133 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA

Here are 133 new stories in the PA Environment Digest about individuals, groups, local governments, farmers, businesses, watershed groups and many more working all across Pennsylvania to restore and protect the environment and show others the beauty that surrounds us.

Thank you for your leadership!

-- PBS: The Greater Good: The Tom And Michele Ridge Story [7 Chapter Documentary]

-- Gov. Tom Ridge On Leadership: I Call For Pennsylvania To Be A Showcase Of Well-Reasoned And Inspired Environmental Leadership [PaEN]

-- Daily American Guest Essay: Why Somerset County Will Never Forget Flight 93 - By Brian Whipkey  [PDF of Article]

-- Pennsylvanians Are Finding Their Voices Again On Environmental, Energy Issues They Care About  [PaEN] 

-- 27+ Citizen, Environmental Groups To Hold No Data Center Rally Oct. 6 Main Capitol Rotunda In Harrisburg  [PaEN] 

-- 500 Feet Isn't Enough! The Protective Buffers PA Coalition Will Hold A Rally At The State Capitol In Harrisburg Oct. 7 Calling For Increasing Setbacks From Shale Gas Drilling To Protect Public Health, The Environment  [PaEN]

-- PA Farm Bureau Supports Pause On A.I. Data Center Development, Issues Policy Paper On Why A Pause Is Needed  [PaEN]

-- NBC10: PA Senate Republican Leader, House Democratic Speaker Reject A.I. Data Center Moratorium Legislation   [Warning]

-- Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Celebrates 30 Years Of Hope, Hard Work Reclaiming Legacy Abandoned Mine Lands, Mine Water Pollution Across NE PA  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension: 10 Years Of Service By Master Watershed Steward Geoffrey Selling Has Made A Real Impact In Montgomery County  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR: Pine Creek Rail Trail Honored As Pennsylvania’s 2026 Trail Of The Year During Special Event In Tioga County  [PaEN] 

-- Williamsport Sun: Pine Creek Trail Honored As 2026 PA Trail Of The Year

-- PA Municipality Authorities Assn. Honors Rep. Danilo Burgos With 2026 Distinguished Service Award 

-- Stories You May Have Missed Last Week:  PA Environment & Energy Articles & NewsClips By Topic - September 28  [PaEN] 

-- Environment & Energy Educational Opportunities For Students & Adults  [PaEN]

-- House Environmental Committee To Hold Oct. 5 Hearing On New DEP Conventional Oil & Gas ‘Mineral Brine’ Permit Allowing Unrestricted, Unlimited Road Dumping Of Contaminated Water  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Issues Violations To Mifflin Energy Resources LLC For Abandoning, Not Plugging 16 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Greene County  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Tank Truck Releases Contaminated Water On Access Road Leading To EQT ARO LLC DCNR Shale Gas Well Pad In Lycoming County  [PaEN]

-- DEP: Complaint Inspection Finds Slope Failure, Erosion & Sedimentation Violations Along Equitrans Water SVC (PA) LLC [EQT] Shale Gas Water Pipeline In Washington County  [PaEN]  

-- CNX Gas Co. Announces Expansion Of 'Radical Transparency' Initiative To Include Disclosure Of Radiation Monitoring Results At Some Facilities; Groups Say Monitoring Is Not Comprehensive Enough  [PaEN]  

-- Environmental Health Project Blog: So You Don’t Want To Live Near Natural Gas Facilities - A Guide To Homebuying In Southwest PA 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Workers Warned Of Radiation Sickness At Former Eureka Resources OIl & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plant - By Christina DiGiulio, Physicians For Social Responsibility PA 

-- Inside Climate News: Specter Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Looms Over PA’s Rural Communities From Sewage Sludge Applied To Fields In Columbia County  [Hazardous Sites Cleanup In 12 Municipalities]

-- Inside Climate News - Marie Cusick: In Rural Pennsylvania, Doctors Confront Hidden Health Impacts Of Environmental Pollution, Extreme Weather

-- DEP Office Of Environmental Justice: Sept. 29 Webinar On Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program, Act 2 Land Recycling Program, 4:00 p.m.

-- DEP Invites Comments On New PA General Energy Application For 3.9 Mile Long Access Road, Staging Area To Support Shale Gas Development In Loyalsock State Forest In Lycoming County  [PaEN] 

-- US EPA Invites Comments On Reissuance Of Expired EXCO Resources (PA) Oil & Gas Waste Injection Well Permit In Bell Twp., Clearfield County; Virtual Hearing Set For Oct. 27 [If Requested]  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Issues Air Quality Plan Approval For As-Built Air Pollution Controls, Wastewater Treatment Plant At Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County  [PaEN]   [Warning]

-- Independent Fiscal Office: Shell Petrochemical Plant Awarded $32 Million In PA Resource Manufacturing Tax Credits So Far; Coal Refuse-Fired Power Plants $97 Million In Tax Credits; $64 Million In Farm Conservation Tax Credits

-- PA Capital-Star: Software Breach Affects Environmental Hearing Board, Allegheny, Monroe, Washington County Court Case Management Systems

-- The Center Square: A.I. Data Center Court Fights Fester As PA Lawmakers Return To Session 

-- Altoona Mirror - Robert Swift: PA House Energy Committee Chair Rep. Fiedler Drafting Legislation To Give Gov. Shapiro’s Data Center Executive Order Some Teeth

-- Public Utility Commission To Hold Nov. 17 Technical Conference On Utility Costs Driven By A.I. Data Centers, Other Large Loads  [PaEN] 

-- Feature: PJM Independent Market Monitor Recommends FERC Reject PJM's Interim Resource Adequacy Proposal Because It Just Punts Issues Of Who Gets Curtailed And Who Pays To The States - By Rob Altenburg, Attorney, Energy Analyst

-- PUC: Fewer, But Bigger Power Outages Impacted Nearly 2.9 Million Electric Customers In 2025, The Same As In 2024; But More Than Double The Number Of Customers Were Impacted By Major Outage Events  [PaEN]

-- Muncy Township, Lycoming County Residents, Groups File Lawsuit Challenging A.I. Data Center Proposal Saying ‘Deemed Approved’ Provision Of Municipalities Planning Code Is Unconstitutional

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - September 28  [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: A.I. Data Center Developers Should Learn From Shale Gas Industry On How To Handle Public Controversy And Regulations Amid Public Backlash  [PDF of Article]  [Warning]

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Pennsylvania’s A.I. Data Center Boom Is Repeating Old Patterns Of Exploitation 

-- We’ve Heard This Before: ‘We’re Providing Jobs - Stopping Pollution Threatens Jobs’ - A Brief Review Of Pennsylvania’s Conservation History  [PaEN] 

-- PA Capital-Star: US DOE Unveils Project To Squeeze More Juice Through Existing Power Lines; PPL To Receive $71.5 Million Grant

-- PPL Electric: $71.4 Million: Montour-Glen Brook-Susquehanna Corridor Transmission Line Project

-- Duquesne Light Company: $22.2 Million: Dynamic Grid Controls, Strategic Upgrades

-- Bloomberg: Congressional Permit Talks Include Faster Approvals For Pipelines, Power Lines, Hobbling State Permit Authority  [Warning]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvanians Need Stronger Protections From Variable Electric, Natural Gas Rates Charged By Suppliers - By Andy Tubbs, Energy Association of PA [Public Utilities] 

-- PennLive/Spotlight PA: Who Should Pay For Low-Income Electric, Natural Gas Bill Assistance? In PA It All Falls On Residential Customers [Should Data Centers That Are Increasing Bills Pay?] 

-- PennLive/Spotlight PA: 1,000s Miss Out On Electric, Natural Gas Discount Supplier Options, But Regulators Aren’t Sold On Plans For Automatic Enrollment 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: A Proposed PUC Settlement Could Quietly End Electric Supplier Choice For 2 Million Pennsylvanians By Automatically Returning Customers To Utility Default Service - By James H. Cawley, Former Chair, PA PUC

-- The Center Square: PA Farmers Face ‘A Lot Of Uncertainty’ As Record Diesel Prices Squeeze Operations

-- Post-Gazette: Home Heating Oil Prices In Western PA Have Ballooned, Diesel Prices Are Highest In 48 Years

-- TribLive: $6 Per Gallon: Heating Oil Prices Spike As Global Supply Chokes 

-- WTAE: Higher Gas Prices Hit Drivers Where It Hurts In Allegheny County; Drivers Make Tough Financial Decisions

-- TribLive: Westmoreland Transit Authority Gasoline Costs Went From $55,000 to $92,000/Month, Looking For Alternatives 

-- The Citizens’ Voice: ‘Skyrocketing’ Diesel Prices Impacting NE PA Businesses

-- Lancaster County Solar Expert Opens His Net-Zero Home For The ASES 2026 National Solar Tour Oct. 3  [PaEN]  

-- Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority Unveils New Interactive Solar Energy Display To Bring Renewable Energy To Life; Recycling Mini-Grant Applications Due Dec. 31  [PaEN] 

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: Philadelphia-Area Schools Are Tapping The Sun’s Energy And Saving Money On Energy Costs

-- Utility Dive: Federal Judge Restores $7 Billion Solar  For All Programs, Says EPA Illegally Axed It   [Pennsylvania Awarded $156 Million Thru The Program ]  

-- Utility Dive: 2nd Federal Judge Overturns $7 Billion Solar For All Cancellation [Pennsylvania Awarded $156 Million Thru The Program ]  

-- Scranton Times: PPL Offering Electric Vehicle Drivers Incentive To Charge During Low-Demand times

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Advocates Say New Energy, Water Efficiency Standards On Appliances, Water Fixtures Could Help Pennsylvanians Save Big On Utility Bills

-- Grounded Locally, Connected Globally -  Sustainable Pittsburgh Summit Set For Nov. 18  [PaEN] 

-- WESA: Black Lung Disease Remains Threat To Coal Miners In PA; But Efforts To Address It Are Delayed 

-- The Guardian: US Coal Miners Plead For Benefits As Black Lung Disease Cases Surge

-- TribLive: DEP Studies 11,000 Acres In Donegal Area, Westmoreland County For Unsuitable For Coal Mining Designation Amid Environmental Concerns 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: West Virginia Lawsuit Over Free Markets For PA Alternative Energy Credits Is An Attack On Coal-Refuse Power Plants - By Shawn Steffee, Boilermakers Union 

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Why Do Pennsylvania Elected Officials Want To Take My Family’s Oil & Gas Rights From Us By Retroactively Changing Laws?  - By Jeff Sloan, Thorne Family Member 

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: PA Congressional District Office Staff Visit Lancaster County Farm To Highlight The Importance Of Investing In Farm Conservation Projects 

-- WVIA: President’s Executive Order Does Not Cancel Stormwater Fees For Luzerne County Communities 

-- Scranton Times: TV Ad By Republican Congressman Bresnahan Claims On Stormwater Fee Are Murky, Ethically Questionable  

-- Observer-Reporter: Marianna Outdoorsmen Assn. Files Lawsuit Against PennDOT, DEP For Violating Clean Streams Law Over Damage To Ten Mile Creek In Washington County 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Tribes Say Federal Chesapeake Bay Program Is ‘Unwilling’ To Give Them A Seat At The Table [Warning]

-- Penn State Extension Watershed Winds News: Extension Seeks Input On Water Resources Programming; Septic Systems Basics; Flood Impacts And What You Can Do To Help

-- Penn State Extension Ag Conservation News: 270+ Attend Ag Conservation Con; Demand For Forest Conservation Protection Programs; Access Road Management 

-- Penn State Extension: Oct. 6 Webinar On Forest Carbon And Resilience - Introduction To Mass Timber, Noon to 1:00 p.m. 

-- Center For Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training Hosts Oct. 15 Webinar On Benefits Of Vegetated Stream Buffers On Farms  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension: Dec. 17 & Jan. 21 Webinars On Vital Role Of Headwaters And Haiku, Noon to 1:30 p.m.

-- Penn State Extension: Dec. 10 & Jan. 14 Webinars On Exploring Nature Through Journaling, Noon To 1:30 p.m.

-- PEMA: SBA Low-Interest Loans, State Disaster Grants Available To Northcentral Counties  From Sept. 2-3 Severe Storms, Flash Flooding; Outreach Centers To Open In Erie, Clinton, Lycoming Counties 

-- Erie Times: State, Federal Aid Available For Eligible Erie-Area Storm Victims

-- WTAE: Heavy Rain Causes Widespread Flooding, Water Rescues In Washington County 

-- WTAE: ‘My Trailer Might Go Down The Creek Next’: Canton Twp. Neighbors In Washington County Fear More Flooding After Creek Swells

-- Observer-Reporter: South Strabane Twp. Residents Upset Over Recent Flooding In Washington County

-- Observer-Reporter: Frequent Flooding Concerns Businesses, Residents Near Chartiers Creek In Washington County

-- Observer-Reporter: Officials In City Of Washington ‘Brainstorm’ Response To Flooding In Washington County

-- TribLive: Flooding Temporarily Shutters Westmoreland CleanWays Recycling Center For Cleanup; Expected To Reopen Friday

-- Warren Times Editorial: Warren County Failing Tidioute In Drinking Water Crisis; People Deserve Safe Water 

-- The Allegheny Front: Advocates Call Recent Change In PA Law Allowing More Lead In School Drinking Water A ‘Backslide’

-- DEP Fines A&M Composting $700,000 For Waste, Water Violations Related To Fires At The Facility In Penn Twp., Lancaster County

-- Republican Herald: Porter Twp. Residents Complain Of Overpowering Stench Of Natural Soil Products Compost Facility As DEP Enforcement Deadline Looms In Schuylkill County

-- Republican Herald: Nov. 5 DEP Hearing Set On Natural Soil Products Permit; Schuylkill County Zoning Hearing On NSP Facility Nov. 10

-- PA Resources Council/Allegheny CleanWays Eco Scouts Workshop Series Provides Solutions For Real Life As Scouts Of All Ages Work To Save Money, Reduce Waste, Create Healthier, Cleaner Communities  [PaEN]  

-- GlensideLocal.com: Manor College And Villanova University Volunteers Help Restore Jenkintown Creek 

-- DCNR To Update Mineral Extraction Policy On Lands It Owns In Response To Interest In Extracting Minerals, Other Than Oil & Gas; No Public Comment Period Planned  [PaEN]  [Warning]

-- PA Healthy Lands Week Sept. 26-Oct. 4: Bedford County Volunteers Will Turn Their Passion Into Action With Stewardship Activities All Week  [PaEN] 

-- DCNR Grants: North Pocono Trail Opens; ATV/Snowmobile Grants; Gettysburg Inner Loop; Nov. 5 Applicant Webinar 

-- PA Environmental Council Now Accepting Applications For PA Water Trail Mini-Grants; Applicant Webinar Oct. 5  [PaEN] 

-- EPA Awards $478,409 To DCNR For Wetlands Assessments On State Lands, Create Wetland Plant Community Training Modules For Professionals, Teachers 

-- DCNR Completes $5.2 Million In Improvements At Cherry Springs State Park In Potter County, Protecting Dark Skies, Advancing Sustainable Infrastructure On Public Lands  [Video + Photos From Event]   

-- DCNR Names Eric Probert District Forester, Loyalsock State Forest In Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan Counties

-- DCNR To Begin Weekly Fall Foliage Reports Oct. 1 To Support Planning Autumn Adventures Across Pennsylvania

-- Morning Call: PA Fall Foliage Forecast 2026: When Will Leaves Change In Lehigh Valley?

-- TribLive: Leaf Colors ‘Leaning Toward The Better Side’ As Fall Viewing Season Arrives

-- PennLive: When Will Peak Season For Fall Foliage Arrive?

-- Observer-Reporter: Laurel Highlands Named USAToday Named A Top Destination For Fall Foliage

-- Outdoor Business Alliance Of PA: Sept. 28 Webinar On Engaging With Your Tourism Promotion Agency + Chamber Of Commerce, Noon to 1:00 p.m.

-- PA Wilds Cooperative: Explore Regional Products, Services, Branded Goods And Local Shops In 2026 PA Wilds Buyer's Guide  [PaEN] 

-- PA Wilds Center 2026 Resources Guide Now Available For Businesses Looking For Grants, Technical Assistance, Marketing And Other Services To Grow Their Operations In The PA Wilds 

-- TribLive: Environmentalists Work To Restore Fern Hollow Ecosystem After Bridge Collapse In Frick Park

-- TribLive: Accessible, Paved Trail Opens At Settlers Cabin Park In Allegheny County

-- TribLive: Pittsburgh Reaches Tentative Deal To Expand Three Rivers Heritage Trail 

-- Observer-Reporter: Montour, Panhandle Touted As Key Segments Of Great American Rail Trail

-- Reading Eagle: Reading Moves Ahead With $4.5 Million Hillside Splash Park

-- Centre Daily Times: Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park Listed For $34 Million, New Owners Sought To ‘Continue The Legacy’

-- NextPittsburgh: Where Did All Of Pittsburgh’s Spotted Lanternflies Go?

-- Game Commission: Highlights Of Sept. 25 Board Of Commissioners Meeting

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: Game Commission Discusses New No Deer Feeding Areas, CWD Disposal Regulations, New Land Deals

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: Game Commission Considers Adding 7,600 Acres Of State Game Lands, Shale Gas Leases Totalling $61 Million On Sept. 25

-- Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: Chestnut-Sided Warbler Logs 30,000 Miles Flying Back And Forth From Costa Rica To Western PA

-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary: Latest Highlights From Fall Raptor Migration; Upcoming Experiences On The Mountain 

-- Post-Gazette: Snakes In PA Really Just Want To Be Left Alone, Including These Venomous Species

Visit the PA Environment Digest website to learn more.

REAL Leadership:

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[Posted: September 27, 2026]   PA Environment Digest