PA Environment Digest, By David E. Hess, Former PA DEP Secretary

DEP Reaches $11.4 Million Settlement With Four Companies For Bishop Tube Site Cleanup In Chester County; Public Comments Due May 14 [PaEN] tinyurl.com/8bthzxp3

DEP’s Initial Findings In First Report On Sampling Landfill Leachate For Radioactive Radium-- 'No Significant Risk To Human Health’ Based On Concerns About Radioactive Materials In Oil/Gas Drilling Wastes; ‘Limited’ Data Means More Sampling Needed [PaEN] tinyurl.com/39v46mfk

University Of Scranton, Partners Host March 30 In-Person Program On How A.I. Data Centers Are Reshaping Pennsylvania's Energy Landscape, Pearn Auditorium, Scranton [PaEN] tinyurl.com/yb8muw2w

Friday - PA Environment & Energy Articles - NewsClips: 3.13.26: tinyurl.com/2p9vnw2j

Financial Times: Iran War Causing Largest Disruption In History To Oil Supplies, Says IEA tinyurl.com/5yr2393z

Trump: US benefits from high oil prices, but priority is stopping Iran U.S. ​President Donald ‌Trump said ​on ​Thursday that rising ⁠oil ​prices ​mean greater profits for ​the ​United States, but ‌his ⁠priority is stopping ​Iran ​from ⁠having nuclear ​weapons.

Reuters: The President - US [Oil Companies] Benefit From High Oil Prices, But Priority Is Stopping Iran www.reuters.com/business/ene...

TribLive: US DOE Secretary - $6 A Gallon Gasoline Not Ruled Out tinyurl.com/mrxnhsju

March 13: PA Average Gasoline Price Up 56 Cents/Gallon To $3.67 Since Feb. 27 [Still $3.79 at Sheetz In Harrisburg] gasprices.aaa.com?state=PA

$5 Heating Oil Arrives in US in Latest Iran War Fuel Pain Point US residential heating oil prices surged above $5 a gallon, the highest since November 2022, as the war in Iran strains global diesel and crude flows critical for home heating.

Bloomberg: $5 Heating Oil Arrives In US In Latest Fuel Pain Point Resulting From President’s War On Iran www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Partisan sniping underway as Pennsylvania confronts $5B deficit (The Center Square) - How to build a financial bridge across the vast chasm between Pennsylvania's potential spending and revenue figures - gauged at roughly $5 billion or more -

The Center Square: Partisan Sniping Underway As PA Confronts $5 Billion Deficit www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania...

Snow geese take off for the Arctic in mesmerizing sunrise display Thousands of snow geese touch down at a Pennsylvania reservoir each spring, turning sunrise into a loud, swirling liftoff that draws big crowds.

AP: Snow Geese Take Off For The Arctic In Mesmerizing Sunrise Display At Middle Creek Wildlife Area In Pennsylvania apnews.com/article/phot...

Philly-area electricity customers pay up to 20% of bills toward company profits Some customers in the Philly area pay as much as 20% of their monthly electric bill to company profits, according to a report. An industry group calls the report misleading.

WHYY - Susan Phillips: 20% Of Your Electric Bill Could Go To Electric Utility Profits whyy.org/articles/uti...

Pennsylvania’s data center boom, by the numbers Dozens of new data centers are proposed in the commonwealth, big companies are pledging to spend billions, and many Pennsylvanians are skeptical.

Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania’s A.I. Data Center Boom, By The Numbers: 53 Data Center Proposals; State Could Lose $2 Billion In Tax Money; 800% Increase In PJM Power Costs www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/03...

Rising fuel prices add to growing list of hardships for Pennsylvania farmers Pennsylvania farmers say economic factors like diesel fuel and fertilizer costs are pushing them to the edge.

KDKA: Rising Fuel, Fertilizer Prices Add To Tariffs And A Growing List Of Hardships For PA Farmers ​​ www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/n...

PennLive Guest Essay: Conservation Works For Farms, But Congress Must Keep It Going In Federal Farm Bill Funding - By William Thiele, Butler County Dairy Farmer www.pennlive.com/opinion/2026...

Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves Water Withdrawal Requests, Including An Increase For The Amazon Data Center In Luzerne County [PaEN] tinyurl.com/htnb6u3z

PPL profit is tops for utilities in Northeast PPL Electric Utilities last year ranked first for profit margin among utilities in the Northeast and eighth in the nation, a new report said.

Scranton Times: PPL Utilities Profit Is Tops For Utilities In Northeast US www.thetimes-tribune.com/2026/03/12/p...

Residents Protest Outside Invite-Only Meeting Between Washington County Commissioners, Developers, A.I. Data Center Reps [PaEN] tinyurl.com/bdea5xfv

Officials still revising proposed data center zoning ordinance covering 19 Luzerne County municipalities <p>After further considering more revisions on Thursday, Luzerne County’s Planning Commission held off on recommending a data center zoning amendment to County Council that would apply to 19 municipal...

Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Luzerne County Officials Still Revising Proposed A.I. Data Center Zoning Ordinance Covering 19 Municipalities www.timesleader.com/news/1735244...

Opinion: Pa. never had a plan to prepare for data centers, now it needs a temporary statewide moratorium <p>Locally and across Pennsylvania, communities are being confronted with proposals for massive data centers… industrial, hyper-scale facilities that consume enormous amounts of electricity and water ...

Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader Guess Essay: PA Never Had A Plan To Prepare For A.I. Data Centers, We Need A Temporary Statewide Moratorium - By Bill Jones, Republican Candidate For PA House District 117 www.timesleader.com/opinion/1735...

PUC To Host March 19 Meeting Of PA Sustainable Energy Board [PaEN] tinyurl.com/5482s9jt

DEP Invests $15.2 Million In Federal Fund To Support 15 Local Abandoned Mine Reclamation Projects In 11 Counties; Next Grant Round Opens April 1 [PaEN] tinyurl.com/3ksmzp4k

Mountain Watershed Assn. To Hold March 23 & 24 Public Input Meetings On Youghiogheny River Conservation Plan (Part 2) In Allegheny, Westmoreland Counties [PaEN] tinyurl.com/53uv2dve

Laurels &#038; lances: Service &#038; sacrifice Laurel: To redding up. Fox Chapel senior Kabeer Chopra and the volunteers behind Green Bridge 412 are proving that cleaning up the environment can start with one person noticing a problem and doing so...

TribLive Editorial: Laurels To Fox Chapel Senior Kabeer Chopra For Organizing A Volunteer Recycling Network In Allegheny County triblive.com/opinion/laur...

After 3-year preservation project, scaffolding gone at Fallingwater; tours begin Saturday for 90th anniversary The scaffolding is finally down around Fallingwater after the completion of a three-year preservation project for Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic architectural...

Post-Gazette - Mary Ann Thomas: After 3-Year Preservation Project, Tours Begin March 14 At Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater www.post-gazette.com/ae/art-archi...

Help Wanted: Allegheny County Dept. of Sustainability - Deputy Director For Outreach, Education apps.alleghenycounty.us/hrjobportal/...

Residents Protest Outside Invite-Only Meeting Between Washington County Commissioners, Developers, A.I. Data Center Reps [PaEN] tinyurl.com/bdea5xfv

Wall Street Journal: Oil/Natural Gas Markets Brace For Lasting Turmoil In The Gulf tinyurl.com/ups4hx86

The Hill: The President - ‘When Oil Prices Go Up, We [Oil Companies] Make A Lot Of Money’ tinyurl.com/26sk9m2v

PUC Releases Management Efficiency Investigation Report On PECO Energy Company; Highlights Series Concerns With Customer Service Performance tinyurl.com/ys2wd9ad