A complex of data centers in Ashburn, Va. (Photo by Gerville/Getty Images)
Pennsylvania is at the epicenter of a dangerous fossil fuel agenda — and unfortunately, Governor Josh Shapiro is paving the way.
Since taking office, Shapiro has taken no meaningful climate action. Instead, he has advanced fossil fuel interests by fast-tracking permits for so-called “reliable” energy — a phrase used to greenwash gas, biodigesters, and other methane-emitting projects. And he promotes an “all-of-the-above” energy approach, which props up oil and gas under the guise of sustainability. Too often, he sides with polluters over people.
Our state has been part of the U.S. Climate Alliance since 2019, a coalition committed to a net-zero future by advancing state-led, high-impact climate action. Yet Pennsylvania is America’s second largest extractor of fossil fuels — and no significant climate-mitigating legislation has been established during Shapiro’s tenure as governor.
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President Donald Trump has a bullseye on Pennsylvania shale gas, with promises of liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals, massive AI data centers powered by dedicated gas-fired power plants, and additional false solutions like pyrolysis (burning plastic, which creates toxic emissions) and carbon capture and sequestration (an ineffective and dangerous attempt at storing carbon underground, transported through hazardous pipelines that can poison communities with CO2 gas leaks). These projects only delay the transition to real renewable energy.
Data centers bring the threat of noise, higher electric bills, water pollution, and high water usage. And in Pennsylvania, they also bring the health harms of increased fracking and new gas-fired power plants. Amazon and Blackstone plan to use fracked gas to fuel their data centers. And proposed LNG export terminals bring incredible risks of explosion and pollution to densely populated areas on the East Coast.
A bill in the state House, HB 502, is being shoehorned into state budget legislation after failing to get out of committee. It allows a centralized board to override municipal land use decisions by issuing a “Certificate of Reliable Energy Supply.” Once that certificate is granted, municipalities are legally barred from taking any action that might “materially impede” the project — even if that action is rooted in zoning law, comprehensive planning, or legitimate public health and safety concerns.
Constellation Energy plans to restart Unit 1 of the former Three Mile Island nuclear power plant as the Crane Clean Energy Center. (Capital-Star/Peter Hall)
Yet Shapiro’s administration is pushing the bill hard, threatening the autonomy and voices of the people of Pennsylvania. In fact, Article I, Section 27 of Pennsylvania’s constitution — the Environmental Rights Amendment — establishes the people’s right to clean air and pure water, and requires all levels of government, including municipalities, to act as trustees of our natural resources. By stripping towns of their authority to protect residents through zoning and planning, HB 502 prevents them from fulfilling that constitutional duty. Courts have already struck down similar overreach in the Robinson Township case.
Instead of being a champion for his constituents who are suffering health harms from fossil fuel extraction in the state, Gov. Shapiro has been busy developing alliances and deals with the gas industry, creating significant roadblocks to meaningful climate action. Now, with the announcement from President Trump of over $90 billion coming to Pennsylvania for an AI hub in our state, our communities face major threats of increased pollution and health harms from fracking, methane gas pipelines, data centers, and other oil and gas infrastructure.
We need Gov. Shapiro not to sell us out. Instead, he needs to hold polluters accountable.
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That means stop pushing AI data centers powered by fracked gas. It means stop backing LNG exports and false solutions like burning plastic, carbon capture, and hydrogen production from fracked gas. It means lawmakers should respect local control over energy facilities and data centers and means Gov. Shapiro should make good on promises to address the toxic impacts of fracking and ban road spreading of toxic, radioactive drilling waste.
We’re watching closely. Pennsylvanians demand leadership that centers on genuine community collaboration, real solutions to the health crisis created by fracking, high-impact actions on the climate crisis, and on respect for frontline communities where residents are suffering.
Pennsylvania can lead the way in creating union jobs, building renewable energy, protecting communities, and ensuring every family has clean air and water.
Josephine Gingerich is the health advocacy outreach coordinator for Physicians for Social Responsibility PA.