PA Environment Digest Blog: Friday 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

-- Adjourned to Sept. 28 - Call Of The House Speaker

September 28, 29, 30

October 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21

November 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

-- Call Of The Senate President Pro Tempore

September 28, 29, 30

October 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21

November 17, 18

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

Anything Can Happen: State Budget Marathon Continues!

July 8-- Agenda Posted. DEP Water Resources Advisory Committee meeting. Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg. 9:30 a.m. [Agenda includes update on State Water Plan]

July 8-- DEP State Board for Certification of Sewage Enforcement Officers meeting. Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg. 10:00 a.m.

July 8-- DEP Technical Advisory Committee on Diesel-Powered [Mining] Equipment Meeting. DEP New Stanton Office. 10:00 a.m.

July 9-- DCNR Delaware Canal State Park Advisory Committee meeting. Delaware Canal State Park, Bucks & Northampton Counties. 10:30 a.m. Contact for Location: 610-982-5560 or ra-nrspdela@pa.gov. (formal notice)

July 10-- Telephonic. Public Utility Commission Hearing On PPL Condemnation Of 30 Properties For The Sugarloaf 500/230KV Transmission Line In Luzerne County To Serve Data Centers 10:00 a.m.

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

July 14-- Virtual. Penn State Extension Webinar: Preview Of 2026 Watershed-Friendly Tree And Shrub Sale To Help You Choose Plants Confidently. 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

July 15-- Agenda Posted. DEP Cleanup Standards Scientific Advisory Board meeting. Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg. 9:30 a.m.

July 15-- Virtual. Penn State Extension Webinar On Private Water Supply Testing Packages Available From Penn State's Agricultural Analytical Services Lab. 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

July 15-16-- In-Person. PA Sea Grant Aquaponics Educator Workshop. Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Erie.

July 16-- In-Person. Penn State Extension Workshop On Understanding PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Private Water Supplies. Uniontown, Fayette County. 1:00 p.m.

July 16-- In-Person. Powering America's Next 250 Years Energypath Conference Set For At Moravian University

-- DEP: Seneca Resources Failed To Notify DEP Of Casing/Cementing Failures In 6 Shale Gas Wells For 15 Years In Delmar Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]

-- PennLive Letter: Natural Gas Keeps Pennsylvania Powered And Prosperous - By Roger Sutton, Enola [Number of Gas Industry Job Dropped By Nearly Half Since 2014]

-- DEP/Agriculture Invite Comments On Updated Safeguards To Prevent PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' In Wastewater Biosolids From Polluting Groundwater [PaEN]

-- PJM Activated Pre-Emergency Demand Response Program To Increase Reserve Generation; Again Extends Maximum Generation And Load Management Alerts To July 3 [PaEN]

-- Bloomberg: Power Prices Soar As Energy Emergency Grows In PJM, US Northeast; PJM Electricity Prices Exceed $2,500/MWhour

-- DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Alert For Friday, July 3 In Southcentral, Southeast PA

-- PUC Invites Comments On Potential Regulations For Interconnecting Electric Loads, Including Large Loads, Like Data Centers [PaEN]

-- TribLive: Citizen Lawsuit Blames Sherwin-Williams’ Beaver County Plant For ‘Noxious’ Fumes

-- WPXI: Tank Truck Leaks 1,000 Gallons Of Oil Into Monongahela River Tributary

-- July 4 - Pennsylvania Bulletin Now Available

-- Dept. Of Agriculture To Start Accepting Applications For Sustainable Agriculture Grants July 13 PaEN]

-- Kinsley Construction Recognized With Governor’s Environmental Award For Oil Creek Restoration Project In York County

-- ChestnutHillLocal.com: PA Senate Republican Bill Putting Limits On The Rights Of Private Property Owners To Sell Their Land For Conservation Purposes Opposed By Conservationists

-- DCNR To Open Southern Portion Of Catawissa Recreation Area, Expanding Off-Highway Vehicle Recreational Opportunities In Weiser State Forest In Schuylkill, Luzerne Counties

-- York Daily Record - Brian Whipkey: DCNR Opens Catawissa Recreation Area Dirt Bike Trails July 6

-- Tribune-Democrat: 12th Annual Chernisky Classic July 6 On Ghost Town Trail

-- Allegheny Front: Nature’s Upcycling: How To Find Beach Glass Along Shores Of Lake Erie

-- TribLive: Why Early Diagnosis Matters When It Comes To Lyme Disease Carried By Ticks

-- Post-Gazette: Want More Fireflies? You Can Attract Them Next Summer With Master Watershed Stewards Native Plant Kits

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Inquirer: East Whiteland Twp. Directs A.I. Data Center Developer To Stop Work On Data Center Project On Superfund Hazardous Waste Site So Township, EPA Can Review Health And Safety Plans In Chester County

-- WPSU: Possibility Of A.I. Data Centers In Gregg Twp., Union County Sparks Public Pushback

-- Republican Herald: Foster Twp., Schuylkill County Approves Ordinance Regulating A.I. Data Centers

-- WVIA: Residents Testify Against PPL Electric Transmission Line Project Planned For Data Centers In Luzerne County

-- PUC Invites Comments On Potential Regulations For Interconnecting Electric Loads, Including Large Loads, Like Data Centers [PaEN]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant Clears Major Hurdles To Restart, Promises Hundreds Of [Temporary] Skilled Trades Jobs - By Rob Bair, President PA State Building & Construction Trades Council

-- Inside Climate News: Echoes Of The Past In PA Coal Towns’ Fight Against A.I. Data Centers

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: New Environmental Integrity Project Report Shows How Gas/Fossil Fuel Power Plants Would Significantly Increase Pollution In Pennsylvania

-- Wall Street Journal: A.I. Data Centers Use Far More Water Than Most Tech Giants Report

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- DEP: Seneca Resources Failed To Notify DEP Of Casing/Cementing Failures In 6 Shale Gas Wells For 15 Years In Delmar Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]

-- Today’s Violation: DEP inspected Apollo Resources LLC conventional well in Cambria County, Clearfield County finding it still abandoned, not plugged. Owner failed to respond to violations issued on Sept. 29, 2025-- 259 days and counting… DEP inspection report.

Train Derailments

-- Courier Times: Train Derailments Like The One This Week In Bucks County Appear To Be On The Decline

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- July 3: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Down 1 Penny Since Yesterday, Now $3.96/Gallon - $.85/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Beaver County Average Price Still Highest at $4.43]

-- July 3: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.82 Ohio- $3.66 PA- $3.96

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

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs - 17 - Same For Last 8 Weeks

-- Fox Business: President Demands Gasoline Stations Lower Pump Prices Immediately, Renews Push For $2.50 Gasoline

-- Bloomberg: Fracking, Booming Energy Demand, Enthusiastic Political Support Power Natural Gas Rise, But For How Long?; LNG Exports Likely To Raise Domestic Prices Undermining Competitive Advantage Of Gas

Federal Administration

-- US DOE: CONSOL Innovations, LLC Selected To Participate In $75 Million Program To Recover Critical Minerals From Coal, Coal-Based Feedstocks