New Comprehensive Report Lays Out Case For 3-Year A.I. Data Center Moratorium To Be Introduced In Pennsylvania

On March 4, Food & Water Watch released a new, comprehensive, first-of-its-kind report detailing the harms of the AI and data center boom infiltrating communities around the country, making the urgent case for a moratorium on the construction of new AI-driven data centers. 

The report comes as state Sen, Katie Muth (D-Montgomery) has announced an intent to file legislation to establish a 3-year moratorium on proposals and permitting of new hyperscale data centers in Pennsylvania. 

[During the February 26 Senate hearing on DEP’s budget, Sen. Rosemary Brown (R-Lackawanna) also announced her support for a moratorium. Read more here. 

[She joins Rep. Kyle Mullins (D-Lackawanna) and Rep. Kyle Donahue (D-Lackawanna) who announced their support for a moratorium earlier. Read more here.]

At least 23 hyperscale data centers have been proposed in Pennsylvania.

“Across the country, communities are already feeling the strain of unchecked data center growth. We have learned hard lessons from the past, and Pennsylvania cannot afford to repeat them. Reports like this raise serious red flags about power demand, water use, and local infrastructure impacts. That is why I am introducing a moratorium bill here in Pennsylvania because the health and safety of our residents are on the line, and we must get this right before communities pay the price,” said Senator Katie Muth.

The highly detailed report lays out the wide range of harms and hazards associated with the sudden explosion of the data center industry in the United States, including:

-- Annual water usage equivalent to 18.5 million households by 2028; annual electricity usage equivalent to 55 million households by 2028.

-- Dangerous new demand for fossil fuels, posing heightened risks of air and water pollution for impacted communities and a grave threat to our global climate.

-- A host of other societal threats, from national economic catastrophe, to loss of critical farmland, to unrelenting noise pollution, to threats to children and democracy.

“Our state constitution explicitly states that the people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and aesthetic values of the environment [Article I, Section 27]. Industry’s race to build hyperscale data centers in our communities is a direct threat to these rights,” said Food & Water Watch Senior Pennsylvania Organizer Ginny Marcille-Kerslake.  

“Municipalities across the Commonwealth are scrambling to develop data center ordinances to protect these rights as well as the health, safety and well-being of residents against an onslaught of industry’s attempts to rezone land in their best interests. 

“Pennsylvania needs a moratorium now to afford local governments the time to update their zoning laws for this new use,” explained Kerslake.

The new report details that 40 percent of energy for data centers comes from natural gas, and that figure is higher for Pennsylvania, the second largest gas producing state next to Texas. 

As the state ranks 4th nationally for total carbon dioxide emissions, the potential for more pollution is a very viable danger.

In October, Food & Water Watch became the first national group to call for a data center moratorium. Since then, over 250+ organizations have joined the call — including 17 in Pennsylvania.

Click Here for a copy of the report.

Click Here for the report announcement.

Visit the Food & Water Watch website for more information on this and other issues.

Related Articles This Week:

-- Senate PUC Budget Hearing: PUC Chair Says PJM Market Auction Not Designed For Data Center Demands; PA Needs Diversify Fuels Used To Generate Electricity; Bring Your Own Power Critical [PaEN] 

-- Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Needs To Act Now To Prevent A New $700 Million Increase In Electric Costs For Ratepayers - By Steve DeFrank, Chairman, Public Utility Commission  

-- House Committee Reports Out Bills To Require Data Centers To Disclose Energy, Water Use, Direct DCED To Develop Model Data Center Ordinance  [PaEN]  

-- New Comprehensive Report Lays Out Case For 3-Year A.I. Data Center Moratorium To Be Introduced In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- DCNR House Budget Hearing: House Republicans Propose More Shale Drilling In State Forest Land, Under State Parks; Gas Drilling Has Caused The Loss Of 30,000 Acres Of Core State Forest Land So Far  [PaEN] 

-- PA Solar Center, Capital Good Fund Partner On Pennsylvania BRIGHT To Deliver Nearly 70 Solar Energy Projects Worth Up To $40 Million  [PaEN]

-- Energy Efficiency Alliance: March 12 Webinar - How Virtual Power Plants Strengthen Our Grid, Protect Ratepayers  [PaEN]

-- Protect PT To Hold Workshops In Plum Boro March 12, Monessen March 19 On How To Protect Your Community From Environmental Threats Caused By Shale Gas Development  [PaEN] 

-- The Derrick: PA US Senator McCormick Cosponsors Bill To Adopt Permitting Reforms For Electric Transmission Lines To Meet Growing Energy Demands [PDF of Article] 

-- Pittsburgh Penguins Reduce Carbon Footprint By Buying Carbon Credits Supporting 272 Acres Of Green Space In Allegheny County  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- TribLive: West Deer Twp. Residents Appeal To Commonwealth Court In Fight Over EQT Leto Shale Gas Well Pad Drilling In Allegheny County

-- PennFuture, Conservation Voters Of PA Host March 4 Webinar On How To Protect Your Community Before A.I. Data Centers Come Knocking, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Grassroots Resistance To A.I. Data Centers Rises In Pennsylvania

-- Tribune-Democrat: PA House Committee Sees Partisan Split On Proposals To Regulate, Monitor A.I. Data Centers

-- City & State PA: PA House Committee Advances Bills Addressing Growing Concerns With A.I. Data Centers, Republicans Opposed

-- Beaver Times Guest Essay: A.I. Data Centers Will Harm Health, Limit Jobs In Beaver County - By Elan Justice Pavlinich, Environmental Health Project

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Why Are Pennsylvanians Paying Higher Electric Bills - Data Center Demand, PJM, Natural Gas Price Spikes - By Trish Reilly, Centrist Democrats Of America 

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Can Electric Grid Meet A.I. Data Center Energy Demands Without Increasing Risks For Everyone Who Depends On It? - By Shixiang Zhu, Carnegie Mellon University

-- Utility Dive: PJM Proposes Fast-Track New Generation Interconnection Plan; Extension Of Capacity Auction Price Ceiling, Collar

-- Morning Call/AP: Iran Strikes Amazon Data Centers In Middle East Highlighting Industry’s Vulnerability To Physical Disasters 

[Posted: March 4, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Pittsburgh Penguins Reduce Carbon Footprint By Buying Carbon Credits Supporting 272 Acres Of Green Space In Allegheny County

On March 3, The Pittsburgh Penguins partnered with Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) to offset the team’s carbon footprint dating back to the 2024-25 season with the purchase and retirement of locally generated forest carbon credits. 

The natural gas company EQT Corporation helped bring the parties together to advance the transaction in support of the Penguins Pledge Sustainability Initiative.  

The Penguins purchased and retired the credits generated from forested lands permanently protected and stewarded by ALT in southwestern Pennsylvania. 

Certified through City Forest Credits, the credits represent verified carbon captured, stormwater absorbed and air quality improved through conserved forests across the region. 

Once purchased and retired on behalf of the Penguins, the credits are no longer available for sale. 

By partnering with ALT, the Penguins are addressing a global climate challenge while directly investing in forests local to the communities where their fans live and work. 

The transaction connects international climate responsibility with measurable local impact. 

“Protecting forests is one of the most effective climate strategies we have,” said Carrie Gilbert, ALT President & CEO. “By protecting forests and quantifying their climate benefits, we’re creating locally rooted solutions that address global challenges while improving quality of life across our region.” 

What Is A Carbon Credit? 

A carbon credit represents one metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) that has been removed from the atmosphere or prevented from being released. Forests naturally absorb and store carbon. 

Through third-party certification, the stored carbon in forests can be measured, verified and issued as credits. 

When an organization purchases and retires a credit, it uses that verified carbon storage to balance its own emissions as part of a broader sustainability strategy.  

ALT generated carbon credits by acquiring forested land for permanent conservation and stewardship to benefit the public in perpetuity. 

The credits in this transaction originate from ALT’s successful permanent protection of the following lands:  

-- Buena Vista Heights Conservation Area (155 acres, conserved in 2020, Elizabeth Township, Allegheny County) 

-- Buerkle Woodlands Conservation Area (64 acres, conserved in 2022, Sewickley Hills Borough and Ohio Township, Allegheny County) 

-- Glade Run Lake Conservation Project (53 acres, conserved in 2022, Middlesex Township, Butler County – ownership transferred to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission) 

These lands contribute to long-term carbon storage, air quality improvements, watershed protection, habitat conservation and public access to green space. 

To qualify, ALT completes a rigorous application process that includes a forest inventory, carbon baseline analysis and a third-party verification. 

The credits reflect the real carbon sequestered from permanent land protection and active stewardship. 

Through the program, ALT holds ongoing responsibility to monitor these places for forty years, even after the credits are retired. 

“At EQT, we believe meaningful environmental stewardship begins in the communities where we live and work,” said Mike Starck, Head of New Ventures at EQT Corporation. “Facilitating this investment connects EQT’s and the Penguins’ Net Zero partnership with permanently protected forests here in southwestern Pennsylvania. 

“By supporting locally generated, third-party verified carbon credits, we’re helping translate sustainability goals into measurable benefits for our region, strengthening forests, improving air and water quality and delivering lasting value for local communities,” Starck said

While many carbon markets involve distant projects, this transaction hyper-focuses investment in the Pittsburgh region. 

The Penguin's purchase reinforces that global climate solutions can be enacted locally. 

Through its partnership with the Penguins, EQT is helping to align corporate sustainability leadership with tangible, regional impacts that strengthen forests visited and enjoyed by local community members.  

“We’re grateful to the Pittsburgh Penguins and EQT for proactively supporting the environment right at home,” Gilbert said. “This partnership shows how we can come together to create measurable impact for both people and the planet.”

The specific financial details of the contract and the transaction are private information, according to the Trust.

Click Here for the Trust announcement.

For more information on programs, initiatives, upcoming educational programs and other events, visit the Allegheny Land Trust website.  Click Here to read the Trust’s most recent newsletter.  Click Here to add your email to their mailing list.  Click Here to support their work.

Related Articles This Week:

-- Senate PUC Budget Hearing: PUC Chair Says PJM Market Auction Not Designed For Data Center Demands; PA Needs Diversify Fuels Used To Generate Electricity; Bring Your Own Power Critical [PaEN] 

-- Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Needs To Act Now To Prevent A New $700 Million Increase In Electric Costs For Ratepayers - By Steve DeFrank, Chairman, Public Utility Commission  

-- House Committee Reports Out Bills To Require Data Centers To Disclose Energy, Water Use, Direct DCED To Develop Model Data Center Ordinance  [PaEN]  

-- DCNR House Budget Hearing: House Republicans Propose More Shale Drilling In State Forest Land, Under State Parks; Gas Drilling Has Caused The Loss Of 30,000 Acres Of Core State Forest Land So Far  [PaEN] 

-- PA Solar Center, Capital Good Fund Partner On Pennsylvania BRIGHT To Deliver Nearly 70 Solar Energy Projects Worth Up To $40 Million  [PaEN]

-- Energy Efficiency Alliance: March 12 Webinar - How Virtual Power Plants Strengthen Our Grid, Protect Ratepayers  [PaEN]

-- Protect PT To Hold Workshops In Plum Boro March 12, Monessen March 19 On How To Protect Your Community From Environmental Threats Caused By Shale Gas Development  [PaEN] 

-- The Derrick: PA US Senator McCormick Cosponsors Bill To Adopt Permitting Reforms For Electric Transmission Lines To Meet Growing Energy Demands [PDF of Article] 

NewsClips:

-- TribLive: West Deer Twp. Residents Appeal To Commonwealth Court In Fight Over EQT Leto Shale Gas Well Pad Drilling In Allegheny County

-- PennFuture, Conservation Voters Of PA Host March 4 Webinar On How To Protect Your Community Before A.I. Data Centers Come Knocking, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Grassroots Resistance To A.I. Data Centers Rises In Pennsylvania

-- Tribune-Democrat: PA House Committee Sees Partisan Split On Proposals To Regulate, Monitor A.I. Data Centers

-- City & State PA: PA House Committee Advances Bills Addressing Growing Concerns With A.I. Data Centers, Republicans Opposed

-- Beaver Times Guest Essay: A.I. Data Centers Will Harm Health, Limit Jobs In Beaver County - By Elan Justice Pavlinich, Environmental Health Project

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Why Are Pennsylvanians Paying Higher Electric Bills - Data Center Demand, PJM, Natural Gas Price Spikes - By Trish Reilly, Centrist Democrats Of America 

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Can Electric Grid Meet A.I. Data Center Energy Demands Without Increasing Risks For Everyone Who Depends On It? - By Shixiang Zhu, Carnegie Mellon University

-- Utility Dive: PJM Proposes Fast-Track New Generation Interconnection Plan; Extension Of Capacity Auction Price Ceiling, Collar

-- Morning Call/AP: Iran Strikes Amazon Data Centers In Middle East Highlighting Industry’s Vulnerability To Physical Disasters 

[Posted: March 4, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Needs To Act Now To Prevent A New $700 Million Increase In Electric Costs For Ratepayers

By Steve DeFrank, Chairman, Public Utility Commission

This week, I testified before the Pennsylvania House Energy Committee about a rapidly escalating electric cost issue that is quietly building across our Commonwealth.

At a time when energy affordability is already a top concern for families and small businesses, Pennsylvania is facing a projected $700 million annual exposure in electric costs-- driven not by fuel prices or extreme weather, but by an unintended loophole in our net metering rules.

Net metering was created to help homeowners and small businesses install solar panels and oƯset their own energy use. 

When it functions as intended, it is a fair and valuable tool that supports clean energy and grid modernization.

But today, the framework allows certain merchant solar facilities-- with little or no on-site electric demand-- to qualify for full retail-rate compensation. 

These facilities sell nearly all their electricity back to the grid at the utility’s price-to-compare, which is currently about 47 percent higher than wholesale market rates.

That difference matters.

Compensation paid at retail rates is recovered from other ratepayers.

Right now, 36 facilities account for approximately $6.4 million per year in excess retail-rate compensation. 

Based on projects already moving through the interconnection process, that figure is projected to exceed $90 million annually by 2027-- a more than fourteen-fold increase in just a few years.

And with more than 2,100 interconnection requests currently pending statewide, projected exposure could exceed $700 million per year if those facilities proceed under existing rules.

These costs do not disappear. They are first borne by commercial and industrial customers-- including small businesses operating on narrow margins. 

Over time, they ripple outward, affecting hiring decisions, consumer prices, and ultimately residential customers as utilities recover these expenses through rates.

This is the “cost cliff” I described to lawmakers.

To be clear: this is not about opposing rooftop solar. Nor is it about discouraging renewable energy. 

Distributed generation plays an important role in modernizing our grid. 

This is about affordability and fairness.

Net metering was intended to offset a customer’s own electricity use-- not serve as a revenue mechanism for facilities generating power for sale at above-market retail rates.

Following a 2021 court ruling that limited the Commission’s ability to align compensation with statutory intent, the current framework permits solar facilities up to 3 MW with minimal on-site load to receive full retail-rate compensation.

In one example reviewed by the Commission, a 3 MW facility-- capable of generating

enough electricity to over 500 homes-- had an expected annual demand of just 2,000 kWh, comparable to a small residential customer.

Pennsylvania has options.

The General Assembly can clarify the statute to restore net metering to its intended purpose--  supporting true end-user customers while preventing excessive cost shifting.

Lawmakers may also consider establishing a clear framework for community solar, allowing renters, small businesses, and customers without suitable rooftops to subscribe to shared facilities and receive proportionate bill credits while ensuring costs and benefits are equitably distributed.

Energy affordability affects every employer signing payroll checks and every family opening a utility bill.

If we act now, we can prevent hundreds of millions of dollars in avoidable costs from compounding over the next several years.

Steve DeFrank serves as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Click Here for his full testimony before the House Energy Committee. 

Related Articles This Week:

-- Senate PUC Budget Hearing: PUC Chair Says PJM Market Auction Not Designed For Data Center Demands; PA Needs Diversify Fuels Used To Generate Electricity; Bring Your Own Power Critical [PaEN] 

-- House Committee Reports Out Bills To Require Data Centers To Disclose Energy, Water Use, Direct DCED To Develop Model Data Center Ordinance  [PaEN]  

-- DCNR House Budget Hearing: House Republicans Propose More Shale Drilling In State Forest Land, Under State Parks; Gas Drilling Has Caused The Loss Of 30,000 Acres Of Core State Forest Land So Far  [PaEN] 

-- PA Solar Center, Capital Good Fund Partner On Pennsylvania BRIGHT To Deliver Nearly 70 Solar Energy Projects Worth Up To $40 Million  [PaEN]

-- Energy Efficiency Alliance: March 12 Webinar - How Virtual Power Plants Strengthen Our Grid, Protect Ratepayers  [PaEN]

-- Protect PT To Hold Workshops In Plum Boro March 12, Monessen March 19 On How To Protect Your Community From Environmental Threats Caused By Shale Gas Development  [PaEN] 

-- The Derrick: PA US Senator McCormick Cosponsors Bill To Adopt Permitting Reforms For Electric Transmission Lines To Meet Growing Energy Demands [PDF of Article] 

NewsClips:

-- TribLive: West Deer Twp. Residents Appeal To Commonwealth Court In Fight Over EQT Leto Shale Gas Well Pad Drilling In Allegheny County

-- PennFuture, Conservation Voters Of PA Host March 4 Webinar On How To Protect Your Community Before A.I. Data Centers Come Knocking, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Grassroots Resistance To A.I. Data Centers Rises In Pennsylvania

-- Tribune-Democrat: PA House Committee Sees Partisan Split On Proposals To Regulate, Monitor A.I. Data Centers

-- City & State PA: PA House Committee Advances Bills Addressing Growing Concerns With A.I. Data Centers, Republicans Opposed

-- Beaver Times Guest Essay: A.I. Data Centers Will Harm Health, Limit Jobs In Beaver County - By Elan Justice Pavlinich, Environmental Health Project

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Why Are Pennsylvanians Paying Higher Electric Bills - Data Center Demand, PJM, Natural Gas Price Spikes - By Trish Reilly, Centrist Democrats Of America 

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Can Electric Grid Meet A.I. Data Center Energy Demands Without Increasing Risks For Everyone Who Depends On It? - By Shixiang Zhu, Carnegie Mellon University

-- Utility Dive: PJM Proposes Fast-Track New Generation Interconnection Plan; Extension Of Capacity Auction Price Ceiling, Collar

-- Morning Call/AP: Iran Strikes Amazon Data Centers In Middle East Highlighting Industry’s Vulnerability To Physical Disasters 

[Posted: March 4, 2026]  PA Environment Digest