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

September 9, 28, 29, 30

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

November 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

September 28, 29, 30

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

November 17, 18

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

July 27-- Virtual. Outdoor Business Alliance Of PA Hosts Webinar On Outdoor Participation Trends And What They Mean For Your Business. Noon to 1:00 p.m.

August 4-- Agenda Posted. DEP: Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority meeting. Rachel Carson Building, Harrisburg. 10:00 a.m.

August 5-- Delaware River Basin Commission virtual hearing. 1:30 p.m. (formal notice) Read more here.

August 5-- Penn State Extension Hosts Webinar On Forested Headwaters And Drinking Water Quality, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

August 6-- Agenda Posted. DEP Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson. 9:15 a.m. [Oil & Gas Methane Reduction Regulations On Agenda: Read more here.]

August 6-- DEP Agricultural Advisory Board meeting. DEP Southcentral Regional Office, Harrisburg. 1:00 p.m. (formal notice)

August 11-- Environmental Quality Board meeting. 9:00 a.m. Contact: Laura Griffin, Regulatory Coordinator, laurgriffi@pa.gov, (717) 772-3277.

August 11-13-- In-Person. Penn State Ag Progress Days

August 12-- DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson. 10:00 a.m.

-- DEP To Adopt Regulations Limiting Methane Emissions From Conventional Oil & Gas, Shale Gas Infrastructure; Will Outline Approach At Aug. 6 Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee Meeting [PaEN]

-- Dept. Of Agriculture Encourages Farmers To Apply For $13 Million In Resource Enhancement & Protection Farm Conservation Tax Credits

-- 2027 Keystone Coldwater Conference Set For Feb. 26-27 In State College [PaEN]

-- Registration Open! Delaware River Watershed Forum Sept. 29-30, University Of Delaware

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Guardian News: Grant Projects Saving 1.5 Billion Gallons; Navigating Data Center Issues; Water Sampling Season

-- WESA: Pittsburgh Air Pollution Levels Last Week Hit Second-Highest All Time Since Measuring Began In 1999 Due To Wildfire Smoke

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Mainspring Linear Generator Secures State Funding For 600-Job Plant Near Pittsburgh

-- Erie Times: Electric Airplane Lands In Erie To Recharge

-- Scranton Times: Dunmore Residents Reinstates $150 Trash Fee Despite Not Paying Fees To Keystone Landfill For Disposal

-- WHYY: Anti-Illegal Dumping Group Launches Crowdsourced Map Of Philadelphia’s Worst Sites

-- City & State PA: Philly Neighborhood Organizers Seek To Scale Illegal Dumping Mapping, Prevention

-- July 25 Pennsylvania Bulletin Now Available

-- DEP Posts Updated Nonregulatory Agenda Listing Technical Guidance In Development

-- Governor’s Office Posts Regulatory Agenda Listing Regulations In Development

-- DCNR Opens Next ATV, Snowmobile Project Grant Round Aug. 3

-- Erie Times: Bald Eagle Released Back Into Wild At Erie Bluffs State Park By Tamarack Wildlife Center

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Scranton Times: Speculator Buys 528 More Acres Of Conservation, Ag Land In Ransome Twp. For A.I. Data Center, 750 MW Battery Storage In Addition To Another Adjacent 402+ Acre Data Center Site

-- Scranton Times: Hearing On 3 Proposed Natural Gas Power Plants To Feed A.I. Data Centers Postponed In Dickson City Due To Missing Environmental Assessment

-- Scranton Times - Chris Kelly Opinion: ‘Lucky’ Archbald Boro Receives Unsolicited Proposal From 7th Data Center Speculator From New York [Apparently Being ‘Blessed’ With 51 Proposed Data Center Buildings Wasn’t Enough]

-- PA Capital-Star: Advocates, Regulators Both Call For Reforms At PJM: ‘Market Participants Have Lost Confidence In PJM’s Decision-Making Abilities’

-- The Center Square: Future PJM Regional Power Supply Down, But Not Out

-- Inquirer: Shapiro Administration Consulted With Amazon And Data Centers On Shaping Governor’s GRID Data Center Proposals, Records Show [Reported Weeks Ago By Other Media]

-- President Expands Ratepayer Protection ‘Pledge’ For A.I. Data Centers To Pay Full Cost Of Energy, Supporting Infrastructure [PJM Ratepayers Already Paying $29.4 Billion In Added Electricity Costs] [PaEN]

-- PPL Utilities Signs President’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge [Except It Doesn’t Cover Projects Like Transmission Lines, Other Infrastructure Structure Already Approved]

-- TribLive/AP: President Expands Voluntary Pledge To Protect Consumers From High Utility Bills Driven By A.I. Data Center Demands

-- Utility Dive: GE Vernova Natural Gas Power Turbine Backlog Now 116 GW And Growing; Ordering Now For 2031

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- July 24: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Unchanged From Yesterday To $4.23/Gallon - $1.12/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Susquehanna County Average Price Highest at $4.33]

-- July 24: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.10 Ohio- $3.92 PA- $4.23

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

-- Bloomberg: Europe Faces Winter Gas Reckoning As Global Fight For LNG Natural Gas Brews, Prices Soar

-- Bloomberg: Constitutional Natural Gas Pipeline Backed By President To New York Struggles For Customers

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- TribLive: Shapiro Campaign Raised Over $50 Million Since Jan. 2025

-- TribLive: Under Deadline Pressure, PA House Passes Bill To Reform Felony Murder Sentencing Statute