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

September 30

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

November 9, 10

-- Committee Schedule

Senate Voting Schedule

September 30

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

November 17, 18

-- Committee Schedule

TODAY’s Calendar Of Events

TODAY 9:00: Agenda Posted. DEP Sewage Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson. 9:00 a.m.

TODAY 9:30: House Energy Committee meets to consider House Bill 2755 (Pielli-D-Chester) requiring investor-owned utilities to join PJM to eliminate a “windfall” payment utilities receive at ratepayer expense; House Bill 2775 (Donahue-D-Lackawanna) to reduce development of speculative data center proposals, the legislation requires data center applicants seeking local zoning or land-use approval to demonstrate that they have submitted an interconnection application with the applicable electric utility provider and paid all mandatory fees and costs associated with the application; House Bill 2791 (Takac-D-Centre) provide an option for utilities and developers to co-locate electric transmission lines along certain PennDOT rights-of-ways; House Bill 2828 (Fiedler-D-Philadelphia) codifies the PUC’s large load tariff, charge large load customers for reliability backstop auction costs and curtail large load users during emergencies; House Resolution 564 (Freeman-D-Lehigh) directs the Joint State Government commission to investigate how heat from data centers can be captured and repurposed to improve energy efficiency, lower operating costs and reduces waste head emissions; House Resolution 630 (Sappey-D-Chester) directs the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study of decommissioning requirements for data centers. Room 205 Ryan Building. 9:30 a.m. Click Here to watch online.

TODAY 6:00: In-Person. Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community meeting on Sherwin Williams Facility. Rochester Riverfront Park, Rochester. 6:00 p.m.

October 2-- In-Person. Carnegie Mellon University, Center For Coalfield Justice Community-Centered A.I. Infrastructure Summit. Mellon Institute Auditorium, Pittsburgh. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. https://tinyurl.com/3bvph8tj

October 5-- House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee holds a hearing on road spreading oil and gas wastewater and DEP’s new “mineral brine” conventional well permit. Room 205 Ryan Building. 10:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online. Read background here.

October 6-- House Energy Committee will hold an informational meeting on electric reliability and the PUC’s Assessing Electricity Resource Adequacy in Pennsylvania and PJM report. Room 205 Ryan Building. 9:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online.

October 6-- In-Person. 27+ Citizen, Environmental Groups To Hold No Data Center Rally Oct. 6 Main Capitol Rotunda In Harrisburg. 12:30 p.m.

October 7-- In-Person. 500 Feet Isn't Enough! The Protective Buffers PA Coalition Will Hold A Rally At The State Capitol In Harrisburg Calling For Increasing Setbacks From Shale Gas Drilling To Protect Public Health, The Environment. 12:30 p.m.

October 21-- House Energy Committee meeting. Information Meeting Agenda TBA. Click Here to watch online.

October 14-- In-Person. DEP Public Meeting/Hearing On Major Amendment To Water Quality Permit For Homer City Data Center/Power Plant Complex In Indiana County. Homer Center High School Auditorium, 70 Wildcat Lane, Homer City. 5:00 to 7:30 p.m.

-- DEP’s Forest City East - Fish & Boat Commission Access Abandoned Mine Reclamation Project In Susquehanna, Wayne Counties Recognized With Federal Office Of Surface Mine Reclamation Appalachian States Award [PaEN]

-- TribLive: What Happens When Coal Companies Buy Up An Entire Village To Prevent Damage From Longwall Coal Mining In Center Twp., Greene County

-- TribLive Letter: Truths About Shale Gas Fracking, Contaminated Water Releases - By Jan Milburn, Westmoreland County

-- PA Solar Center: Union Aid Society, EIS Solar Turn Sunshine Into Support For The Community With Solar Energy Installation In Allegheny County [PaEN]

-- Planet Philadelphia Radio Show Oct. 2 - Renovating The Grid And Energy Systems For The Future, 4:00 p.m.

-- TribLive: Duquesne Light Workers Threaten Strike Wednesday Night

-- DEP, First Lady Lori Shapiro Highlight Impacts Of Food Waste Reduction Grants, Tour The Valley Lighthouse Food Distribution Center In Dauphin County [PaEN]

-- Keystone Trails Assn.: 50+ Trail Advocates Hold Hike Harrisburg Trail Advocacy Day At State Capitol In Harrisburg [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times: ‘Recovery In Nature’ Substance Abuse Initiative Blooms Highlighting Benefits Of Enjoyment Of State Parks, Nature Areas

-- Susquehanna Greenway Partnership Completes First-Of-Its-Kind Accessibility Study Of West Branch Susquehanna River Access Sites

-- TribLive: Allegheny Regional Asset District Board Proposes Nearly $153 Million In Funding For Parks, Libraries And Arts

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: PA Senator Pushes To Enshrine Hunting, Fishing Rights In PA Constitution

A.I. /Data Centers

-- Republican Herald: Kline Twp. Planning Commission In Schuylkill County Approves Amazon Data Center Plans With Conditions Over Public Objections; Twp. Supervisors To Vote On Plans Wednesday [Sept. 30]

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Sugarloaf Twp. Supervisors Table Resolution To Write New Rules For A.I. Data Centers After Residents Ask If It Would Hurt Their Active Legal Case Involving A Challenge By A Data Center Developer

-- Scranton Times Guest Essay: Northeast PA Must Seize The Opportunity Of A Digital Future - By John Yudichak, Luzerne County Community College President, Former State Senator

-- TheDerrick.com: Data Center Developer KEEL Infrastructure VP Tries To Quell Concerns About Data Center Plans In Venango County

-- Tribune-Democrat: Somerset County Resident Pack Hearing To Urge Officials To Strengthen Proposed A.I. Data Center Regulations

-- PennLive - John Beauge: A.I. Data Center Project In Muncy Twp., Lycoming County Focus Of Court Challenge To PA’s ‘Deemed Approval’ Planning Code Provision

-- WITF: Central PA Residents At Cumberland County Forum Raise Concerns About Growing A.I. Data Center Development

-- SightLine: NRC Clears Environmental Review For Three Mile Island Data Center Nuclear Power Plant Restart

-- Tribune-Democrat: PA Lawmakers Advance Ban On Data Center Nondisclosure Agreements [Senate], Prohibit Public Utility Status [House]

-- The Center Square: PA Senate Committee Backs Ban On Governments Signing Data Center Nondisclosure Agreements

-- Utility Dive (Deep Dive): A.I. Data Center Boom Continues, But Projects Face Mounting Obstacles: Equipment, Labor Shortages; Utility Infrastructure; Cost/Reliability Of Power & Natural Gas Supplies And Mounting Public Opposition

-- Utility Dive (Deep Dive): Efforts To Curb A.I. Data Center Speculation Gain Ground Across The US

-- AP: President Said He Will Never ‘Stifle’ Growth Of A.I.; Promotes Voluntary Self-Policing Of A.I. Development

Today’s Oil & Gas Violations

-- DEP: Equipment Failure At Catalyst Energy Injection Well Results In Contaminated Water Discharges In Keating Twp., McKean County [PaEN]