Around the Local

Weight-Loss Giant Lilly Announces $3.5B Plant

https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/eli-lilly-new-plant-lehigh-valley-pennsylvania-housing/

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly announced a $3.5 billion manufacturing facility in Upper Macungie Township, Lehigh Valley, the largest life sciences investment in Pennsylvania history. The 925,000 square foot campus will produce next-generation weight-loss medicines including retatrutide and create 850 permanent jobs plus 2,000 construction jobs. The facility was selected from over 300 applications and is expected to begin construction in 2026 with operations starting in 2031.
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Gov Shapiro Wants More Data Centers, with Consumer Protections

https://whyy.org/articles/shapiro-pa-data-centers-budget-address/

Gov. Josh Shapiro announced his GRID standards requiring data center developers to bring their own power generation, commit to transparency and community engagement, hire local workers, and protect the environment. The governor emphasized Pennsylvania's role in AI development while addressing concerns about data centers' impacts on communities, utility bills, and the environment.
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PA Lawmakers Show Bipartisan Interest in Standards

https://www.cityandstatepa.com/policy/2026/02/pa-lawmakers-show-bipartisan-interest-standards-data-centers/411252/

Both Democratic and Republican legislative leaders showed support for Gov. Shapiro's GRID standards for data center development in Pennsylvania. House Majority Leader Matt Bradford and Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman both expressed interest in requiring data centers to supply their own energy, with bipartisan agreement on responsible growth that protects local communities and manages energy costs.
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New Data: PA Ranks 49th in US for Renewable Energy Growth

https://environmentamerica.org/pennsylvania/media-center/new-data-pa-ranks-49th-in-u-s-for-renewable-energy-growth/

Pennsylvania ranks 49th nationally for percentage growth in solar, wind, and geothermal generation over the past decade, according to PennEnvironment's State of Renewable Energy 2025 report. The commonwealth saw strong growth in electric vehicles (14th) and charging stations (10th), but renewable energy brought online since 2015 would power fewer than 4% of Pennsylvania homes. Environmental advocates are calling for passage of Gov. Shapiro's Lightning Plan to accelerate clean energy growth.
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Generation Outages to Surge on Largest US Electric Grid

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/generation-outages-surge-largest-us-electric-grid-2026-02-03/

Power generation outages are expected to increase significantly on the nation's largest electric grid. The anticipated surge raises concerns about grid reliability and highlights the critical need for skilled electrical workers to maintain infrastructure.
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