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

“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]

Catching Up On Articles Published When PA Environment Digest Was Closed

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 

August 25-- CANCELED. DEP Climate Change Advisory Committee meeting.  Next scheduled meeting October 29.

August 25-- Virtual. Penn State Extension Hosts Webinar For Forestland Owners On Opportunities Available In Forest Carbon Credit Programs

August 27-- CANCELED. DEP Public Water System Technical Assistance Center Board meeting. Next scheduled meeting Nov. 12.  (formal notice)

September 1-- Agenda Posted. DEP Citizens Advisory Council meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson. 12:30 p.m. 

September 2-- Agenda Posted. DEP Storage Tank Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson. 10:00 a.m.

September 8-- Canceled. Environmental Quality Board meeting. Next scheduled meeting is October 13.  Contact: Laura Griffin, Regulatory Coordinator, laurgriffi@pa.gov,  (717) 772-3277.  (formal notice)

-- DCNR Honors Park Rangers, Civilian Who Helped Save Mountain Biker’s Life At Swatara State Park, Lebanon, Schuylkill Counties [Video + Photos]

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Small But Mighty: Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Celebrates 30 Years Of Revitalizing Region’s Coal Land   [PDF of Article]

-- WVIA: Sisters Faith & Grace Bennett Earn Girl Scout Gold Awards For Developing Peaceful Community Space In Nature At Hillside Park In South Abington Twp., Lackawanna County

-- DEP Intern Experiences: Isaac Edman, University Of Pittsburgh Law School, Working With DEP Office Of Chief Counsel In Southwest PA 

-- 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] 

-- 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 

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

-- WESA/The Allegheny Front: DEP To Study Whether 11,000 Acres In Westmoreland County Is ‘Unsuitable’ For Coal Mining

-- Observer-Reporter: Coal Miner Sues For Wrongful Termination Claiming Coal Company Retaliated After Worker Raised Safety Concerns 

-- DEP Highlights Cleanup Of Former Steel Plant At Hazelwood Green To Turn Dirt Into Jobs Thru Land Recycling, Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program In Allegheny County

-- DEP Issues Final Guidance On Notification Requirements For Unauthorized Discharges To Waters Of The Commonwealth

-- August 22 - Pennsylvania Bulletin Now Available

-- TribLive: PA Resources Council Hard-To-Recycle Collection Event Draws Several Hundred To Boyce Park In Plum Boro, Allegheny County

-- WHYY - Zoe Read: Researchers Find Microplastics In Insects From Schuylkill River Watershed 

-- DCNR Makes Multi-Million Dollar Investment To Improve Campground At Cook Forest State Park In Clarion, Forest, Jefferson Counties

-- Susquehanna Greenway Partnership Announces Winners Of 2026 Photo Contest

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Swarms Of Mayflies In Wilkes-Barre A Good Sign For The Susquehanna River

-- WESA: Audubon Society Of Western PA Lands $240,000 Mellon Foundation Grant To Expand Community Conservation Education Efforts

 A.I. /Data Centers

-- 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] 

-- Concerned Citizens Of Montour County Comments On Gov. Shapiro’s Executive Order [Facebook] 

-- Scranton Times: Lackawanna County Commissioner: Local Data Center Fight Must Continue Despite Governor’s Executive Order

-- Scranton Times Chris Kelly Opinion: 2 Of 3 Lackawanna County Commissioners Still Kicking Data Center Can Down The Road On Health Impacts Study

-- Scranton Times: NE PA Data Center Backers, Opponents Weigh Shapiro’s New Rules

-- TribLive: People, Developers In Western PA React To Gov. Shapiro’s Executive Order On Data Centers

-- Scranton Times: A.I. Data Center Developer Radically Changes Plans In Covington, Clifton Townships, Lackawanna County

-- WVIA: Lackawanna County Judge Voids Clifton Twp. Data Center Zoning In Response To Developer Lawsuit, As Residents Provide Feedback For Updated Legislation

-- Scranton Times: Legal Dispute Between Clifton Twp., A.I. Data Center Developer Clouds Future Of Data Centers

-- Scranton Times: A.I. Data Center, Warehouse Developer Buys More Land In Archbald For Nearly $16.2 Million

-- Scranton Times: Citizen Lawsuit Alleges Salem Twp. Planners Illegally Advanced Data Center Plan By Locking Citizens Out Of July 23 Meeting

-- PennLive/The Mercury: Smaller Data Center Proposed For Coventry Mall In North Coventry Twp., Chester County

-- Morning Call: How Will Bucks County Amazon Data Center DEP Air Quality Permit Be Affected By Gov. Shapiro’s Order?

-- Republican Herald: ‘Why Here?’ Tensions, Questions Remain Over Proposed Amazon Data Center In Kline Twp., Schuylkill County 

-- Williamsport Sun: Gregg Twp. Suspends A.I. Data Center Proposals For Up To 180 Days To Consider Changes To Zoning Ordinance In Lycoming County 

-- Williamsport Sun: Muncy Twp. Planning Commission Formulating A.I. Data Center Ordinance In Lycoming County

-- The Allegheny Front: How Tiny Archbald Boro Is Handling A Data Center Rush In Lackawanna County 

-- Scranton Times Chris Kelly Opinion: 5th Hearing In Archbald On ‘Conceptual’ Plans For 3 Proposed Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants Boils Down To ‘Trust Us,’ Public Response ‘No’

-- The Center Square: Republican Rep. Doyle Heffley (Carbon County) Says Data Center Speculation Targeted By Shapiro Is A ‘Huge Problem’

-- City And State PA: A.I. Data Centers Are Dominating Pennsylvania’s Gubernatorial Race

-- The Center Square: Shapiro Sides With Public On A.I. Data Centers; Some Say He Is Late

-- PennLive: Some Embrace Shapiro’s New Data Center Rules, Others Hate’em

-- Gov. Shapiro: What People Are Saying About Data Center Executive Order

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Responsible [Data Center] Growth Starts With The Fundamentals - By John Hawkins, President, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Shapiro’s Approach To Data Centers Is A Model For Nation - By Austin Sarat, Amherst College

-- Spotlight PA: A.I. Data Centers Are ‘Redefining’ Midterm Election Races Across Pennsylvania

-- AP: President Keeps Embracing A.I. Data Centers Even As They Become Toxic In Midterm Election Races 

-- Washington Post: See The Moment When Republican Politicians Turned Against A.I. Data Centers 

-- New York Times: The A.I. Data Center Backlash Bursts Into The Midterm Elections

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- August 23: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Up 8 Cents From Aug. 16 To $4.15/Gallon - $1.04/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Warren County Average Price Highest at $4.39]

-- August 23: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.09  Ohio- $4.04  PA- $4.15

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

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- City And State PA: A.I. Data Centers Are Dominating Pennsylvania’s Gubernatorial Race

-- Spotlight PA: A.I. Data Centers Are ‘Redefining’ Midterm Election Races Across Pennsylvania 

-- TribLive: Democratic Upset In PA House Race In Red Butler County Could Point To Broader Political Shifts 

-- Post-Gazette: Democrat Holds 97 Vote Lead In PA House Seat Held By Republicans For Decades In Butler County

-- TribLive: Republican Candidate For Governor Stacy Garrity Calls For Shapiro To Return $5.7 Million In Data Center-Related Campaign Donations, Shapiro Responds

-- WITF: PA ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Could Disappear In October, Businesses, Private, Nonprofit Organizations That Rely On Them Are Worried 

-- City & State PA: PA’s Health Insurance Marketplace Suffers Massive Decline In Enrollment

-- WESA: Measles Case Reported In Pittsburgh As Statewide Outbreak Continues

-- TribLive Editorial: 1 Case Of Measles Matters

-- Republican Herald Editorial: President Sells Access To Social Media Posts; No Investigators In Sight

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[Posted: August 23, 2026]  PA Environment Digest