MONROE UNFILTERED: THE DAILY BUZZ | Sept. 17
PA Energy Grid Put On Notice
Thursday, September 17, 2026
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DAILY WEATHER
This forecast brought to you by Rihanna, so grab that umbrella for the back half of today: expect a high somewhere in the high 70s to low 80s, with a real chance of afternoon showers and maybe a rumble of thunder after lunchtime. Lows settle in around 63°F overnight.
Friday turns it around completely: sunny, a high near 80°F, and no rain in the forecast. If you're eyeing Saturday for that new coffee shop opening in Tannersville (more on that below), the whole back half of the week cooperates.
PENNSYLVANIA'S GRID PUT ON NOTICE: BLACKOUTS IN OUR FUTURE
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission released a study Sept. 14 warning that data center growth is on pace to push the region's electric grid past its own reliability standard within four years. The study, prepared by Synapse Energy Economics, found that by 2030 the PJM Interconnection grid, the regional operator covering Pennsylvania, a dozen other states, and Washington, D.C., could fail to meet electricity demand an average of six times every ten years, six times worse than the one-in-ten-year standard grid planners actually aim for. In a worst-case scenario of high demand and low supply, that could mean blackouts as often as 13 days a year. Energy consultant Abe Silverman, of Johns Hopkins University, put it more bluntly: “We could be having some sort of blackout once a month on average, which is obviously completely unsustainable.”
It's not just about outages, either. PJM's own spokesman, Jeff Shields, said the imbalance between demand and supply is “potentially compromising reliability of the system over the next five years while also contributing to increased electricity costs.” PUC Chairman Steve DeFrank was just as direct: “Pennsylvania is at an energy crossroads,” he said, adding that “this growth cannot come at the expense of the families and businesses that already depend on reliable and affordable electric service.” Translation: whether or not the lights actually flicker, expect this fight to keep showing up on your monthly bill.
We've been tracking pieces of this fight all year, and the supply side is just as much the story as the demand side. Our own April deep dive, “Watt the Hell,” found Pennsylvania mothballing coal and gas plants faster than it's replacing them: more than 60 coal-fired plants have closed statewide over the past 20 years, per Politico, while roughly 50 new plants have come online since 2006 with an average capacity of only about 250 megawatts, a fraction of what the old coal giants produced (the retired Bruce Mansfield plant alone ran nearly 2,500 megawatts). The state has already had to extend the life of two of its largest remaining coal plants through 2032 just to bridge the gap. Layer four more years of accelerating data center demand on top of a grid that's already losing capacity faster than it replaces it, and DeFrank's warning stops sounding hypothetical.
Back in August, State Reps. Tarah Probst and Maureen Madden stood outside Stroudsburg's Main Street EV chargers pressing state Senate Republicans to act on five stalled bills aimed at energy costs and data center oversight, citing electric bills already up more than 20% across Northeastern Pennsylvania. Smithfield, Pocono, and Middle Smithfield townships have all rewritten their own zoning rules over the same fight at the local level: setbacks, water use, who foots the bill for the power these projects draw. DeFrank's warning is that same argument playing out at the state level, just with a grid operator's numbers behind it instead of a township solicitor's. The PUC established a non-binding model tariff for large data-center customers back in May. Expect this fight to move to the legislature next.
THE DAILY RUNDOWN
Bar Shooting Trial Set to Begin Next Week. Jury selection starts Sept. 21, with the trial itself beginning Sept. 22, for Matthew H. Morales, 33, of Tobyhanna Township, accused of fatally shooting Henry Koroma Jr. at My Place Bar & Grill on Milford Road in Middle Smithfield Township back on May 24, 2024. Co-defendant Raymond Batiste, 40, accused of driving Morales away from the scene, faces two third-degree felony counts of hindering apprehension. Morales faces first-degree felony criminal homicide along with firearms charges. Monroe County District Attorney Michael Mancuso said at a Sept. 14 pre-trial conference he would still consider a plea deal before the trial starts, though defense attorney Alexandar Ward says he has been trying to get Mancuso's attention on that front for a while. Monroe County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Jonathan Mark will oversee the trial. One more wrinkle: less than three months after the shooting, Morales himself was shot eight times at a Salt Lake City nightclub, survived, and was extradited back to Pennsylvania to face these charges. Both men are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
WHAT WERE YA THINKIN'?
Registering a Cash Grab. Stroud Area Regional Police say a woman walked through the checkout line at the Giant on Lincoln Avenue in East Stroudsburg on Sept. 15, tried to pay for a bottle of water with cash, then reached over the counter and grabbed cash out of the register when the cashier opened it, fleeing over the Interboro Bridge into Stroudsburg. As of this week, SARPD says the suspect has been identified and the case is closed, though no name has been publicly released. Quick work.
Three Strikes at the Smoke Shop. Three juveniles, one age 15 and two age 17, are facing charges in juvenile court after a string of break-ins at a Stroudsburg smoke shop: a forced rear door on Aug. 14 ($150 in vapes), a smashed front window on Aug. 27 (about $1,050 in merchandise), and a failed third attempt on Aug. 30 where Stroud Area Regional Police, already watching the block, caught them about two blocks away. A search warrant recovered the stolen merchandise at their residence. Three strikes, and this time they're out. If convicted, their future's going up in smoke, no pun intended. (Okay, fully intended.) All three are presumed innocent until proven guilty in juvenile court.
MONROE MARKET MOVERS
A New Coffee Shop Lands in Tannersville. This wasn't exactly an uplifting edition, so let's end on a positive note. Nettario's Coffee and Tea celebrates its grand opening Saturday, Sept. 19, at 2 p.m., at 246 Stadden Road #205 in Tannersville (Pocono Township). Owners Rocco Belotti and Jason Balbuena are behind the new shop, per the Pocono Record. With Friday and Saturday both looking clear, it's a good weekend for a coffee run and a first look.