DEP To Hold Public Meeting/Hearing Nov. 23 On Chapter 105 Permit For Project Atlas A.I. Data Center Complex In Lehigh County

The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the October 17 PA Bulletin announcing a November 23 public meeting/hearing on the Chapter 105 permit application for the Project Atlas A.I. data Center Campus in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County. (PA Bulletin, page 6840)

DEP will hold a two-part event: a public meeting to answer questions on the overall project; and a public hearing to accept additional comments on the documentation and plans associated with Project Atlas.

The meeting/hearing will be held at Cedar Crest College, 100 College Drive in Allentown.

The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and the hearing from 7:45 to 9:30 p.m.

Individuals interested in testifying should submit a written notice to Maria C. Tavera Vilchis at: mtaveravil@pa.gov. 

The NPDES permit application documentation and conceptual plans are available for review at the Lehigh County Conservation District Office, 4184 Dorney Park Road, Suite 105, Allentown, PA at (610) 391-9583 and/or the DEP Northeast Regional Office, 2 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA (570) 826-2511. 

For further information, contact Maria C. Tavera Vilchis of the Department’s Northeast Regional Office at (570) 826-2035.

Read the entire PA Bulletin notice for more information. (PA Bulletin, page 6840)

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.

Related Articles This Week:

-- PUC Invites Comments On Regulations To Give Electric Utilities New Tools To Manage Data Centers During Emergency Periods Of Strained Electricity Supplies And Curtailments To Maintain Grid Reliability  [PaEN] 

-- DEP To Hold Public Meeting/Hearing Nov. 23 On Chapter 105 Permit For Project Atlas A.I. Data Center Complex In Lehigh County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Sets Nov. 20 Hearing On Stormwater Permit For PPL Stanton Summit Transmission Line Rebuild In Lackawanna County   [PaEN]

-- PJM Extends Maximum Generation Alert To Oct. 14 Due To Unusually Warm Weather, Equipment Outages; Calls On Demand Response To Reduce Power Load  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: PJM Interconnection Issues Alerts Warning Of Tight Electricity Supplies

-- PJM Issues Maximum Generation Alert For Oct. 13 Due To Unusually Warm Weather, Equipment Outages; Received DOE Order To Switch Data Centers To Backup Generation, If Needed  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Altoona Mirror - Robert Swift: PUC/Team PA Report Identifies 21 Possible Sites For A.I. Data Center Power Plants 

-- PA Capital-Star: PUC/Team PA Study Identifies 21 Potential Sites For A.I. Data Center Power Plants

-- Axios-Pittsburgh: Report: Pennsylvania Natural Gas Power Generation To Grow 15% By 2030 Due To A.I. Data Center Demand

-- Utility Dive: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Rejects Most Of PJM’s ‘Bring Your Own Power’ Data Center Load Plan Saying It Intrudes On State Jurisdiction, May Be Discriminatory  [FERC Rejected PJM’s Backstop Energy Plan Earlier] 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Plans To Study Ohio ‘Flagship’ A.I. Data Center, 10.2 GW Natural Gas Power Plant, Transmission Line Project On Federal Land Under A State Agreement Process

-- PennLive/LehighValleyLive: A.I. Data Centers Have A Shelf Life, Who Pays For Cleanup In PA When They Close Years From Now?

-- Wall Street Journal: ‘Phantom’ A.I. Data Centers Are Demanding More From The Power Grid Than They Need Leading To Higher Electricity Rates 

-- AP: US Is Reviving Shuttered Nuclear Power Plants To Meet Growing A.I. .Data Center Electricity Demand  [Includes Three Mile Island] 

[Posted: October 16, 2026] PA Environment Digest