Please join us in celebrating a vital part of what makes Carbon County special - our amazing trout! Carbon County is chock-full of Exceptional Value and High-Quality streams, protected for designated aquatic life and a number of drinking water supply and recreational uses. From the headwaters at Black Creek/Moseywood Camp in Kidder Township to important tributaries such as Long Run, Mauch Chunk, Mill, and Pohopoco Creeks, the Lehigh River watershed is one of the few remaining

Last week, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN) hosted a webinar on "Biosolids and Sewage Sludge: The impacts of its application on farms in Pennsylvania.” Now, why would the DRN care about Sewage Sludge? Because Sewage Sludge is chock-full of PFAS and PFOS, the toxic forever chemicals that are poisoning our water supplies - the largest local source of drinking water is the Delaware River. Still, if the Sewage Sludge is land-applied, what does that matter? Because: 1) Run-o

Solar power offers alternative energy that is becoming more popular. Installing solar panels where they can add the most value like on rooftops and in parking lots make good sense. Clear cutting 390 acres of pristine forest to install a solar farm does not make any sense. Once a forest is gone, it's gone forever. A forest isn't just trees, it's the incredible ecosystem that thrives in the forest and we must speak out before it's too late. The Mora Solar project proposes to cl

A Penn Forest Township Zoning Hearing Board meeting regarding Data Center Zoning is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:30 PM at the Penn Forest Fire Department #1. Background: there are now three challenges to Penn Forest Township Data Center Zoning. One was filed by the Mele Bros., who own the property designated as a possible data center site. They filed a Substantive Validity Challenge prior to the adoption of the new Data Center Overlay Ordinance because the zoning at

More farmers are losing their livelihoods when their livestock dies or is destroyed and land condemned due to toxic levels of PFAS/PFOS from sewage sludge. The latest heartbreak is in Texas, where a farmer is unable to pass the family farm down to the next generation (more information is here). Closer to home, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) will hold a hearing on May 11th regarding the North Centre Township PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ hazardous

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) is coming to Lehighton this Wednesday, May 6th from 3-5PM! The Department of Environmental Protection has scheduled in-person Climate Conversation Workshops across the state to help shape Pennsylvania's next Climate Action Plan. Each session includes an open listening discussion where community members can share concerns and ideas about climate change, followed by a short presentation on Pennsylvania’s Climate A

After a public hearing last week, the Nesquehoning Borough Council passed a Data Center Ordinance that is a far cry from the Penn Forest Township model ordinance. There is still an opportunity to put in the guide rails that are needed to protect our water and air. During the hearing, representatives from Keel Infrastructure (was Bitfarms for a brief period, and before that the company was Stronghold Digital) mentioned their data center project dependence on PPL's 69kV Hauto p

With many thanks to Beth Hurley for her amazing analysis, here is a sample letter for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) calling for appropriate protections and a public hearing regarding the planned disruption to Dennison Run, an Exceptional Value (EV-rated) stream in Nesquehoning (more information is available here ). Currently, PPL plans to run high-tension and fiber-optic lines to support Bitfarms/Keel Infrastructure's request for additional

Our municipal governments are inundated by data center proposals and our communities have little time to prepare or respond. Penn State Extension is offering a FREE webinar this Tuesday, April 7th at 1:00 PM. The webinar will examine the proliferation of data center development across the Commonwealth, and state and local policymakers who are weighing how best to respond. Decisions by legislators, regulators, and local governments will shape how energy costs and other potenti

Our municipal governments are developing the guardrails for data center development. Most recently, Nesquehoning posted its proposed Data Center Ordinance (downloads as a PDF). In the proposed ordinance, we see that key protections such as impervious surface and setbacks (Section 3. B, items 4 and 6) are greatly reduced compared to similar ordinances from other municipalities like Penn Forest Township. While drafting an ordinance is a step in the right direction, unless it p

From one end of Carbon County to the other, data centers are taking center stage. The Monday meeting at Penn’s Peak is CANCELLED. The Penn Forest Township Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB) meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, March 23rd is continued and will be rescheduled. The ZHB meeting was to address a Substantive Validity Challenge to the Zoning Ordinance that was filed by the property owners who plan to develop a data center in Penn Forest. We'll keep you posted when the Z

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) represents residents of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware. The DRBC was formed in response to major water resource challenges requiring regional solutions, and to this day is a successful model for federal-state collaboration. DRBC programs focus on water quality protection; water supply allocation, water conservation initiatives, and watershed planning; regulatory review (permitting); flow and drought management; flo

Save Carbon County is a civic nonprofit (501c4) organization here in Carbon County whose focus is on saving what we love about our communities: the clean air, water, and soil. We are committed to making sure that Carbon County is not filled with warehouses, polluted by chemicals, or ruined by development that replaces forests and threatens waterways. We achieve our goals through tireless advocacy and education. We field requests for representation from across the county. The

This week has been a landmark in public participation against data center development in Carbon County. A popular entertainment venue, Penn's Peak, was the only facility large enough to host the crowd of residents who came out for the meeting on Tuesday. We are showing up and speaking up in larger numbers than ever before - united in a common cause to save our water, soil, air, wildlife - the rural beauty that makes our county so special! Residents across northeastern PA are

Given the worsening drought, how can residents and data centers co-exist? We must show up at the Penn Forest Zoning Ordinance hearing at Penn's Peak this Tuesday, February 24th, at 5:30 PM (the hearing begins at 6 PM, and we are expecting a full house). “Our state legislators have expressed concern that we need to do something to protect people and the environment, and I would wholeheartedly agree. But the best thing, the thing that needs to be done right now is call for a mo

In early 2025, the current Administration allowed coal-fired and petrochemical facilities to request exemption from clean air rules . One of the plants that applied for and received that exemption was the Panther Creek Power Plant under the new owner and Bitcoin mining operator, Bitfarms . Bitcoin mining is unregulated in Pennsylvania, and in 2023, PA House Bill 1476 was introduced to establish guardrails for qualifying crypto-asset mining operations and impose duties on the

Members of Save Carbon County shared their concerns about Data Centers at the Carbon County Commissioners meeting on Thursday. They highlighted how our County is currently facing three data center proposals with a fourth under discussion. The speakers highlighted how data centers use too much land, water, and electricity, and our municipalities have limited control over their impacts. Importantly, these data centers threaten an essential resource—drinking water. Pennsylvania

The Borough of Palmerton has a proud place in our nation's history. In the 1900's, the New Jersey Zinc Company dominated the local economy and was pivotal in U.S. efforts to win two World Wars. Decades later, we are faced with the residual effects of unregulated zinc smelting and the abandoned plant on the municipal water supply. Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a public meeting to address the toxins left behind after the borough followed the E

Governor Shapiro's plan to fast-track the permit process for Data Centers may soon get a dose of reality as Pennsylvania Legislators are starting to stand up for their communities and introduce bills to regulate Data Centers. Representative Jamie Walsh in Luzerne County and Senator Lisa Boscola in Lehigh and Northampton Counties are two brave officials who are intent on ensuring that data center development does not raise electric bills or overwhelm local communities. Seve

As we face the invasion of data centers across Carbon County, we must take the opportunity to learn from other communities facing the same threat to their water supply. Recently, the Susquehanna River Basin Committee received a proposal from the Amazon Data Center that would increase water withdrawals from the Susquehanna River from 60,000 gallons per day to 277,000 gallons per day ! Data center proposals often greatly underestimate actual water demand to appear more sustain