Wednesday PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 9.23.26

“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]

House Voting Schedule

September 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 

September 24-- Virtual. DEP, PHFA Webinar On New Homeowner Energy Efficiency Loan Program To Reduce Your Energy Costs. Noon.

September 24-- Virtual. Penn State Extension Backyard Stream Repair Webinars (2 of 5) - Determining Your Options.  10:00 to 11:30 p.m.

September 25-- Agenda Posted. DEP Low-Level Radioactive Waste Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson. 10:00 a.m. (formal notice)

September 26-- In-Person. Heroes' Walk At Flight 93 National Memorial In Somerset County

September 29-- Virtual. Penn State Extension Backyard Stream Repair Webinars (3 of 5) - Choosing Your Plants For Your Stream.  10:00 to 11:30 p.m.

September 29 to Oct. 2-- In-Person. Swarthmore Fungi Fest.

September 30-- Agenda Added. 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 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.  Room 205 Ryan Building.  9:30 a.m.  Click Here to watch online.

September 30-- Agenda Posted. DEP Sewage Advisory Committee meeting. Room 105 Rachel Carson. 9:00 a.m.

September 30-- In-Person. Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community meeting on Sherwin Williams Facility.  Rochester Riverfront Park, Rochester. 6:00 p.m.

October 5-- NEW. 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 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. 

-- Wednesday - PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 9.23.26  [PaEN] 

-- 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]

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

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

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

-- 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 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 A.I. /Data Centers

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

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: Link Logistics Testing Waters For A.I. Data Center 100 Feet From Homes In Trainer Boro, Delaware County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Florida Developer Planning A.I. Data Center/Power Plant Complex In Forward Twp., Butler County; Township Hearing Thursday [Sept. 24] 

-- Scranton Times: Valley View School District Lawsuit Could Halt Project Gravity A.I. Data Centers In Archbald Boro  

-- Observer-Reporter: Developer’s Engineer Testifies About Natural Gas Power Plant Complex At Starpointe Data Center Hearing In Hanover Twp., Washington County 

-- WVIA: Project Gravity Data Center Developer Plans To Submit Final Land Plans To Archbald Boro In Lackawanna County

-- Scranton Times: Benton Twp. Approves Data Center Ordinance; Residents Say It Doesn’t Go Far Enough In Lackawanna County

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Plains Twp. Weighs Data Center Zoning In Luzerne County: ‘This Isn’t Something We’ve Ever Taken Lightly’

-- TribLive: Allegheny County Council Unanimously Bans Large A.I. Data Centers On County Property

-- Inside Climate News: Could Abandoned Mine Lands House Pennsylvania’s Unwanted Data Centers?  [Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Issues Cautions About This Complex Mined Landscape]

-- 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] 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: There Are Genuine Reasons For Secrecy Surrounding Acquisition Of Land And Construction Of Data Centers And Nondisclosure Agreements - By Matt Putnam, National Taxpayers Union Foundation 

-- The Center Square: PA Sen. McCormick Floats Dedicated Department To Handle A.I.

-- Bloomberg: A.I. Data Centers Release Heat, Posing New Problem For Cities

International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

[Energy Independence Means Renewables]

-- September 23: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Down 1 Penny Since Yesterday $4.55/Gallon - $1.44/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Warren County $4.77  Highest Average Price] 

-- September 23: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.47  Ohio- $4.45  PA- $4.55

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

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

--  Bloomberg: US Diesel Export Ban Would Be Calamity For The Market; Potentially Increases Prices In America

PA Politics - Everything Is Connected

-- Spotlight PA: The 2026 Races That Could Decide Control Of The PA House, Senate

-- TribLive: Shapiro Outspending Garrity by 20 to 1 Margin In Race For PA Governor

-- The Center Square: PA Republicans Say Disease Rule Proposals Allow For Warrantless Entry Into Homes

-- TribLive Editorial: What Does Penn State Owe Closing Campus Communities?

-- Republican Herald Editorial: President’s Attack On Media Strikes At The Heart Of Free Speech

-- WVIA: Clearfield County Commissioners Extend Contract With President’s ICE To Run Detention Center

-- Inquirer: Clearfield County Commissioners Extend Contract With President’s ICE For Detention Center; Facility May Be Sold To Federal Government

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[Posted: September 23, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

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

On September 17, CNX Resources Corporation announced the next evolution of its Radical Transparency Initiative, a public-private environmental monitoring and disclosure collaboration with Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. 

As part of this program update, CNX will add continuous ambient gamma radiation monitoring at its unconventional well pads and certain produced water facilities and expand its public disclosure of radiation levels associated with waste leaving its operating sites-- all shared with DEP and the public with the same open, real-time approach that has defined the collaboration since it launched in 2023.

Since Governor Shapiro and CNX signed the historic Statement of Mutual Interest in November 2023, the collaboration has grown from a commitment to disclose air and water quality data and drilling chemicals on a 24/7 basis to also include the most intensive independent study of unconventional natural gas wells in the nation. 

The partnership also helped inform DEP rulemaking requiring broader chemical disclosure across the industry. 

This new announcement extends the same standard of site-level, third party-verified data to radiation monitoring.

Onterris, formerly Montrose Environmental Group, is an accredited third-party environmental services provider with decades of experience in scientific testing and regulatory compliance across air, water, and radiological monitoring. 

CNX said Onterris brings the same independent rigor to CNX's radiation protection data as Clean Air Engineering applies to air quality monitoring under the program.

Under the expanded program, CNX will-- 

-- Install continuous ambient gamma radiation monitoring at or near its unconventional shale gas well pads and certain produced water [contaminated water] facilities, covering all phases of well pad development from drilling through production. 

Raw data will be collected by Onterris and provided to CNX and DEP simultaneously, with quality assurance and quality control performed under a dedicated QA/QC plan. 

The data will also be shared with the public in real time on the CNX Radical Transparency website.

-- Expand public disclosure of waste transportation radiation surveys consistent with CNX's Comprehensive Radiation Protection Plan (CRPP). 

CNX already surveys the radiation level of waste leaving its sites before disposal; it will now disclose that daily survey data publicly, updated monthly, from drilling to production. 

CNX also conducts semiannual desktop reviews and annual on-site inspections of every waste handling facility it approves to receive its waste.

Click Here for more information.

"Radical Transparency was never meant to be a program with an end date — it's how we intend to manage our business moving forward, providing the public and policymakers the data needed to make informed decisions about the nature of natural gas development in Pennsylvania, and that means it must continue expanding and growing into new areas," said Alan Shepard, President and CEO of CNX. 

"Just as we've done with air and water quality, we're going to put actual, site-level radiation data in front of the public and DEP rather than allow questionable studies and speculation to drive the narrative on this important issue. These are voluntary commitments that go beyond what any regulation requires of us, because our communities deserve real data, not guesswork, about the operations happening near where they and we live and work."

CNX notes that these commitments are voluntary and go beyond the company's existing compliance obligations under state and federal law. 

As with the rest of the Radical Transparency program, the goal is to provide communities, regulators, and elected officials direct access to site level data and facts – rather than relying on assumptions or modeling.

Additional information on Radical Transparency, including live monitoring data, is available at the CNX Radical Transparency website.

Click Here for the CNX announcement.

At this writing, the Department of Environmental Protection has not released a statement on the CNX announcement.

Reactions

FracTracker Alliance Executive Director Shannon Smith released this statement on the CNX announcement--

FracTracker Alliance supports comprehensive monitoring of radioactive materials in oil and gas waste. 

CNX’s announcement includes third-party collection of ambient gamma data and public disclosure of radiation surveys of waste leaving its sites. 

However, ambient gamma monitoring alone cannot identify or characterize the full range of radioactive contaminants or potential exposure pathways, and CNX’s own 2024 Comprehensive Radiation Protection Plan describes a broader suite of radiation-protection measures.

In its own February 2024 Comprehensive Radiation Protection Plan, analyzed in FracTracker’s Not-So-Radical Transparency report, CNX identified “drill cuttings, production water, flow-back solids/sludge, and pipe scale” as potential sources of radioactive material. 

CNX’s 2024 plan also notes the relevance of surveys of alpha and beta radiation, radon monitoring, airborne radioactive-particle sampling, and laboratory analysis of water and solid waste. 

Radical transparency entails a clearer explanation of why this “expanded” radiation monitoring falls short of the more comprehensive monitoring described in the 2024 plan. 

Equally concerning is the continued reliance on voluntary company commitments for radiation monitoring and disclosure, rather than enforceable requirements that apply consistently across Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry. 

This leaves the company itself with substantial control over what gets measured and ultimately is made public. 

The limitations of voluntary industry disclosure are illustrated by the controversy around CNX’s water-testing program at its NV110 well site. 

A 2023 agreement said post-drilling water results would be made public when participating landowners approved their release, yet the site was later archived before all opted-in results were published. 

CNX subsequently said those results were not posted because the pre-drill samples preceded the Radical Transparency program and did not provide the baseline it wanted for comparison. 

The Center for Coalfield Justice notes this appears nowhere in the signed forms, calling it “changing the rules in the middle of the game.” 

Whatever the explanation, the episode demonstrates the problem with making public-health information dependent on a company’s voluntary disclosure program rather than a clear, enforceable disclosure requirement.

“We’ve been calling attention to gaps in monitoring for years, so yes, collecting more data is a good thing,” said Shannon Smith, Executive Director of FracTracker Alliance. “But CNX monitoring itself does not answer the larger public health questions, and it certainly does not make the company the authority on whether its operations are safe. 

“Governor Shapiro should be investing in independent public health research and enforceable oversight instead of relying on a fracking company to monitor itself and then use its own data to make sweeping claims about public safety.”

Click Here for the full statement.

Alison Steele, Executive Director of the Environmental Health Project had this to say--

“CNX says they'll be using Onterris as their monitoring contractor - they are a reputable company, which is the most positive thing I can say about this update.  

“With that said, CNX's monitoring plan, as described in their press release, still leaves a lot to be desired.  

“CNX says they'll be monitoring at "certain produced water facilities," but it's unclear which ones, how many, or how those sites are chosen.

“Another significant concern comes down to the implication that their radiation monitoring plan is comprehensive — it is not.  

“Their press release describes a monitoring system for gamma radiation, but it says nothing about alpha or beta radiation.  

“Because of the loophole that exempts fracking waste from being treated as radioactive waste, industry operations regularly put site workers and nearby residents at greater risk of coming into contact with radioactive dust, soil, or brine.  

“Inhaling or ingesting alpha- or beta-emitting particles can be incredibly hazardous to human health, but those pathways of exposure seem to have been overlooked in CNX's plan.”

Physicians for Social Responsibility in Pennsylvania representatives had these comments--

Executive Director Tonyehn Verkitus said-- "CNX's "first in the nation" collaboration with Governor Shapiro and PA DEP shouldn't exist as a standalone public-private partnership for environmental monitoring. 

“The health and wellbeing of Pennsylvania residents should never be determined by the very polluters that put them at risk. 

“To date, CNX has not been fully transparent about their monitoring so there's no reason to expect that to change with the addition of gamma radiation monitoring.  

“The PA DEP is already tasked with protecting the health and safety of its residents as defined under the Environmental Rights Amendment of the Pennsylvania Constitution. 

“The Shapiro Administration should provide the PA DEP with the resources and tools to do its job rather than trusting a corporation to put human health above corporate profit and shareholder dividends.”

Environmental Science Director Christina DiGiulio said-- “While CNX’s collection of more radiation data is welcome, its purpose is unclear as ambient gamma readings and waste surveys do not disclose what is actually in the waste. 

“To achieve true “radical transparency,” the Shapiro Administration needs to take immediate steps to fully characterize the waste, only possible through a lab analysis of radium and other radionuclides in liquids and solids taken at the source before any mixing or solidification.

“Voluntary monitoring with no enforcement or penalties does not demonstrate a true commitment to prioritizing public health and safety - instead it suggests a clever PR tactic that continues to allow polluters to rely on the same, old regulatory gaps. 

“Pennsylvanians deserve better. We need enforceable, lab-based testing and disclosure, with DEP verifying the data instead of just receiving it.”

Click Here for expanded PSRP comments on the CNX announcement.

(Photos: From CNX facility used as case study during a state Department of Health and Penn State Medical educational program to investigate health impacts of natural gas facilities.  Read more here.)

Resource Links - CNX:

-- Gov. Shapiro, CNX Natural Gas Company Sign Statement Of Mutual Interests To Monitor Air Emissions At Drill Sites, Extend Safety Setbacks While Data Is Being Collected; DEP To Move Ahead With Some Reg Changes  [PaEN]

-- TribLive Editorial: Is Shapiro's Voluntary Agreement With CNX The Right Move For Gas Well Safety?  'We Do Not Trust Foxes To Guard Henhouses'  [PaEN]

-- CNX: 'Natural Gas Development Is Safe And Poses No Public Health Risks,' Based On CNX Air Quality Monitoring From 14 Sites, Most For Just 4 To 24 Weeks [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Health Project: CNX Resources Claims Shale Gas Drilling Poses No Public Health Risks Are ‘Misleading, Irresponsible, Dangerous’ [PaEN] 

-- Natural Gas Pipeline Pigging Facility Malfunction Dec. 27 Released 1.1 Million Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas; Same Facility Plagued Community With Blowdowns 3 Times A Day, 7 Days A Week For Nearly 10 Years Until Criminal Charges Brought Against CNX  [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Hearing Board Agrees There Is ‘Acute’ Danger In CNX Misusing A Deposition In An Appeal Before The Board To ‘Punish’ An Environmental Advocate For Her Advocacy Against CNX [PaEN] 

-- On Feb. 13 Dept. Of Health, Penn State Project ECHO Held A Webinar To Educate Medical Professionals, Public On Exposures To Natural Gas Facility Pollution; Real Washington County CNX Facility Case Study Used [PaEN] 

-- DEP Investigation Finds CNX Gas Company LLC Shale Gas Facilities Caused The ‘Diminution’ Of 2 Private Water Supplies In Bell Twp., Westmoreland County [PaEN] 

-- DEP: CNX Gas Suffers Shale Gas Well Casing Failure While Zipper Fracking 3 Wells In West Finley Twp., Washington County; CNX Waited Over 10 Hours To Notify DEP [PaEN] 

-- CNX Gas Company Reports It Did Not Stop Pumping Shale Gas Wastewater Through A Punctured Pipeline For 24+ Hours During An Incident In Morris Township, Greene County In May [PaEN] 

-- DEP Issues Violations For Failing To Report How Waste Was Disposed Of Safely From 133 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells, Including 50 Owned By CNX Gas Company  [PaEN] 

-- On Feb. 13 Dept. Of Health, Penn State Project ECHO Held A Webinar To Educate Medical Professionals, Public On Exposures To Natural Gas Facility Pollution; Real Washington County CNX Facility Case Study Used [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Hearing Board Denies CNX Gas Company Motion To Throw Out Ullom Family Appeal Over Water Loss In Washington County; Scope Of Rebuttable Presumption Under Review [PaEN] 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Capital & Main Resolves Legal Challenge From CNX Resources Over Its Reporting With Editor’s Note Explaining What It Did Not Say Or Write About In An Article [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week:

-- 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] 

NewsClips:

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

-- 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 

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

-- 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

[Posted: September 23, 2026] PA Environment Digest