off ALCOSAN’s 10-Year Project To Keep Billions Of Gallons Of Sewage, Stormwater Out Of Western PA Waterways 

-- PA American Water Announces 2026 Wonderful World Of Water Camps For Students 7 to 11 In Luzerne, Lackawanna Counties  [PaEN]

-- Forests For The Chesapeake Bay News: Conservation Workforce Training At Loysville Youth Center; Sugar Maples; Upcoming Events; Much More

-- Spotlight PA: PUC Orders Forced Sale Of Troubled Rock Spring Private Water Company To PA American Water In Centre County

-- Warren Times: Southwest Warren County Municipal Authority Documents Reveal Depths Of Tidioute Drinking Water Crisis

-- House Passes Bill To Ban Toxic PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' In Baby, Personal Care Products With Bipartisan Support  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: Banning PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Consumer Products Gets Overwhelming Support In PA House

-- PennLive/LehighValleyLive: PFAS ‘Forever Chemical’ Contamination Widespread In Delaware River Basin, Study Finds: ‘Global Hotspot’

-- The Center Square: Lt. Gov. Davis Says Shapiro Administration Will ‘Halt’ Federal ICE Plans For Warehouse Detention Centers

-- Bloomberg - Fola Akinnibi: ICE Wants To Use A Warehouse As An Immigrant Detention Center In Tremont, Schuylkill County - Can Anyone Say No To ICE? 

-- Spotlight PA/Grist: Meat Plant Spreads Thousands Of Gallons Of Animal Blood On Fields In 2019, Fouling Water Supplies In Loganton, Clinton County

-- PA Dept. Of Agriculture Invests Nearly $8.8 Million To Protect 1,775 Acres Of Farmland On 22 Farms In 16 Counties  [PaEN] 

-- Morning Call: 3 More Lehigh Valley Farms Preserved From Development

-- WESA: PA Gourd Society’s Art Show & Festival Lebanon Expo Center: Gourds Aren’t Just For Autumn

-- DCNR Makes State Parks And Forests More Accessible For All Visitors  [Video & Photos]

-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: Pine Creek Accessible Fishing Platform A Matter of Leadership

-- DCNR Resource News: Celebrating PA River Trails; Conestoga River Of The Year; Investments In Recreation On Pine Creek, Delaware Canal; Campfire Safety; Upcoming Events

-- Republican Herald: 118 Schuylkill River Sojourners Begin Scenic, 7-Day Journey From Schuylkill Haven To Philadelphia

-- TribLive: Volunteers, Fayette County Workers Clear 62 Trees Along Great Allegheny Passage Trail Following Tornadoes

-- Discover NE PA: Penn Forest Reservoir - Scenic Overlooks And Forest Hiking In Carbon County

-- TribLive: Treehouse-Inspired Pods Offer Nature Dining In Polymath Park, Westmoreland County

-- Observer-Reporter: Mt. Pleasant Police Deploy e-Bikes On Montour Trail In Washington County 

-- TribLive: BikePGH Wants You To Join Car-Free ‘OpenStreets’ On Major Pittsburgh Roads

-- WNEP: E-Bike Rider Killed In Collision With Tractor-Trailer In Schuylkill County

-- TribLive: Southwestern PA Beach Closures Highlight Summer Water Quality, E.coli Risks

-- York Daily Record: 24-Year-Old Identified As Drowning Victim At Codorus State Park

-- Morning Call: Shots Fired At Kayakers On Lehigh River In Northampton County Prompting D&L Trail Closure

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Tick-Related Illnesses On The Rise As The Philly Region Reaches Peak Season 

-- TribLive: West Nile Virus Confirmed In Allegheny County Mosquitoes 

-- DEP West Nile Virus Map: 9 Counties Have Confirmed West Nile Virus Mosquito Results [Allegheny Added]

-- Friends Of The State Line Serpentine Barrens To Hold June 17 Information Meeting For Individuals Interested In Becoming Volunteers To Support This Unique Area In Chester County  [PaEN] 

-- Chestnut Hill Local: Cheltenham Twp. Receives Grant To Plant Native Trees Along The Tookany Creek Parkway In Montgomery County 

-- Delaware Highlands Conservancy: Diane Rosencrance Leaving After 10 Years Of Service To Take A New Position; Trey Talley To Serve As Acting Executive Director  [PaEN]

-- 14th PA Firefly Festival Will Be Held June 26-27 Exhibits & Entertainment In Downtown Tionesta, Forest County  [PaEN] 

-- NextPittsburgh: PA Firefly Festival Guided Tours Sell Out Every Year In Forest County [Public Can Still Experience Exhibits, Entertainment June 26-27] 

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: With Fireflies Emerging In PA, Learn To Help Them Thrive In Your Area 

-- PA Natural Heritage Program News: Mudpuppy & Salamander Mussel Research; No Stone(fly) Left Unturned; Viva Vernal Pools! Herbivorous Insect Diversity Workshop June 23 

-- PennLive/LehighValleyLive: Northeastern Bulrush Now Thriving In PA, Removed From Endangered Species List, Feds Say

-- TribLive/AP: Federal Judge Orders President’s National Parks To Reinstall Displays Removed As Part Of Crackdown On Diversity, Equity And Inclusion And Climate Change 

-- TribLive: Tarentum Bridge Peregrine Falcon Chicks Expected To Fledge Next Week In Allegheny County 

-- TribLive: Masters Of The Sky: At Pittsburgh National Aviary This Summer, Meet ‘Remarkable Raptors’

-- LancasterOnline: 2 Eaglets Fledge From Lancaster County Bald Eagle Nest 

-- Morning Call: Dead Geese Found In Hanover Twp., Northampton County Pond Being Tested For Bird Flu; Public Warned To Stay Away

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship: River Otters Are Making A Comeback  And In Surprising Places Around The Chesapeake Bay 

-- The Allegheny Front: New Henry David Thoreau Ken Burns Documentary Has Lessons For Modern Era; Called The Patron Saint Of Early Environmental Thought

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

REAL Leadership:

-- 124 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 151 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 169 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 122 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 127 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA 

-- 130 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 136 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 137 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 153 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 157 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 119 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 143 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 157 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 158 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 104 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 207 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 143 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 111 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 129 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 118 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 109 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 89 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 6,365 Stories In 2025 - Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 5,895 Stories In 2024 - Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

-- 4,258 Stories In 2023 - Environmental & Conservation Leadership PA 

-- 3,190 Stories In 2022 - Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

[Posted: June 14, 2026]   PA Environment Digest