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

July 1 - Call Of The House Speaker

September 28, 29, 30

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

November 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

July - Call Of The Senate President Pro Tempore

-- 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.

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.

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.

-- Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Michelle Dunn Honored With Governor’s Lifetime Environmental Achievement Award [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Maximum Generation, Load Management, Low Voltage Alerts For July 1; Received Emergency Order To Put Data Centers On Backup Generators; Forecasts Peak Power Above 2006 Record For July 2 [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: PJM Gets Green Light To Push Data Centers Onto Back-Up Power During Heat Wave

-- TribLive: More Frequent Heat Waves Tax Power Systems, Increasing Demand

-- WPXI: As Extreme Heat Settles In, Some West Deer Twp. Duquesne Light Customers Try To Stay Cool Without Power In Allegheny County

-- Energy Efficiency Alliance Releases 15 New Case Studies Showing How Southwest PA Businesses, Organizations Are Saving On Energy Bills Thanks To Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency [No Fuel - No Price Spikes] [PaEN]

-- DEP Declares Code Orange Air Quality Alert For Wednesday, July 1 In Southeast PA

-- Senate Committee Moves Bills Authorizing Individual Municipalities To Enact Moratoriums On Consideration Of A.I. Data Center Proposals-- After Voting Down A Statewide 3-Year Moratorium [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: Individual Municipal A.I. Data Center Moratoriums Get Support In Republican-Run PA Senate

-- The Center Square: House Passes [3rd] Bill Putting Conditions On Qualifying For State Sales Tax Exemption For Data Centers, Including A Ban On Nondisclosure Agreements

-- NRDC: PJM Membership Votes On Recommendations To Help Prevent A.I. Data Centers From Overloading The Electric Grid; PJM Board Will Have Final Say [PaEN]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Natural Gas Powers The Region, So Why Are Pennsylvanians Paying More? - By Sen. Kim Ward [Reality - Data Center Demand Spikes, 60% Of Electric Comes From Natural Gas And Its Price Spikes]

-- Erie Times: Citing Health Concerns, FracTracker Appeals DEP Mineral Brine Conventional Well Permit In Erie County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Eos Energy Storage Company Secures $125 Million In New Funding For Frontier Power USA Independent Power Venture

-- WESA: PA Democratic Member Of Congress Summer Lee Introduces Bill To Boost Black Lung Disease Payments For Coal Miners

-- WNEP: An Ancient Lenape Ceremony Blessing The Delaware River In Monroe County

-- The Allegheny Front: After Demolition Of Elizabeth Locks & Dam, The Impact On Monongahela River And Businesses That Depend On It Is Much Different Than Expected

-- Warren Times: Warren County Conservation District Announces Student Scholarships

-- Penn State Extension Hosts Aug. 5 Webinar On Forested Headwaters And Drinking Water Quality [PaEN]

-- Inquirer: Peter Grove, Award-Winning Science Educator And Lifelong Environmentalist, Has Died At 82 [ ‘Gardening, Is A Real Way To Bring About Change’ ]

A.I. /Data Centers

-- The Citizens Voice: Residents Voice Opposition To Paying For PPL’s Data Center Power Line Plan At PUC Hearing In Hazleton, Luzerne County

-- PennLive: How To Get A Refund From Dauphin County Golf Course Closing To Become Site Of A.I. Data Center

-- Senate Committee Moves Bills Authorizing Individual Municipalities To Enact Moratoriums On Consideration Of A.I. Data Center Proposals-- After Voting Down A Statewide 3-Year Moratorium [PaEN]