Climate watch: A look at climate and energy news from around Pennsylvania
Below is a look at some climate and energy news from around Pennsylvania.
Household energy bills in PA
About 4.5% of Pennsylvania households had severely overdue utility debt as of June of this year, with the average balance among them being $1,224. That’s according to a report by the Century Foundation. Household energy bills in Pennsylvania have risen more than 35%, on average, since 2022.
Leaking methane into groundwater
Abandoned oil and gas wells leak methane, arsenic and dissolved metals, which find their way into groundwater. That’s what Penn State scientists found when they tested 18 abandoned wells in the Allegheny National Forest. Their work was published in November in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. While many studies have documented methane leaks into the atmosphere, this is among the first to confirm groundwater penetration.
Fast-tracking approval for data centers
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and the governors of Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia, have made a joint proposal offering a fast-track approval process for data center firms that will generate and add their own power to the grid. PJM, the electric grid serving those four states and nine others, has been slow to process grid applications. The result: stagnant energy capacity at a time of growing demand fueled in significant part by the data centers themselves.
PJM urged to hurry renewable energy projects
More than 100 state legislators from 10 states have signed a letter urging PJM to speed the deployment of renewable energy projects. PJM is facing rising pressure as the demand for electricity grows and new energy sources are slow to be connected to the grid. Twelve Pennsylvania lawmakers were among the signers.
Swapping one fossil fuel for another
The Homer City Generating Plant in Indiana County, once the largest coal-fired plant in Pennsylvania, is now set to become the nation’s largest natural gas-powered plant. The PA Department of Environmental Protection has approved an air permit allowing for installation of gas turbines. The plant is will begin production in 2027. It will power a 3,200-acre data center to support AI and high-performance computing.
D&H Distributing goes solar
D&H Distributing, one of the largest private companies in the nation, has installed a five-acre solar park at its headquarters near Harrisburg. The 3,888 solar panels, located within the company’s walking track in Lower Paxton Township, “will offset the company’s energy use with clean, renewable energy,” according to Pennlive. D&H is a supplier of instructional technology products.
Putting solar panels on PA warehouses
House bill 1260 under consideration in the state House Energy Committee would require new warehouses in Pennsylvania to be wired for solar panels. It would also permit local governments to offer tax incentives to retrofit existing warehouses. “The bill is sponsored by Rep. Joshua Siegel, D-Lehigh, whose district is a hot spot for warehouse development,” reports the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. “It would require new warehouses to be built with roof structures designed to carry the additional weight of solar panels. The measure would also require conduits for the electrical wiring and space for equipment to connect the panels to the grid.”
Solar-powered streetlights
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has installed 35 solar-powered streetlights in the Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood of Philadelphia, reports WHYY. It’s part of a pilot program. The sun-powered streetlights cost $2,000 each but have no running costs. They are reliable during power outages and use bulbs that last longer than traditional streetlights do.
Richard W. Jones is a volunteer with the State College chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Reach the chapter at PaStateCollege@citizensclimatelobby.org.