Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last Week - September 21

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- TribLive: Shapiro Calls For Government A.I. Regulations On Use - It’s Not What Some In The Industry Want To Hear

-- Gov. Shapiro’s Remarks At A.I. Horizons Summit: Federal Government Needs To Step Up And Regulate The A.I. Industry, Adopt Guardrails For Deployment

-- Scranton Times: Shapiro Cites Archbald Boro In The Need For More Local Control Over A.I. Data Centers; Reviews His Recent Executive Order

-- AP: Shapiro Administration Rules For PA Medicaid Recipients Spark Lawsuit From People With Disabilities

-- Race For Governor

-- Post-Gazette: President, Shapiro Face High-Stakes Political Tests In PA’s Midterm Election 

-- Pittsburgh’s Public Source: What Shapiro’s Huge Edge Over Garrity In National Campaign Contributions Looks Like

-- WHYY: Republican Candidate For Governor Stacy Garrity Campaigns In ‘Unsafe’ Philly After Temple-Penn State Football Game  

-- PA House/Senate

-- Spotlight PA: ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Face Seizure As Oct. 13 Deadline For PA Legislature To Act Looms

-- PennLive: PA House Democrats Demand Records On Contracts For Clearfield County ICE Immigrant Detention Facility

-- US House/Senate

-- TribLive: ‘A.I. Is Inevitable’: PA US Sen. Fetterman, McCormick Back A.I., Balk At Calls For Regulation 

-- AP: PA Republican Congressman Fitzpatrick Keeps Distancing Himself From President, It May Not Save Him In Midterm Elections 

-- Statewide Offices

-- PA Capital-Star: State Treasury Flagged $1.4 Billion In Payment Errors, Saved $75 Million By Preventing Payments To Ineligible Recipients; Lawmakers Say Greater Oversight Needed

-- 2026 Elections

-- WITF: President’s Dept. Of Homeland Security Explains How It Identified Potential Noncitizen Voters, Says It Will Provide List To Pennsylvania

-- Elections

-- AP: US Supreme Court Rejects President’s Mail-In Ballot Restrictions Ahead Of Midterm Elections

 -- Republican Herald Editorial: President Will Stop At Nothing To Prove Myth Of Widespread Voter Fraud

-- President’s War On Iran

-- September 20: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Up 1 Cent From Yesterday To $4.57/Gallon - $1.46/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Warren County $4.83  Highest Average Prices]

-- September 20: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.47  Ohio- $4.52  PA- $4.57

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

-- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Issues National Hours Of Service Waiver For Transporting Gasoline, Diesel Fuel In Response To Global Fuel Supply Chain Disruptions  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive: Oil Prices Surge, Pushing Winter Heating Costs Higher For Pennsylvania - Heating Oil, Electricity, Propane, Natural Gas  

-- PennLive: Home Heating Bills Will Cost Up To 31% More This Winter, Report Says

-- PA Capital-Star: Record Diesel Prices hit Farmers In Pennsylvania, North Dakota And Across The Country At The Wrong Time

-- PennLive: Local Businesses Warn Of Steeper Food Prices Due To Record Diesel Prices

-- PennLive: Think Gasoline/Diesel Prices Are Bad? ‘Buckle Up,’ GasBuddy Analyst Says, It’s Going To Get Worse

-- AP: Rising Gasoline/Diesel Prices Frustrate Voters; President Says It’s An ‘Inexpensive Price To Pay’ For His War On Iran

-- Wall Street Journal: Oil Executives Say The Great Fuel Crisis Is Here Due To Prolonged Closure Of The Strait Of Hormuz

-- TribLive/AP: President Demands Ukraine Halt Strikes On Russian Diesel Fuel, Saying Attacks Causing A Shortage [International Sanctions Ban Buying Russian Diesel Fuel, Russia Has Ban On Diesel Fuel Exports] 

-- Financial Times: Oil Hits $108 After Saudi Arabia Closes Vital Export Pipeline

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Tariffs/Trade

-- TribLive: ‘So Much Chaos’: Escalating Trade War With Canada Impacts PA’s Largest Export Market 

-- Erie Times: President’s Tariffs Hit Pennsylvania Consumers, Businesses With $11 Billion In Costs Since 2025 

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Policies

-- York Daily Record: PA Residents Will Not Get $500 Health Insurance Rebate Because PA Has Its Own Health Insurance Marketplace 

-- WITF: Haitian Pastor Who Lost Federal Protection Under President Detained After Traffic Stop In West Manchester Twp. In York For Minor Infraction Sent To Louisiana

-- WITF: York Pastor, Haitian Immigrant ‘Pulled Of The Plane’ As Deportation Stayed, Intervention From Elected Officials Allegedly Influenced Decision

-- WTAE: Pitcairn Council Meeting Erupts Over Police Agreement With Federal ICE With No Public Input Or Council Vote In Allegheny County

-- PennLive: PA House Democrats Demand Records On Contracts For Clearfield County ICE Immigrant Detention Facility

-- Federal Administration

-- White House: President Signs New Order Rescinding 2009 Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Executive Order In Part It Said Because It Was Related To Adoption Of Local Stormwater Management Fees “Though Nothing In That Order Required Or Explicitly Justified Such Measures”  [PaEN] 

-- WNEP: Gov. Shapiro On President’s New Chesapeake Bay Order: He Can Do Whatever Photo-Ops He Wants In The Oval Office, These Decisions Will Be Made In Local Communities

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Wyoming Valley Authority: President’s Order Does Not Eliminate Stormwater Fees Or The Requirements For Municipalities To Reduce Stormwater Pollution

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader Editorial: The ‘Rain Tax’ Debate Misses The Point On The Need To Cleanup Stormwater Runoff

-- WNEP: Wyoming Valley Authority: President’s Order Does Not Eliminate Stormwater Fees Or Requirements For Municipalities To Reduce Stormwater Pollution

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Does President’s Order End Stormwater Fees?  Local Officials Say State Needs To Act

-- PA Capital-Star: Maryland Officials Grapple With ‘Bizarre’ Presidential Order On Chesapeake Bay Revoking Federal Resources To Support State-Led Efforts To Reduce Nutrient, Sediment Pollution

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- Post-Gazette: Why Allegheny County’s Former Top Republican Official, Became A Democrat: ‘I Can’t Do This’

-- A.I. /Data Centers

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - September 21 

-- Report: Winter Heating Oil Costs Expected To Increase Over 31%, Electric By 9%, Natural Gas By 5.8%  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive: Oil Prices Surge, Pushing Winter Heating Costs Higher For Pennsylvania - Heating Oil, Electricity, Propane, Natural Gas  

-- PUC Study Warns Rapid Data Center Growth Will Cause PJM Electric Grid To Fail Reliability Standard In 2027, If No Further Actions Taken  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Maximum Generation, Load Management Alerts For Sept. 17 For Entire Service Area Due To Hot Weather, 35,000 MW Of Maintenance Outages; Requested DOE Emergency Order  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Interconnection Maximum Generation Alert Remains In Effect For Sept. 18; Emergency Demand Response Customers Activated On Sept. 17 To Increase Reserve Generation Because More Generation Went Offline  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: A.I. Data Centers Are Not Inevitable - By Joan Mukogosi, Data & Society Research Institute and an author of the forthcoming “The AI Factory: Data Centers, Power, and Resistance in Late Industrial Pennsylvania” 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: 10 New Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants Projects Are Proposed In Southwest PA That Could Double PA’s Power Capacity, Will They Happen? 

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Pennsylvania’s Amazon Data Center Boom Fueled By A Lucrative Tax Break [Will Cost PA Taxpayers $2 Billion In Revenue By 2031]

-- Tri-State Alert:  PA Senate Republican Leader: Legislature Needs To Pick Up Slack From Prior Governors And Boost Energy Production [Nothing About Pausing Data Center Development Causing Spike In Demand] 

-- PA House Republican Policy Committee Hearing: ‘Unleash’ Pennsylvania Natural Gas To Lower Costs, Strengthen Reliability  [Nothing About Pausing Data Center Development Causing Spike In Demand] 

-- International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

-- September 20: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Up 1 Cent From Yesterday To $4.57/Gallon - $1.46/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Warren County $4.83  Highest Average Prices]

-- September 20: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.47  Ohio- $4.52  PA- $4.57

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

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs - 15 - Same As Last 2 Weeks [Down 3 From Last Year]

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - September 21 

-- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Issues National Hours Of Service Waiver For Transporting Gasoline, Diesel Fuel In Response To Global Fuel Supply Chain Disruptions  [PaEN] 

-- Report: Winter Heating Oil Costs Expected To Increase Over 31%, Electric By 9%, Natural Gas By 5.8%  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive: Oil Prices Surge, Pushing Winter Heating Costs Higher For Pennsylvania - Heating Oil, Electricity, Propane, Natural Gas  

-- PennLive: Home Heating Bills Will Cost Up To 31% More This Winter, Report Says

-- PA Capital-Star: Record Diesel Prices hit Farmers In Pennsylvania, North Dakota And Across The Country At The Wrong Time

-- PennLive: Local Businesses Warn Of Steeper Food Prices Due To Record Diesel Prices

-- PennLive: Think Gasoline/Diesel Prices Are Bad? ‘Buckle Up,’ GasBuddy Analyst Says, It’s Going To Get Worse

-- PUC Study Warns Rapid Data Center Growth Will Cause PJM Electric Grid To Fail Reliability Standard In 2027, If No Further Actions Taken  [PaEN] 

-- AP: Rising Gasoline/Diesel Prices Frustrate Voters; President Says It’s An ‘Inexpensive Price To Pay’ For His War On Iran

-- Wall Street Journal: Oil Executives Say The Great Fuel Crisis Is Here Due To Prolonged Closure Of The Strait Of Hormuz

-- TribLive/AP: President Demands Ukraine Halt Strikes On Russian Diesel Fuel, Saying Attacks Causing A Shortage [International Sanctions Ban Buying Russian Diesel Fuel, Russia Has Ban On Diesel Fuel Exports] 

-- Financial Times: Oil Hits $108 After Saudi Arabia Closes Vital Export Pipeline

-- Flooding

-- PEMA To Open Resource Center In Erie Sept. 17-19 To Assist Families Impacted By Severe Storms On Sept. 2-3

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: PEMA Holds First Meeting Of Emergency Readiness Advisory Group 

-- Erie Times: Erie City Council To Vote On $4 Million Proposed For Storm Cleanup On Sept. 16

-- Erie Times: Erie City Council Approves $4 Million For Massive Storm Cleanup

-- PEMA: Update To Guidelines For State Disaster Recovery Assistance Program - Public Infrastructure

-- TribLive: Crews Rescue Motorist Stranded On Car Roof As Flash Floods Swamp Elizabeth Twp. In Allegheny County 

-- Observer-Reporter: Washington County Asks Property Owners To Report Flood Damage 

-- Post-Gazette: Repeated Heavy Downpours Are Flooding Western PA, Giving Residents Little Time To Recover

-- Williamsport Sun: Lycoming County Approves Upgrade To Flood Warning Stream Gauges

-- White House: President Signs New Order Rescinding 2009 Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Executive Order In Part It Said Because It Was Related To Adoption Of Local Stormwater Management Fees “Though Nothing In That Order Required Or Explicitly Justified Such Measures”  [PaEN] 

-- WNEP: Gov. Shapiro On President’s New Chesapeake Bay Order: He Can Do Whatever Photo-Ops He Wants In The Oval Office, These Decisions Will Be Made In Local Communities

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Wyoming Valley Authority: President’s Order Does Not Eliminate Stormwater Fees Or The Requirements For Municipalities To Reduce Stormwater Pollution

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader Editorial: The ‘Rain Tax’ Debate Misses The Point On The Need To Cleanup Stormwater Runoff

-- WNEP: Wyoming Valley Authority: President’s Order Does Not Eliminate Stormwater Fees Or Requirements For Municipalities To Reduce Stormwater Pollution

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Does President’s Order End Stormwater Fees?  Local Officials Say State Needs To Act

-- PA Capital-Star: Maryland Officials Grapple With ‘Bizarre’ Presidential Order On Chesapeake Bay Revoking Federal Resources To Support State-Led Efforts To Reduce Nutrient, Sediment Pollution

-- Altoona Mirror: Intergovernmental Stormwater Committee Exceeds Requirement For Sediment Reduction In Blair County

-- Train Derailments

-- The Allegheny Front: Sept. 24 & 25 Pittsburgh Film Fest Puts Spotlight On Norfolk Southern Train Derailment, Fight Against Mountain Valley Natural Gas Pipeline

-- Health Care

-- AP: Shapiro Administration Rules For PA Medicaid Recipients Spark Lawsuit From People With Disabilities

-- WPSU: Coroner Reports 40-Year-Old Unvaccinated Woman 3rd Measles-Related Death In PA Reported In Jefferson County 

-- TribLive: Measles-Related To Death Of 18-Year-Old, Unvaccinated Person In Mifflin County, 4th Person To Die In PA As Outbreak Grows

-- York Daily Record: PA Residents Will Not Get $500 Health Insurance Rebate Because PA Has Its Own Health Insurance Marketplace 

-- WESA: UPMC To Pay President’s Dept. Of Justice Nearly $1 Million, Agrees To 10-Year Moratorium On Gender-Affirming Care For Trans Youth Under 19

-- Law Enforcement

-- Spotlight PA: ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Face Seizure As Oct. 13 Deadline For PA Legislature To Act Looms

-- TribLive Editorial: Just Show Up For Jury Duty

-- WITF: Haitian Pastor Who Lost Federal Protection Under President Detained After Traffic Stop In West Manchester Twp. In York For Minor Infraction Sent To Louisiana

-- WITF: York Pastor, Haitian Immigrant ‘Pulled Of The Plane’ As Deportation Stayed, Intervention From Elected Officials Allegedly Influenced Decision

-- WTAE: Pitcairn Council Meeting Erupts Over Police Agreement With Federal ICE With No Public Input Or Council Vote In Allegheny County

-- PennLive: PA House Democrats Demand Records On Contracts For Clearfield County ICE Immigrant Detention Facility

-- TribLive: FBI Arrests Butler County Man In Alleged Terrorist Plot, Officials Warn Public to Remain Vigilant 

-- Inquirer: Federal Judge: Philly DA May Have Broken The Law, Referred Case To US Attorney’s Office

-- The Economy

--  Dept. Of Labor & Industry: PA Unemployment Rate Drops To 3.7% In August, Lowest In Over 2 Years

-- TribLive: ‘So Much Chaos’: Escalating Trade War With Canada Impacts PA’s Largest Export Market 

-- Erie Times: President’s Tariffs Hit Pennsylvania Consumers, Businesses With $11 Billion In Costs Since 2025 

[Posted: September 21, 2026]