MJL Morning Briefing | | From Matt Leonard · Monday, September 21, 2026 | TOP STORY DEP issued a Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification, noticed in the Sept. 19 PA Bulletin, for Constellation's Three Mile Island restart in Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, allowing up to 73.2 MGD peak withdrawal from the Susquehanna River and 21 MGD consumptive use, with a 30-day Environmental Hearing Board appeal window. PA Environment Digest | Energy Industry The House voted 417-3 on Wednesday, Sept. 16, for the Evans-Castor Ratepayers Protection Act, which would require large data centers to pay for the power infrastructure upgrades they trigger rather than shifting those costs to other customers; Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) was one of three no votes, calling the bill ineffective. NBC News Senators in the bipartisan permitting talks say they are close to a deal, but the Senate may leave town this week without one, and Punchbowl reports continued skepticism it comes together this close to the election even with vulnerable Republicans like Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) pressing for a vote. Punchbowl News Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) called on the president over the weekend to embargo diesel exports, citing $6.57-a-gallon diesel in Iowa, after Majority Leader John Thune said he was open to an export ban; the oil industry opposes it. Punchbowl News | PA & NJ Politics The General Assembly reconvenes next week for the first time since late July facing decisions that mandatory life sentences for felony murder are unconstitutional and that skill-game terminals should be regulated like other gambling machines; lawmakers let a court-imposed deadline pass on the first and have not addressed the second. PA Capital-Star Sherrill: towns, not Trenton, should decide on data centers New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said on POLITICO's Energy podcast that she opposes a statewide data center moratorium and will instead enforce a new suite of regulations, leaving siting calls to municipalities as lawmakers introduce more bills to slow construction. POLITICO New Jersey Playbook State Sen. James Malone (D-Lancaster), who won the 36th District special election last year by 526 votes in a district Trump carried by 15 points, faces voters again in November in a seat where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 41,000. Spotlight PA | On the Floor — Next Session House · Bill On Concurrence (keywords: data center, data centers) PA General Assembly Senate · Third Consideration (keywords: data center, data centers) PA General Assembly | National Politics CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue over the White House press ban POLITICO, CNN and MS NOW notified the Justice Department Monday morning that they are bringing a federal lawsuit to immediately restore access for journalists the White House barred last week, saying the credentials were revoked because the administration objected to their reporting. POLITICO Playbook The DCCC is making an $8 million coordinated ad buy this week across 26 districts, with new offensive spots targeting Rep. Rob Bresnahan (co-op: Claverack) and four other Republicans, the first week it is spending more on offense than defense. Punchbowl News Huckabee adviser solicited cash wedding gifts from Israeli citizens David Milstein, a senior adviser to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee who holds a top-secret clearance, sent a Sept. 16 invitation soliciting monetary gifts in dollars or shekels and retracted it Saturday after Playbook's inquiry; an intelligence community member called him a counterintelligence red flag. POLITICO Playbook | Pittsburgh Sports Aaron Rodgers went 23 of 39 for 187 yards with an interception and was sacked four times as the Steelers managed a single field goal Sunday, with TreVeyon Henderson's 39-yard touchdown run and Elijah Ponder's 19-yard fumble return accounting for New England's touchdowns. ESPN Pittsburgh beat Kansas City 4-3 at home Sunday to complete a three-game sweep, with Mlodzinski taking the win in relief and Montgomery recording his 16th save. ESPN | Market Snapshot | PJM West Hub (RT) | $34.85/MWh | | PJM AEP-Dayton (RT) | $33.64/MWh | | PJM Capacity 28/29 | $325.00/MW-day | | Henry Hub | $2.97/MMBtu | | WTI Crude | $97.82/bbl -2.5% |
As of Sep 21, 8:00 a.m. EPT (PJM RT) | Curated by Matt Leonard. Numbers from real endpoints only. |
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