42 Organizations Call On DEP For More Transparency On Proposed A.I. Data Centers

On July 29, organizations across Pennsylvania called on the Department of Environmental Protection to provide more transparency and public notice of proposed A.I. data center proposals across the state.

The call came in a letter to DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley signed by 42 organizations that follows recent announcements of massive investments in data centers and related energy infrastructure across the state.

The letter, coordinated by No False Climate Solutions PA and the Better Path Coalition, said-- “The Shapiro administration is partnering with Senator David McCormick and the Trump administration to attract billions of dollars of investments in data centers to Pennsylvania, yet anyone searching the DEP’s website will not find much information about this consequential development, nor opportunities to voice concerns about it. 

“The undersigned 42 organizations and 169 individuals from 36 counties are calling on the Department to correct these deficiencies.”

Among recommendations the signers suggest are a one-stop shop for the public akin to the agency’s GreenPort that is tailored to industrial users and improvements in the dissemination of public notices of hearings and written comment periods.

Click Here for a copy of the letter.

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - July 26 to August 1- Coterra Contaminates 13 More Water Wells; Shale Driller Fails To Restore 16 Well Sites; Dewatering Abandoned Impoundment Halted; Another Pipeline Construction Spill  [PaEN] 

     -- Coterra Energy Fined $299,000 For Contaminating 13 Private Water Supplies In Lenox Twp., Susquehanna County - Just A Few Miles From Dimock  [PaEN]

     -- Pin Oak Energy Partners Signs Consent Order With DEP To Address Its Failure To Restore 16 Shale Gas Well Sites And An Impoundment In Beaver County Since 2023  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP: Second Spill From Horizontal Drilling At EQM Gathering Pipeline Construction Project In Washington County Contaminates Spring  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 2 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 69 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 2 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

Related Articles This Week:

-- Coterra Energy Fined $299,000 For Contaminating 13 Private Water Supplies In Lenox Twp., Susquehanna County - Just A Few Miles From Dimock  [PaEN]

-- PA Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition Applauds President For Overturning Basis For Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs-- Including Methane From Oil & Gas Operations  [PaEN] 

-- EPA Extends Oil & Gas Industry Compliance Deadlines For Federal Clean Air Act Methane Reduction Rule; Deadline Extended For States To Submit Compliance Plan To 2027  [PaEN] 

-- Guest Essay: Federal EPA Rollbacks Mean Pennsylvania Must Take The Lead On Cutting Methane Pollution From Oil & Gas Operations - By Melissa Ostroff, Earthworks   [PaEN]

-- State And Federal Lawmakers Tour Facilities Extracting Lithium From Oil & Gas Wastewater In Susquehanna County [PaEN]

-- PUC Chairman DeFrank Leads National Effort To Strengthen Natural Gas Use Energy Efficiency, Reliability, And Sustainability  [PaEN]

-- Spotlight PA: PA PUC Developing Model Tariff For A.I. Data Centers To Ensure PA Consumers Don’t Foot The Bill

-- PJM Electric Auction Impacts: 1 In 5 PA Households Report Problems Now Paying Energy Bills; Electric Utility Shutoffs Up 38.1% So Far This Year  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Electricity Auction: PJM Lost 2.8 Gigawatts Of Power Due To Reduced Reliability Rating Of Natural Gas Power Plants; Could Gain 12.2 Gigawatts By Increasing Reliability From Less Than 75% Now To An Achievable 90%  [PaEN] 

-- Guest Essay: Three Proposals To Protect Consumers From A.I. Price Increases: Bring Your Own Generation; Data Centers Must Pay Their Fair Share; An 'All Of The Above' Energy Future, Including Renewables - By Kevin Walker, CEO, Duquesne Light  [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection Again Extends Maximum Generation Alert & Load Management Alert To July 30; Demand Response Programs Implemented On July 28, 29  [PaEN] 

-- 42 Organizations Call On DEP For More Transparency On Proposed A.I. Data Centers  [PaEN] 

-- PA Dept. Of Health Distributing Free Potassium Iodide Tablets To Residents Near PA’s 4 Operating Nuclear Power Plants Aug. 14  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension: Sept. 9 Webinar On Growth Of A.I. Data Centers, Rising Electricity Prices, Lagging Energy Development  [PaEN]

-- Food & Water Watch Hosts Aug. 5 Webinar On Protecting Your Pennsylvania Community With Local Zoning  [PaEN] 

-- Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance, EEA-NJ Hosts Sept. 10-11 Navigating Change Policy Conference  [PaEN]

Related NewsClips This Week:

-- 8.4.25 - Natural Gas, Energy, A.I./Data Center NewsClips

[Posted: July 29, 2025]  PA Environment Digest