DEP Invites Comments On Stormwater Permit For PPL Utilities New Breinigsville -Tek Park 138-69 kV Transmission Line Project In Lehigh County To Serve A Data Center Project

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the August 29 PA Bulletin inviting comments on an Individual Stormwater Permit for the PPL Utilities Breinigsville - Tek Park 138-30 kV Transmission Line Project in Upper Macungie Township, Lehigh County.  (PA Bulletin, page 5752)

The project includes the addition of approximately 1 mile of new electric transmission line with a total earth disturbance area of 11.78 acres.

The project is expected to impact Greinig Run (High Quality) and Little Lehigh Creek (High Quality).

No hearing has been scheduled on this application, but one may be requested.

Comments are due September 28-- 30 days from this notice.

Comments and/or requests for a hearing should be sent to DEP Northeast Regional Office, 2 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 or by email to: RA-EPWW-NERO@pa.gov. 

To schedule an in-person review of this permit application, contact DEP’s Northeast Regional Office File Review Coordinate at 570-826-5472.

Read the entire PA Bulletin notice for more information.  (PA Bulletin, page 5752)

Visit DEP’s Data Center Permit Tracker webpage for information on pending permits for A.I. data center projects established by Gov. Shapiro’s Data Center Executive Order.

The Governor’s executive order requires data center developers to obtain all permits and local approvals before DEP can review any permits for the facility.

To provide information to the state on new data center proposals and whether they meet the requirements in Gov. Shapiro’s Data Center Executive Order, visit the Data Center Feedback webpage.

For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s website.  Submit Environmental Complaints; Click Here to sign up for DEP’s newsletter; sign up for DEP’s eNotice; Like DEP on Facebook, Follow DEP on Twitter and visit DEP’s YouTube Channel.

PA Oil & Gas Industry, Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 22 [PaEN] 

     -- DEP Invites Comments On Air Permit For Montour CT Natural Gas Power Plant Expansion In Montour County To Feed Data Centers  [PaEN]

     -- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For Expand Operating LLC Double, 16-Inch Shale Gas Water Pipelines In Fox Twp., Sullivan County  [PaEN]

-- DEP To Restart Comment Period On MarkWest Project To Daylight 4 Natural Gas Pipelines To Prevent Damage From Coal Mining Due To Incorrect County In Public Notice, It’s In Washington County  [PaEN]

     -- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 35 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In July; 223 In 2026  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 70 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 22 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

     -- DEP Sets Sept. 15 Hearing On Blythe Recycling & Demolition [BRADS] Landfill Permit Modification Related To Leachate Hauling At Its Facility In Schuylkill County  [PaEN]

     -- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For A 250 MW Solar Energy Facility In Clearfield County  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For PECO Energy Double 230 kV Transmission Line Crossing Of Schuylkill River In Montgomery County To Serve Data Center Projects  [PaEN]

     -- DEP Invites Comments On Stormwater Permit For PPL Electric Harwood To Harleigh Substation Transmission Line Project In Luzerne County  [PaEN]  

    -- DEP Receives Final Act 2 Land Recycling Remediation Report From Archbald Data & Energy Center, LLC For Site In Lackawanna County [PaEN]

     -- DEP Finalizes Spill/Release Notification Guidance Under Clean Streams Law  [PaEN]

     -- DEP Invites Comments On Total Maximum Daily Load Plan For Baken Creek Watershed, Perry County  [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week - Energy:

-- Guest Essay: Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells Pose Hidden Threats To A.I. Data Center Development - A Proposed Site In Washington County Is Just One Example - By Marci Michalski, Burgettstown, Washington County  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Signs Executive Order Requiring A.I. Data Center Developers To Sign Consent Order Binding Them To Comply With GRID Principals, Including Clean Energy; DEP Will Not Review Permits Until Communities Give Their Approval  [PaEN] 

-- TheDerrick.com: Gov. Shapiro Invites Public To Provide Information To State On A.I. Data Center Development In Their Communities Thru New Webpage  [PaEN] 

-- Governor’s Office To Brief DEP Citizens Advisory Council On Governor’s Data Center Executive Order Sept. 1  [PaEN] 

-- York County Economic Development Agency Official Calls PA Chamber Of Business & Industry Initiative Urging Opponents Of A.I. Data Centers To Take No Technology Pledge ‘Petty And Embarrassing’  [PaEN] 

-- DEP/DCED: Steelton-Highspire School District To Save $3.6 Million Over 20 Years Using Solar Energy In Dauphin County  [PaEN]  

-- Mon Valley Initiative To Save Big On Energy Costs With New Rooftop Solar Energy System In Washington County  [PaEN] 

-- PA Solar Center, Partners Can Help Businesses, Schools, Municipalities, Nonprofits Look At How Solar Energy Can Stabilize, Even Reduce Your Energy Costs  [PaEN]   

-- Washington & Jefferson College Hosts New Horizons - Infrastructure, Energy And Data In The Coming Decade Conference Oct. 20  [PaEN]  

-- PUC Urges Federal Energy Regulatory Commission To Modernize Evaluation of Regional Electricity Transmission Projects  [PaEN] 

-- Reuters: PJM Grid Electric Transmission Constraint Costs Surge To $6 Billion In 2026

-- Utility Dive: PJM Taking 2nd Look At Connecting New Generation With Surplus, Unused Interconnections Already Approved

-- PJM Interconnection Announces New 5-Year Strategy Outline Focusing On Grid Reliability, More Transparency On Energy Costs  [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection: Registration Opens For GridAdvance Summit Oct. 15 At PJM Training Center

-- PUC PaOneCall Damage Prevention Committee Announces $128,000 In Penalties For Underground Utility Excavation Violations; Next Meeting Sept. 15

-- WITF: Data Centers And The Susquehanna River, What You Need To Know - Interview With Andrew Dehoff, Susquehanna River Basin Commission

NewsClips:

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Gov. Shapiro Wants A.I. Data Centers To Bring Their Own Power, What’s That Mean For Prices And Pollution? 

-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy Blog: Gov. Shapiro’s Executive Order Puts Some Guardrails On A.I. Data Center Development, But Portions Of It Could Be Legally Challenged - By John Quigley, Senior Fellow

-- NextPittsburgh.com/The Conversation: Just Because The Bill Is Low Doesn’t Mean Energy Is Affordable - By Destenie Nock,Associate Professor Of Engineering & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Market Monitor: PJM Wholesale Power Costs Jumped 46% To $56.7 Billion So Far This Year Driven By Rising Energy, Capacity Costs Due To Data Center Demand

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Pennsylvania Lags Far Behind On Solar Energy, Here’s How It Could Catch Up 

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Lawmakers Should Look To Renewable Energy, Not Fossil Fuels For Energy Affordability, Says New Policy Playbook

-- TribLive: Bill On Hold In PA Senate Could Be Key To Expanding Solar Power In PA, Saving Money On Energy Costs 

-- Scranton Times: Norwegian Company To Spend $940 Million On Stake In 1,485 MW Lackawanna Energy Center Natural Gas Plant In Jessup Based On A.I. Data Center Demands  [Not For The Public]

-- Sunday Catching Up Edition: PA Environment & Energy Articles - Newsclips: 8.23.26

[Posted: August 28, 2026]  PA Environment Digest