Spotlight PA is dedicated to producing nonpartisan investigative journalism about Pennsylvania government and urgent statewide issues. It is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media.

Spotlight PA

A woman with grey hair dressed in blue jeans stands in a forested area over an abandoned gas well

Searching for ‘slimy, shiny, brownish stuff’: A retiree’s quest to help track down Pa.’s abandoned oil wells

Spotlight PA·October 13, 2026

Thousands of abandoned wells remain across Pennsylvania. One Bradford retiree has spent years helping find the ones the state doesn’t know about.

Climate Change Conservation Energy Latest Stories

The governor stands at a podium outside, with construction workers in yellow and orange vests stand in front of large yellow construction equipment.

Many Pa. residents don’t want data centers in their communities. State leaders are welcoming them.

Spotlight PA·January 19, 2026

Even as opposition in Pennsylvania to data centers grows, many politicians say the proliferation of artificial intelligence makes them inevitable.

Energy Politics Trump 2.0

More money for agriculture innovation pitched by Shapiro after high demand

Spotlight PA·May 12, 2025

The Shapiro administration wants to double the amount of money Pennsylvania spends to support new agricultural technologies and conservation.

Food and Agriculture

Governor Josh Shapiro speaks at a podium with a sign that reads, "300 wells capped. Washington County, PA.

Federal money to plug Pa.’s dangerous wells is unfrozen, but uncertainty plagues contractors

Spotlight PA·March 25, 2025

Ongoing lawsuits against the Trump administration over hundreds of millions of federal dollars to plug old oil and gas wells are creating uncertainty.

Climate Change Energy Trump 2.0

Spotlight PA: America’s future depends on a thriving free press, and it’s time we take it back

Spotlight PA·December 28, 2024

By Christopher Baxter | Spotlight PA Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and...

Essay

The sun rises over the state Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Secrecy still pervades Pennsylvania state government, but Spotlight PA is fighting back

Spotlight PA·March 12, 2024

The one constant in Harrisburg no matter the dominant political party is a reflexive inclination to shield information from the public.

News

A bulletin board in Rothrock State Forest

Pennsylvania is investing millions to ensure people of all backgrounds, abilities have access to public lands

Spotlight PA·November 28, 2023

Pennsylvania agencies have made headway in expanding access to public lands, but not everyone feels safe or welcome at parks and forests.

Conservation Environmental Justice Recreation Wild Pennsylvania

How a proposed solar project prompted this rural Pa. township to face its mining past

Spotlight PA·November 24, 2023

A Centre County township wrestles with a proposed solar farm on a site where runoff from past coal mining is polluting a watershed.

Energy Water

This rural township wants to make it easier for other places in Pa. to fight injection wells

Spotlight PA·October 23, 2023

Officials in Clara Township, Potter County, said they weren't notified about an injection well application in time. They want to change that.

Energy

Safety, oversight concerns raised as Pa. lawmakers pursue billions for hydrogen hubs

Spotlight PA·June 23, 2023

Some lawmakers and environmentalists fear the state isn’t prepared to take on oversight for capturing carbon and storing it deep underground.

Climate Change Energy Politics

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