Scranton Mayor Paige G. Cognetti has submitted a letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Northeast Regional Office seeking a public hearing in Scranton regarding a PPL Electric Utilities project. The proposed Stanton Summit 1 & 2 69 kV Line Rebuild Project runs directly through the City, and potential new stormwater runoff created by the project could negatively impact the areas around Keyser Creek.
“We have invested significantly into stormwater conveyances and other infrastructure in Keyser Valley and other neighborhoods across Scranton to protect them from flooding and stormwater damage,” Mayor Cognetti said. “We will do everything we can to continue to protect our homeowners and small businesses from environmental impacts, including those that may be caused by the utility companies.”
According to Mayor Cognetti’s August 25 letter to DEP, PPL has applied for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for stormwater discharges related to the Stanton Summit line rebuild project. The project would rebuild an existing 7.75 miles of overhead electric transmission lines through Scranton, Taylor, Ransom Township, Duryea, and Exeter Township, disturbing 72.5 acres of land and potentially “send construction stormwater into waters that flow through and along the City, including Keyser Creek.”
“We are the community that lives with the results if the erosion, sediment, and post-construction controls fall short,” Cognetti wrote. “Stormwater is the heart of our concern. For years, Scranton has struggled with serious stormwater problems: streets and basements that flood, drainage systems that cannot keep up, and runoff that damages public and private property. The City has spent millions of dollars of public money to fix these problems and to meet its own stormwater obligations. A project that tears up 72.5 acres and discharges construction stormwater into the same waters that move through the City puts that investment at risk.”
Next month marks the three-year anniversary of floods that heavily impacted the Keyser Valley neighborhood near Lindy Creek, mere blocks away from its intersection with Keyser Creek, as well as parts of North Scranton near Leggetts Creek. The City extended disaster recovery funds to impacted residents through its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in 2023 and 2024, and officials are planning for $5.7 million in 2027 alone in stormwater management projects in Keyser Valley.
The letter also sites technical deficiencies with the proposed project from DEP’s own July 29 report. Among those issues, the letter notes that the “application leaves out the required NRCS (Natural Resources Conversation Service) soil map” that would help judge erosion and runoff, that a “proposed concrete washout sits outside the project boundary,” and that the “post-construction stormwater plan does not adequately preserve stream channels or protect identified wetlands,” among other issues. Mayor Cognetti has regularly advocated on behalf of Scranton residents and small businesses that have faced constant utility rate increases, as well as in response to a pair of disruptive water main breaks downtown this summer. Thanks in part to her efforts, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has held several public hearings in Scranton over the last two years, with most hearings focused on the impact of rate increases by utilities including PPL and Pennsylvania American Water Company (PAWC).
ABOUT THE CITY OF SCRANTON: Incorporated in 1866, the City of Scranton has a population of approximately 76,000 residents and is the sixth-largest municipality in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Scranton City Hall is located at 340 N. Washington Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. Residents requiring services should visit www.scrantonpa.gov
ABOUT MAYOR PAIGE G. COGNETTI: Paige G. Cognetti was sworn in as the 36th Mayor of Scranton in January 2020 and took her third Oath of Office in January 2026. Her administration is focused on public safety, fiscal discipline, driving economic growth, upgrading infrastructure, government transparency and efficiency, and improving residents’ overall quality of life.
Mayor Cognetti Seeks DEP Hearing in Scranton on Proposed PPL Stanton Summit Project | Press Release
Mayor Cognetti’s Letter to DEP on PPL’s Utility Project | PDF
Last modified: August 28, 2026
