DEC
Whatever It’s Called, Some Endicott Residents Still Don’t Want It
|
Critics of the facility have called it an incinerator. Under regulatory definitions set by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), it’s not.
App NEWS
Endicott Residents, Akshar Call For Halt To Battery Recycling Facility
|
“We want the village trustees of Endicott to respect their residents, to listen to their concerns and to represent their best interest.”
department of environmental protection
Endicott Residents Protest Proposed Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Facility
|
Protest organizers NoBurnBroome said they will continue to build support and fight the opening of the lithium-ion battery recycling facility.
New York State Bids For Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects
|
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted it is “the largest ever combined solicitations for renewable energy ever issued in the U.S.”
Crime and Justice
PA Grand Jury Report On Fracking: State Failed To Protect Public Health
|
Grand jury makes proposals on regulation, oversight of fracking industry
Energy
NYSEG Files Rate Case Settlement With New York’s Public Service Commission
|
NYSEG electric customers would see about a 2.3% increase in the first year, with the average monthly customer seeing a monthly increase of $2.49.
Energy
PA Says 2 Gas Drilling Companies Committed Environmental Crimes. Here’s Why People Are Rarely Charged
|
“When a crime is committed because of how a company does business, rather than an individual’s actions, we charge the company.”
Trump Administration Limits New York’s Power To Stop Oil And Gas Pipelines
|
In recent years, climate activists and states have used the Clean Water Act to block pipelines and other fossil fuel projects. A new EPA rule makes that harder,
Energy
Study Finds Methane Leaks In PA Much Higher Than State Reports
|
Estimates don’t capture leaks from ‘abnormal’ conditions, Environmental Defense Fund says
Energy
Gas Prices Begin To Creep Back Up As Parts Of The Country
|
GasBuddy on Monday reported that the national average price for a gallon of gas has increased 1.5 cents in a week to $1.75.
Economy
Oil And Gas Companies Asked, Then Received Changes To Fed Coronavirus Stimulus Program
|
Help with refinancing debt could help shale companies in PA
Energy
NYSEG Donates Additional $300,000 To Emergency Efforts
|
“What we tried to do today is recognize some of those other organizations that are really on the front lines every single day doing this type of work around food and food care.”
App NEWS
Pipeline Explosion Resulted In Huge State Fine. Now, PA Has Found Hundreds Of New Violations
|
Regulator, company at odds over erosion, hillside slips
Energy
The Struggling Coal Industry Hammered Further By Coronavirus
|
‘Everything that can go wrong, has gone wrong’
New York Utilities See Increased Energy Consumption
|
It’s a different story on the commercial side, with a lot of businesses around the state forced to close if they are considered non-essential.
Energy
After Two Nuclear Workers Test Positive, Energy Companies Require Social Distancing And Test For Symptoms
|
Coronavirus cases at Limerick nuclear station raised concerns. Pa. plants say they’re working to prevent outbreaks during refueling outages.
Energy
Mine Workers’ Union Wants More Protections Against COVID-19
|
“We are following government guidelines with distancing measures being taken, increased cleaning schedules in-place, and limits on gatherings of groups.”
App NEWS
Mariner East Construction Back On After Waiver Requests Approved
|
Wolf administration grants all of Energy Transfer’s waiver requests
App NEWS
Energy Transfer Seeks Waiver To Continue Some Mariner East Work
|
Company says state has allowed some work to continue.
App NEWS
PA’s Coronavirus Shutdown Order Appears To Include Mariner East Pipeline Construction
|
Construction on the Mariner East pipeline appears to be halted by Gov. Wolf’s new order that shuts down all “non-life-sustaining” operations and businesses.
App NEWS
Electricity Usage Down Across Region, Which Helps Power Grid Staffing
|
PJM had prepared for pandemics and even did dry-runs with their staff working from home.
50 New York Lawmakers Want $2-Billion Dedicate To The Reduction Of Greenhouse Gases
|
The money be used to create a state-wide program for weatherization, insulation, and other energy efficiency measures.
Trespassing Charges Dropped Against Ithaca Chase Bank Protesters
|
The group said it occupied the bank to protest its investment in the fossil fuel industry.
App NEWS
Improper Disposal Of Cellphone Suspected In Taylor Garbage Fire
|
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, between 2009 and 2017 lithium-ion batteries were the “root cause” of at least 195 fires.
App NEWS
PA Governor’s Cap-And-Trade Proposal Takes Step Forward
|
DEP acting on governor’s executive order — which Republicans are challenging
Proposals To Ban Fracking Could Hurt Pennsylvania Democrats
|
Some Democratic presidential candidates want to ban fracking to help address climate change. That attracts young people, but may alienate swing voters in key oil and gas states like Pennsylvania.
App NEWS
Feds Lower Coal Mine Cleanup Funds For PA
|
Pennsylvania is getting less money from the federal government this year to clean up its old abandoned mines.
App NEWS
Pennsylvania Poll Finds Registered Voters Split On Fracking Ban
|
Support for a ban strong in cities and suburbs; weak in rural SW Pennsylvania
Energy
PA Orders Range Resources To Clean Up Its Act On Lycoming County Well
|
DEP quietly withdrew the fine for faulty drilling after the company promised to fix the problems.
App NEWS
Despite GOP Compromise, PA Governor Says Drilling Bill Still Too Risky
|
Republicans are pushing for looser regulations on conventional oil and gas drillers, who generally run small operations and work with relatively shallow wells.
Energy
Trump Wants To Roll Back Environmental Reviews Of Major Projects Like Pipelines
|
“What will change is the unchecked power of just a handful of opponents to delay or block development of critical infrastructure projects that benefit the greater good.”
Energy
Study: Replacing Coal Plants With Natural Gas Cuts Pollution, Saved Lives
|
Fracking pollution not included in study; could lessen health benefits, author says
App NEWS
PA Levies Record $30M Fine Against Pipeline Company
|
The settlement also lifts a nearly year-long permit freeze on the company’s other pipeline projects, including the cross-state Mariner East pipelines.
Energy
Natural Gas Production Heads For Slowdown In 2020
|
Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia accounted for one third of the country’s shale gas production in 2019.
App NEWS
Study: Shale Gas Development Has Brought Economic Benefits, Premature Deaths
|
Carnegie Mellon University study focused on Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia
App NEWS
Binghamton University Nobel Laureate Accepts His Prize
|
Nobel Laureate and Binghamton University Professor Dr. Stan Whittingham accepted his prize Tuesday in Stockholm, Sweden. At the same time, BU held a watch party in Vestal.
Energy
Johns Hopkins Researcher: PA Should Ban Fracking
|
“What would I say now? I would say because of the regional and local health concerns and concerns about climate change, we should stop fracking–everywhere.”
As Oil Prices Drop And Money Dries Up, Is The U.S. Shale Boom Going Bust?
|
The boom that helped make the U.S. the world’s largest oil producer could be ending. Oil prices are down amid weak demand and investors no longer seem willing to write the industry a blank check.
Energy
PA Lawmakers, Criticizing Executive Order On Cap-And-Trade Program, Say It’s Their Call To Make
|
Proposed bill would require Legislature to OK Pennsylvania becoming part of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Economy
Despite Scotland’s Fracking Ban, Imported American Shale Gas Is Key To One Town’s Economy
|
Natural gas is mostly used for heating homes or fueling power plants. But when it comes out of the ground, it contains another key ingredient — ethane, a building block of plastics.
Crime and Justice
PA’s Governor Says He’s Unaware Of Wrongdoing In Mariner East Pipeline Permitting Process
|
Tom Wolf, a Democrat, addressed the situation for the first time Wednesday afternoon, saying he is not aware of any wrongdoing.
Energy
PA Senator Takes Preventative Measures As Dems Call For Fracking Bans
|
Pennsylvania’s Republican US Senator introduced a resolution he hopes will enable Congress to defeat future presidents’ fracking bans in court.
App NEWS
Ithaca Council Compromises On 2020 Budget For City’s Green New Deal
|
The compromise comes after cries for more of an investment to fight climate change.
Energy
Trump Administration Proposes Rollbacks For Two Obama-Era Coal Pollution Rules
|
Rules on coal ash ponds, wastewater from coal-fired power plants are targeted
App NEWS
Neighbors Of Mariner East Pipelines Will Urge A Regulator To Stop The Project. It Might Be Their Last Chance
|
Almost a year after lines opened, residents will say the project remains a risk to public safety
App NEWS
New York Counties Accepting HEAP Applications in Mid-November
|
Home Energy Assistance Program is a federally funded program meant to help low-income households pay for heat during the winter.
Nobel Laureate Explains How Lithium-Ion Battery Was Created And Its Future
|
Stan Whittingham is regarded as the man who laid the groundwork for the science.
App NEWS
With Cold Weather Approaching, NYSEG Details Signs Of Natural Gas Leak
|
According to NYSEG there are three ways to identify a leak: by smell, by sound, or by sight.
App NEWS
PA, CNX Reach $1.48M Settlement On Abandoned Wells
|
Resolves 2018 order involving more than 1,000 wells.
Uncategorized
Reed Blames New York’s Governor For Death Of Compressed Gas Truck Driver
|
Reed said Cuomo opted for a virtual pipeline with roughly the same route but less efficient, less safe and more expensive.
High School Students Question Congressman On Climate Change Policy
|
Reed said that nuclear energy has to be part of the transition away from fossil fuels even with its risks.
Economy
In Scotland, This Town Evolved With Its Refinery And The Arrival Of Shale Gas
|
“The benefit is there’s employment in the area. But the rest of the town’s neglected and I don’t feel our town of Grangemouth benefits as much as it should, with an oil refinery on our doorstep.”
App NEWS
As Three Mile Island Stops Generating Electricity, This PA Community Is Bracing For Change
|
Last Friday around noon, Three Mile Island nuclear power plant stopped producing electricity, part of Exelon Corp.’s plan to close and decommission the plant over the next 60 years.
App NEWS
With Three Mile Island Closed, Nuclear Advocates Shift Their Concerns To PA’s Other Plants
|
Those people who support nuclear worry that without tax breaks, the plants will be shut out of a competitive energy market
App NEWS
Small Hydropower Plants Say New York Should Help Keep Clean Power Competitive
|
Owners of existing clean energy power plants in New York say they’d like the same support from the state for their businesses that new ones get.
Energy
GOP Lawmakers In PA Re-Launch Pro-Natural Gas Package
|
The raft of proposals serves as a rejection of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s own energy plan.
Energy
Court Ruling Clears Way For Mariner East Construction To Restart
|
The Commonwealth Court said last week that the Democratic senator, an outspoken critic of Sunoco, did not have personal or legislative standing to bring a complaint
Energy
In The UK, Fracking’s Not A Thing — So Shale Gas From PA Has Become Their Workaround
|
For decades, the United Kingdom has relied on oil and gas from the North Sea. Those fields, first developed in the 1960s and 70s, are declining.
Energy
Environmentalists Pressure PA’s Governor For Faster Action On Methane Emissions
|
Their call for action comes as the Trump administration works to loosen federal regulations on the powerful greenhouse gas.
App NEWS
At Grangemouth Refinery In Scotland, A Plastics Evangelist Says PA’s Shale Gas Is Vital
|
The massive refinery and petrochemical complex in Grangemouth, Scotland, run by INEOS, was one of the first overseas plants to receive Pennsylvania ethane.
App NEWS
Federal Appeals Court Strikes Blow To PennEast Pipeline Project
|
A federal appeals court has blocked PennEast pipeline company from condemning state-owned land for its proposed 116-mile long line that would ship Marcellus Shale gas from northeast Pennsylvania to New Jersey.
App NEWS
Abundant Solar Hopes to Lease Six Sites in Steuben County
|
Abundant Solar said the chances are high that they will develop on the other sites.
App NEWS
Steuben Looks To Benefit From Solar Project
|
Toronto-based Abundant Solar Incorporated will install solar panels at the county’s landfill in Bath.
Power Mostly Restored In Southern Tier After Sunday Storms
|
NYSEG estimates fewer than 750 people were without power as of Monday afternoon. This comes after about 19,000 people lost power. Outages stretched from Elmira to Oneonta.
App NEWS
Assemblywoman Questions NYSEG Rate Increases
|
“This is particularly worrisome for customers with low and fixed incomes, as well as small businesses.”
App NEWS
In Ithaca, Customers Deride Proposed NYSEG Increases
|
Over 50 people at a public hearing called on the Public Service Commission to deny rate increase.
Energy
PA Ordered Sunoco To Release Its Calculations On Pipeline’s Potential Blast Zones
|
Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission demanded information from Sunoco Pipeline last year about what would happen if its Mariner East natural gas liquids pipelines failed, according to a newly discovered letter.
PA’s Energy Boom Began Years Before Trump Took Office
|
President Trump tours a Pennsylvania petrochemical plant Tuesday to highlight the U.S. energy boom. Trump claims credit for surging oil and gas production, but the trend began before he took office.
Energy
Experts: Vapor Buildup Likely Led To Explosion At PA Pump Station
|
For now, independent pipeline experts say the blast appears to have been caused by the relighting of a pilot in a flare used by Sunoco for burning off excess gases, at a time when vapor had accumulated there.
App NEWS
NYSEG’s Request To Boost Rates Criticized At Hearing
|
More public input sessions on the NYSEG rate hike are set in Ithaca, Binghamton and the Adirondacks in the next week.
Energy
Sunoco Says Mariner East 2 System ‘Backfired’ During Maintenance
|
The company did not explain what caused the backfire but apologized for the noise, which alarmed neighbors and fueled longstanding concerns about the safety of the new pipelines, which carry highly volatile natural gas liquids.
Anti-fracking movement
New York Study: Fracking Causes Environmental Damage, Birth Defects
|
A New York metastudy details the adverse effects fracking has on Pennsylvania’s environment, its climate and human health.
Energy
PA Pipeline Foe Expected State Information On Mariner East Risk. But Now He’s Facing Court Fight
|
An opponent of the Mariner East project says he will ask an appeals court to order the Public Utility Commission to disclose documents containing its calculations on the effects of an accidental release of natural gas liquids from the pipelines.
Energy
Three Mile Island Unit 2, Site Of Nation’s Worst Nuclear Accident, To Be Sold, Dismantled
|
A Salt Lake City-based company is in talks to purchase and dismantle Three Mile Island’s long-mothballed Unit 2 reactor — the site of the nation’s worst nuclear accident in 1979.
Energy
Nation’s Largest Power Grid Operator Asked To Focus On Clean Energy
|
The power grid operator has received appeals from around the country to ensure its next leader prioritizes clean energy.
Featured in Category
New York Adopts The Nation’s Most Aggressive Targets For Reducing Carbon Emissions
|
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Thursday mandating 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040, and an 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. That’s below levels from 1990.
App NEWS
Trespass Charges Dropped Against Pennsylvania Pipeline Protesters
|
HARRISBURG (WITF) – A Lancaster County judge on Monday dismissed trespassing charges against seven protesters who blocked construction of the Atlantic Sunrise natural gas pipeline almost two years ago. Judge Howard Knisely of the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas released the defendants without charge after the district attorney dropped the misdemeanors in exchange for community service. The judge welcomed the agreement and said peaceful, nonviolent protest is protected, albeit with limitations, by state and federal law. Legislatures, not the courts, are the proper place to protect the natural environment and public safety, he said. But he urged citizens to elect lawmakers who truly represent public interests rather than their own.
App NEWS
Tompkins/Cortland Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton On 2019 Legislative Session
|
ITHACA, NY (WSKG) – The 2019 New York legislative session saw the passage of a raft of legislation that has been blocked in previous years. Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton spoke with WSKG’s Celia Clarke in the Ithaca studio. She represents Tompkins County and part of Cortland County in the state Assembly. Lifton spoke about the new farm labor rights, legalization of electrically-assisted bicycles and scooters, and why she thinks marijuana legalization is inevitable. The conversation begins with Lifton talking what she considers the most important accomplishment of the session.
Allegheny County PA
US Steel, Allegheny County Have A Draft Agreement On Pollution Violations
|
HARRISBURG, PA (WITF) – The Allegheny County Health Department and U.S. Steel have a draft agreement to resolve multiple air pollution violations from the company’s Clairton Plant over the past two years. The agreement calls on the company to pay $2.7 million in fines and put in place a suite of pollution upgrades at the plant. The company said the price of those upgrades is $200 million. The agreement does not resolve legal issues between the county and the company over air pollution problems that resulted from a Dec. 24 fire.
App NEWS
Pennsylvania Natural Gas Impact Fee Revenue Rises To 7-Year High, Boosted By Stripper Wells
|
Pennsylvania’s impact fee on natural gas producers raised more money in 2018 to offset the effects of shale development than at any time in the fee’s seven-year history
App NEWS
Lansing Residents Hear Plans For Cayuga Power Plant, Landfill
|
“I’m concerned about the coal ash landfill, I do think that that needs further remediation. It’s definitely old technology that was used.”
Energy
Trump Ditches Obama Climate Policy That Targeted Coal Emissions
|
Pennsylvania is the third-largest coal producing state in the country. But coal generated electricity plants have struggled to compete with cheaper natural gas and renewable energy.
Energy
As States Diverge On Climate Policies, Nation’s Largest Power Grid Operator Grapples With Carbon Pricing
|
PJM is now trying to walk a fine line between respecting states’ rights and figuring out how to incorporate their climate polices into its wholesale electricity market.
App NEWS
SUNY Conference Addresses College Student Hunger
|
“They’re used to access to food from school. And then, of course, when you get to college — especially when you live on a campus — you’re expected to pay for those meals.”
App NEWS
Governor’s Infrastructure Plan Has Bipartisan Support, But Not From PA Leaders
|
After touting it across the state for months, lawmakers have finally introduced Governor Tom Wolf’s ambitious infrastructure proposal as a concrete piece of legislation.
Energy
$3-Million Settlement Revealed In High-Profile Fracking Case
|
The court document was issued under seal, but was discovered last week in a public database by a public radio reporter. After issuing an injunction, Judge Katherine B. Emery on Tuesday ruled it could be published.
Energy
PA Judge Bars Release Of Document In Gas Drilling Suit
|
A Washington County judge has issued a court order barring The Allegheny Front, StateImpact Pennsylvania and 90.5 WESA from publishing the content of a publicly available legal document obtained by a reporter for the news organizations.
Winter Solar Energy Shortage Could Be Solved By Increasing Storage Capacity
|
Solar energy is plentiful in the summer, but when cold winter mornings return, a Cornell researcher has found the Northeast will still rely on fossil fuels for heat.
Energy
Wolf Rejects PA Senate’s Infrastructure Proposal Funded By Forest Drilling
|
After months of Democratic Governor Tom Wolf promoting a sweeping infrastructure plan funded by a tax on natural gas drillers, some Senate Republicans have come up with an alternative.
Economy
Tompkins Solar Farm Stays Mowed Thanks To Sheep
|
There’s a new solar project in Tompkins County that has farmers and solar companies helping each other.
Andrew Cuomo
Trash Incinerators Banned In Finger Lakes Region
|
A bill that would ban trash incinerators in the Finger Lakes is now law.
Finding New Opportunity For PA’s Old Coal-Fired Power Plant Sites
|
Coal-fired power plants keep closing and communities around the country must decide what to do with those sites. Pennsylvania has a plan, aiming to create new jobs where the old ones have been lost.
Energy
NYSEG and RG&E Propose Increases In Electric And Gas Rates
|
Under the proposal, NYSEG natural gas customers would see a 1.9% increase, or about $1.05 more per month.
Energy
Federal Pipeline Safety Regulators Issue Warning On Floods
|
“They’re saying ‘it’s a bad idea to put pipelines in areas where damage to the pipeline could be caused by earth movement. If you know there’s potential damage, don’t put them there.”
App NEWS
Cayuga Lake Coal-Fired Power Plant To Convert To Solar Powered Data Center
|
The owners want to convert it into a 100 megawatt data center. Their proposal includes a seventy-five acre solar farm, and they will apply to the state for a 125 megawatt renewable energy allocation.
Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant To Close
|
The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, site of the nation’s worst nuclear accident, will shut down by the end of September. Backers failed to secure subsidies to keep the plant operating.
Tompkins County Legislature Hears From Opponents To Ithaca Airport Expansion
|
Their main objection is the addition of a customs building and one customs inspector. Customs is part of the federal Customs and Border Protection, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security.
App NEWS
Bipartisan Bills Have PA Powered 100% By Renewable Energy
|
“It’s not just about the environment. It’s about jobs. These are great, high-paying jobs we can create by going to renewable energy.”
Energy
Maid Of The Mist Launching New Electric Boats
|
“It seems natural for us to do that, with the hydroelectric power generation that goes on here.”
Energy
Congressional Hearing Focuses On Struggling PA Nuclear Industry
|
Experts testified before a House Science, Space, & Technology subcommittee that nuclear energy is important in limiting air pollution from the power sector, and for national security.
Uncategorized
PA Prosecutors Eye Potential ‘Environmental Crimes.’
|
“All they’ve ever gotten is a slap on the wrist. It’s time for that to change. I’ll hold the oil and gas companies criminally liable for poisoning our air and our drinking water.”
Energy
PA Lawmaker Faces Backlash For Bringing Nazis Into Pipeline Debate
|
“It’s a poor choice of words. It’s not a fair comparison. I mean these are working folk, these are salt-of-the-earth people.”
As Nuclear Waste Piles Up At A PA Power Plant, Private Companies Pitch New Ways To Store It
|
Nuclear power plants in Pennsylvania and around the country are running out of room to store spent fuel. Private companies are pitching their own solutions.
App NEWS
One State, Two Disparate Visions For Natural Gas
|
The state House Speaker and other Republican lawmakers announced a slate of bills Monday that are aimed at bolstering Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry.
Energy
State Senators Seek Answers From DEP Chief Over PA Pipeline
|
“Why did they (state inspectors) grant these water permits the way they did? What was the rush in February, 2017? Did anyone put pressure on them to encourage that?”
1.5 degrees
Binghamton Undergraduates Call For Faster Action Against Climate Change
|
BINGHAMTON, NY (WSKG) – Some Binghamton University students are pushing Congressman Anthony Brindisi to do more to address climate change.
Liat David is 19, a sophomore at the University. At a recent forum she helped organize, she said climate change has made her re-think having children. “Do I have that right as a woman that I can have a child and be proud of the earth that I live in and say that this child is going to be living in a regenerative and sustainable future?” she said. “I can’t necessarily say that right now, which is very sad to say because that is my right as a woman to say that I can have a child if I want to, but I really feel like that was taken away from me this past generation.”
Energy
Methane Hearing Draws Concern Over PA Rules
|
Several members of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee met in Pittsburgh for a hearing on methane, the main component of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
Energy
How Much Would A Nuclear Subsidy Add To A Pennsylvanian’s Electric Bill? Here’s A Breakdown
|
The amounts shown represent the annual impact of HB 11 during reporting year 2019.
App NEWS
Trump Order Could Revive Construction Of Constitution Pipeline In PA And New York
|
It takes aim at states like New York that have blocked pipeline projects that would carry Marcellus Shale gas to markets in the Northeast.
Education
As Baby Boomers Retire, Power Companies Look To Build The Next Generation Of Workers
|
“We want to make sure you have the appropriate skilled, trained personnel on-hand to deal with providing that reliable service.”
App NEWS
Gas, Nuclear Lobbies Butt Heads As PA Senate Takes Up Nuclear-Rescue Bill
|
“No real reason has been given to pass this legislation, other than we need the money to enhance our profit margin and to charge more for nuclear power.”
Energy
Trump Orders May Limit New York’s Power To Block Pipelines
|
Demand for natural gas is growing across the Northeast. Meanwhile, natural gas production is booming in Pennsylvania. Connecting the two requires building pipelines across New York State.
Energy
Political Fight Begins Over Bill To Rescue Pennsylvania Nuclear Industry
|
The bills recognize nuclear plants as sources of carbon-free electricity and create new requirements about how electric utilities are to purchase power.
App NEWS
Sunoco Agrees To Settlement After Mariner East 1 Leak
|
If approved, company will pay $200,000 fine and step up safety inspections of aging pipeline
Energy
PA Senate Introduces Nuclear Bailout Bill, Similar To $500 Million House Plan
|
Senate Bill 510 recognizes the plants as carbon free energy and adds nuclear power to the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard
Energy
PA Plaintiffs Settle Class-Action Suit With Sunoco Over Mariner East
|
The suit accused Sunoco of negligence and several other counts in its construction practices.
Cornell Law Professor Says A “Green Amendment” Won’t Bring Changes To Slow Climate Change
|
“The real challenge with the Green Amendment is that it may not even mean anything, but even if it does it could take decades for it to become meaningful.”
Energy
40 Years Later, The Prospect Of A Three Mile Island Evacuation Remains
|
“You can practice it in the best-case scenario, but what we know is people will be scared,”
App NEWS
Higher Operating Pressure Prompts New Safety Concerns Over Sunoco’s Mariner East 2X Pipeline
|
Pipeline opponents are raising new concerns about the safety of Energy Transfer/Sunoco Logistics’ Mariner East 2x natural gas liquids line.
Energy
PA Governor Pushes For Severance Tax By Highlighting Philly School Conditions
|
The location was strategic, giving Wolf a chance to highlight the kind of infrastructure projects he’d like to complete with the $4.5 billion his administration says the tax would produce.
New York Senate Votes Unanimously To Ban Finger Lakes Trash Incinerator
|
It is the latest step in efforts to block the construction of the trash incinerator in the town of Romulus.
Featured in Category
Crews Investigate Possible Leak In Pipeline That Feeds PA’s Northern Tier, New York State
|
The line transports petroleum products from Sunoco’s Montello terminal near Reading to north-central Pennsylvania and New York state.
Economy
Romulus Residents Eager For NYS Senate To Ban Finger Lakes Incinerators
|
“We are really, really thrilled,” said Mary Anne Kowalski, Seneca Lake resident. “I think the fact that is impressing me most is that we’ve got bipartisan support on this bill.”
Energy
Japan Looks Beyond Electric Cars And Envisions A ‘Hydrogen Society’
|
The country has ambitious goals to become the “hydrogen society,” and right now, the focus is on its automakers.
Energy
Watchdog Group Wants A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Investigation At Three Mile Island
|
The nuclear watchdog group is asking federal regulators to analyze what the group calls a “potentially dangerous and risky condition”
Crime and Justice
PA Attorney General, Delaware County District Attorney Launch Criminal Investigation Into Sunoco, Energy Transfer
|
The Department of Environmental Protection has issued more than 80 violations, halted construction at times along the route, and fined the company $12.6 million.
Energy
PA Lawmaker Talks Up Nuclear Bailout Bill; Opponents Line Up To Trash It
|
Opponents criticized the measure as too expensive and said it squanders an opportunity to fully address climate change.
Energy
PA Reaches $7M Deal Over 1,400 Abandoned Oil And Gas Wells
|
Alabama company has until 2033 to plug wells or put them back into production
Education
After Three Mile Island Accident, This Carnegie Mellon Team Pitched A Novel Idea For Cleanup: Use Robots
|
How a young team at CMU helped expand the fledgling field of robotics.
Crime and Justice
Investigation Into PA Pipeline Builder Energy Transfer Now Includes Grand Jury
|
Energy Transfer, parent company of Sunoco Logistics and builder of the Mariner East natural gas liquids pipelines, is the target of a Chester County grand jury investigation.
Energy
Report: Coal Ash Contamination Widespread In PA
|
A new report finds coal ash pollution is leaking into groundwater at nine power plants around Pennsylvania and over 200 nationwide. West Pa. site has arsenic 372 times the ‘safe’ level
For Pennsylvanians Who Heat Homes With Coal, It’s Still King
|
Nearly 130,000 homes in the U.S. still burn coal for heat. Despite decades of decline and concerns about climate change, companies in the coal home-heating business are optimistic about the future.
Energy
Energy Transfer CEO: ‘We’ve Made Mistakes’ In Building Mariner East
|
Sunoco’s parent company admitted it made mistakes in building the Mariner East pipelines through Pennsylvania, and told investors that it will do better in future, but its assurances failed to persuade critics that the project will become any safer for the public or more protective of the environment.
Energy
Read A Draft Of Pennsylvania’s Nuclear Bailout Bill
|
Draft legislation aimed at helping Pennsylvania’s ailing nuclear industry would reclassify the plants as “zero emission energy” and create new requirements about how electric companies are to purchase power.
Energy
Could Membranes At Coal-Fired Power Plants Slow Climate Change?
|
Pittsburgh researchers are working on potentially cheaper ways to capture carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants. So-called “clean coal” technology is expensive, but some experts say it’s crucial to address climate change.
Business
Europe’s Investment In Offshore Wind Is Paying Off — For New York
|
Europe’s investments in offshore wind have fueled better technology, more competition and cheaper capital for new projects. That’s driven down the cost of offshore power and now the US is capitalizing on the savings.
Central New York
Ithaca Constituent Calls On Reed To Show Some Courage And Vote Against Trump
|
Theresa Alt was one of two people who stopped by for a visit. Alt met Tuesday with staff at Congressman Tom Reed’s Ithaca office. That office last opened its doors two weeks ago, but there were no visitors. This time, people showed up.
Featured in Category
Governor’s Support For PA’s Pipeline-Safety Bills Boosts Bipartisan Advocates
|
A raft of bills on pipeline safety may have a better chance of becoming law in Pennsylvania after Gov. Tom Wolf formally backed some of them in a statement that strongly criticized Sunoco’s construction of the Mariner East pipelines.
Economy
Solar Jobs Grow In Pennsylvania While Declining Nationally
|
Jobs in Pennsylvania’s solar industry grew 10 percent last year, while declining three percent nationally, according to a new analysis.
Energy
PA Halts New Pipeline Permits For Mariner East, Cites Ongoing Violations
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The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says Energy Transfer hasn’t complied with an order related to the recent explosion of the Revolution pipeline outside Pittsburgh, so it has halted reviews of new water crossing permits the company wants for its natural gas liquids lines Mariner East 2 and 2x.
Education
PA Seeks School Evacuation Drills On Pipeline Route
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Chester County community meeting airs continuing public concerns on safety of Mariner East pipelines
Energy
Bitter Cold Tests Electricity, Natural Gas Systems
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As residents of the mid-Atlantic and Midwest stayed indoors this week to avoid the Arctic air that swept the region, they used a lot of electricity and natural gas to keep warm.
Energy
Impact Fee Collected From Gas Drillers May Reach New Record
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The fee Pennsylvania collects from natural gas drillers is expected to reach a record $247 million this year, according to figures released Thursday by the state’s Independent Fiscal Office.
Energy
DA Blasts Mariner East Contractor’s Crass Threats Directed At Pipeline Opponent
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A worker on Sunoco’s Mariner East project has threatened a Chester County opponent of the pipeline on social media in two posts that included an obscenity.
Energy
Judges Say PA Unlawfully Issued Air-Quality Permits To Sunoco At Marcus Hook
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A Pennsylvania court said the Department of Environmental Protection unlawfully issued air-quality permits to Sunoco for its natural gas liquids plant at Marcus Hook in Delaware County, and it ordered the department to re-do its analysis over whether the plant should be subject to two sets of emissions rules.
Energy
High Tech Car Sniffs For Natural Gas Leaks
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Peoples Gas in western Pennsylvania has outfitted a vehicle that will drive over 950 miles of the utility’s pipelines in Pittsburgh this year using a high-tech system to find places where methane leaks into the air.
Energy
NJ Attorney General: Federal Judge Erred In PennEast Pipeline Ruling
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New Jersey’s attorney general says PennEast Pipeline Co. can’t legally sue the state for access to more than 40 parcels of protected land, and argues that a federal judge was wrong to rule that the company could do so.
Crime and Justice
Following Court Ruling, PA Drillers Must Pay Millions In Outstanding Fees
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Natural gas companies must pay millions of dollars in outstanding impact fees to the state, following a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling.
Energy
Mariner East Startup Renews Safety Fears For Some PA Residents
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Homeowners focus on integrity of repurposed 12-inch pipeline first built in 1930s
‘No Evidence Of Extraterrestrial Activity,’ As New York City Is Bathed In Blue Light
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Utility company Con Edison says the light emanated from “a sustained electrical arc flash that was visible across a wide area.” Witnesses had many other ideas.
Energy
Efficiencies, Pipelines Help Propel PA Gas Production In 2018
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Natural gas production in Pennsylvania is expected to reach a new high by year’s end: 6 trillion cubic feet. Drillers extracted 13 percent more gas in the first three quarters of 2018 than during the same period the previous year, according to a recent report from the state’s Independent Fiscal Office.
Economy
Spills, Shutdowns And Legal Challenges: A Tumultuous Year For Mariner East 2
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Sunoco said in November that it would start operations of the frequently delayed Mariner East 2 pipeline by the end of 2018.
Energy
Solar Co-ops Grow In Pennsylvania
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While the bulk of solar energy in Pennsylvania exists in the eastern half of the state, co-ops are popping up across western part of the commonwealth to help people go solar.
Energy
PA Investigators: We Didn’t Say The Mariner East 2 Pipeline Was Safe
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Investigators at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission said on Tuesday they didn’t confirm that the 12-inch pipeline component of Mariner East 2 was safe, despite a statement by Sunoco that they had done so.
Crime and Justice
District Attorney Opens Criminal Investigation Into Mariner East Pipeline Project
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The Chester County District Attorney said Wednesday he is opening a criminal investigation into Sunoco’s Mariner East pipeline project because it has caused sinkholes, contaminated water and has resulted in “not so subtle bullying” of residents.
binghamton
Gasoline Prices At Their Lowest Point In 2018
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Cheaper to produce winter blend gas, a low demand and low oil prices have all contributed to pump prices reaching their lowest point of the year.
Energy
PA Panel Sees ‘Statewide Concern’ With Pipeline Corrosion After ME1 Leak
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Investigators at the Public Utility Commission blamed corrosion for a leak of natural gas liquids from Sunoco’s Mariner East 1 pipeline in April 2017, and said they are concerned about the company’s corrosion-control program throughout the ageing statewide line.
Energy
PennEast Pipeline Can Take New Jersey Lands Using Eminent Domain
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The PennEast Pipeline Co. can take private land through eminent domain to build a natural gas pipeline, a New Jersey federal judge ruled on Friday.
Energy
PA Unveils Proposal To Reduce Emissions From Existing Oil, Gas Wells
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Pennsylvania environmental officials have come out with a plan to reduce leaks from thousands of the state’s oil and gas wells.
Energy
Judge Denies Emergency Petition For Mariner East Shutdown
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Suit brought by seven residents fails on all four requirements
Featured in Category
A New Coal Mine’s Opening In Pennsylvania. Is Trump To Thank?
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“We’re not dead yet, we’ve still got a pulse in Mahanoy City. Thank God Trump lifted all the regulations on coal…coal is gonna be king.”
Crime and Justice
Judge Grants First Eminent Domain Case To PennEast in Pennsylvania
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A federal judge granted PennEast Pipeline Co. the right of eminent domain to build its pipeline on a property in Carbon County, in the first ruling of its kind over the controversial project in a Pennsylvania court.
binghamton
GasBuddy: Not The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year On The Road
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For some, this may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it also can be a more hazardous time on the roads. That’s according to GasBuddy, which is out with a new study that suggests drivers are 175 percent more aggressive during the holidays than the rest of the year.
Energy
PA Study: Pipeline Blast Could Be Devastating, But Risk Is Low
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A worst-case explosion of the Mariner East 2 pipeline in PA’s Delaware County would kill anyone within about a mile of the rupture, a new report says, but it concludes the chances of someone dying from a pipeline incident are less than that of dying in a car crash or from falling down stairs.
Energy
Mariner East Pipelines: Judge Reviews Request For Immediate Shutdown
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – An administrative law judge for the state Public Utility Commission heard testimony this week on whether Sunoco can operate its controversial Mariner East pipelines — a set of export lines moving natural gas liquids across Pennsylvania — while the judge reviews a request to permanently shut down the lines.
Energy
Report: PA Nuclear Plants, Including Three Mile Island, Could Be Saved If Lawmakers Act
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Pennsylvania could avoid a “devastating and permanent blow” to its economy and environment if it considers the ways other states have helped bail out their own failing nuclear plants, according to a long-awaited legislative analysis.
Energy
State Officials Push Growth Of Wind Power In New York
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If New York state hopes to reach a goal of getting half of its electricity from renewable resources by the year 2030, wind energy will have to be part of the formula. That was the focus of a wind summit held in Syracuse this week, and boosters of wind power are optimistic it will happen.
Energy
Leaky Coal Ash Pond Seeks New Pollution Permit From PA
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Permit will cover 16 newly discovered seeps coming out of Little Blue
Education
Mariner East 2 12-Inch Pipe Passed Safety Inspections, PA Tells School Superintendents
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A 12-inch pipeline that Sunoco plans to use as a temporary part of the Mariner East project has passed state and federal safety inspections, according to a letter from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s head of pipeline safety.
Energy
New Plan Calls For 10% Solar Power In PA By 2030
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Pennsylvania could lower its greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, and improve public health if it got more power from the sun. That’s according to a new report from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Energy
Natural Gas Operator Fined For Causing Leak Into Monongahela River
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA — State environmental officials have fined natural gas operator EQT for drilling into an old mine in 2017 and releasing 4 million gallons of abandoned mine drainage into the Monongahela River and surrounding wetlands in Allegheny County.
Energy
Sunoco Expects Hybrid Mariner East 2 To Start Operating By Year’s End
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Sunoco’s Mariner East 2 pipeline across Pennsylvania will begin operating in the current quarter, the company’s parent, Energy Transfer, said on Thursday.
Energy
PA Regulators Adopt New Policy, Clearing Confusion Over Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Pennsylvania utility regulators approved a new policy aimed at clarifying rules about how power is resold, in an effort to promote investment in public electric vehicle charging stations.
Energy
Study: There’s No Electric Grid Emergency (At Least For The Next 5 Years)
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – The grid operator for the mid-Atlantic region released a long-anticipated study about whether coal and nuclear plant retirements present a threat to its electric supply.
Energy
Sen. Toomey Raises Alarms About Trump’s New Ethanol Policy
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Philadelphia area refineries are raising alarms about the costs of a recent move by President Donald Trump to boost corn-based ethanol. Following through on a promise made to Iowa voters, Trump directed the Environmental Protection Agency to allow sales of so-called E-15 fuel throughout the entire year.
Energy
PA Orders Revolution Pipeline Owner To Fix Erosion Problems
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – State regulators have ordered the owner of a pipeline that experienced a catastrophic explosion last month to fix inadequate erosion control measures in several locations along its route.
Energy
Energy Secretary Perry Stumps For ‘All Of The Above’ Energy In PA
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Energy Secretary Rick Perry traveled to Philadelphia and South Jersey Thursday, speaking to a water conference and visiting a nuclear manufacturing plant in Camden.
Energy
Sunoco: Mariner East 2 Delayed To 2020 And Offers Substitute
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA — Sunoco said late Wednesday it will begin to pump natural gas liquids across the state by joining three new and existing pipes because its long-delayed Mariner East pipeline project won’t be ready for another two years.
Energy
PA Awards Water Quality-Related Grants Funded By $12.6M Penalty Against Sunoco
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA — Remember the $12.6 million penalty on Sunoco for dozens of permit violations during construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline? The Department of Environmental Protection said at the time it would turn that penalty into grants for projects related to water quality, watershed restoration and stormwater management. The DEP just put out a list of where that money is going.
Energy
Indictment: Russian Military Targeted PA Nuclear Power Company
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A federal indictment filed this week alleges Russian hackers targeted a nuclear power company near Pittsburgh beginning in 2014, in addition to anti-doping agencies throughout the world.
Energy
PA’s Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Goes Into Full Service This Weekend
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A major new natural gas transmission pipeline will come online this weekend. Oklahoma-based Williams Partners said it has received approval from federal regulators to put its Atlantic Sunrise pipeline into full service on Oct. 6.
Energy
PA House Panel To Take Up Gas Royalties Bill, But Not The One Advocates Hoped For
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A state House committee plans to vote next week on a bill that could offer some help to people who allege they’ve been cheated out of royalty money from natural gas companies, but the measure falls short of what many landowners had hoped for.
Energy
PA Moving Forward With Emission Rules For Existing Oil And Gas Sources
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – The state Department of Environmental Protection is moving forward with plans to regulate harmful air pollution from Pennsylvania’s thousands of oil and gas sites.
Energy
Shale Industry: Taxpayers Should Foot Part Of The Bill For Oil And Gas Oversight
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Since the Marcellus Shale industry took off a decade ago, there seemed to be a consensus that Pennsylvania’s oil and gas companies would pay for the oversight — the time, personnel, and equipment state environmental regulators need to do their jobs.
Energy
FERC Urged To Block Tree-Cutting Before Final Decisions On PennEast Pipeline
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – The Delaware River Basin Commission asked a federal regulator to prevent PennEast cutting trees in the basin before it issues any approval for its controversial natural gas pipeline project in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to documents released on Wednesday.
Energy
Over Half Of PA Gas Wells Used ‘Secret’ Chemicals For Fracking Or Drilling, Report Says
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Drillers withheld information on at least one chemical in some 2,500 wells, citing trade secrets
Energy
Natural Gas Pipeline Blast In Pennsylvania Prompts Evacuation
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STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Beaver County resident Chuck Belczyk, who lives across the street from where a natural gas pipeline exploded Monday morning, shot this video of the resulting fire.
Energy
Bringing The Forest Back After Shale Gas
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Pennsylvania is trying to figure out how to regrow forests after fracking.
fracking
States Wrestle With Soaring Costs For Oil & Gas Industry Mess
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William Suan is no stranger to the problems abandoned oil and gas wells can cause. “It’s just an eyesore,” he said, standing inside a barn on his cattle ranch near Lost Creek, West Virginia. “I had to fence one off because it’s leaking now.”
There are five inactive wells on his land, most installed in the ’60s and ’70s, and the companies that owned the wells have long since gone out of business. On a recent rainy Monday, Suan treks down a muddy hill on the backside of his property. Hidden in the wooded thicket is a three-foot-tall rusted tube jutting out of the ground.
Energy
Sunoco’s 12-Inch Pipeline Leaked 33,000 Gallons Of Gasoline Into Creek
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Aging pipeline, which has leaked before, will be used to temporarily carry natural gas liquids
Energy
Environmentalists Promise They’ll Sue To Stop Power Plant’s Pollution of Susquehanna River
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Four environmental organizations are threatening to sue the owner of a York County coal-fired power plant over pollution they say is discharging into the Susquehanna River.
Energy
Risk Assessment Quantifies Mariner East Pipeline Hazards For PA Residents
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Campaigners raised $46,000 for independent evaluation after governor and PUC denied requests
Energy
FirstEnergy To Close Pennsylvania’s Largest Coal-Fired Power Pplant
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The company says there is still time for a federal bailout to save its struggling coal plants
