Aug. 3, 2026Keith Srakocic / Associated PressAdvocates call for wider buffers between homes, fracking sites as data centers up energy demandby Jon Hurdle of Inside Climate NewsEnvironmental groups urged Pennsylvania towns and lawmakers to support a plan to widen the distance between communities and natural gas infrastructure.
Aug. 3, 2026Gene J. Puskar / APData centers are slowing America’s shift away from coalby Jake Bittle of GristCarbon emissions from the U.S. power sector rose by 4% last year because of an increase in coal generation — partially driven by the proliferation of large-scale data centers.
July 31, 2026Ted Shaffrey / APPower grids can't handle AI boom as summer heat triggers emergency ordersby Mara Hoplamazian of NOTUSSince May, the Energy Department has issued emergency authorization six times for PJM Interconnection, the grid operator that covers much of the mid-Atlantic.
July 23, 2026Matt Rourke / APIn Philadelphia’s Chinatown, a fight to restore funding for a critical highway capby Daniel Perrin of Inside Climate NewsThe project would lower noise and air pollution and help combat increasing temperatures. After losing federal backing under Trump, local lawmakers are working to save it.
July 20, 2026Ted Shaffrey / APLawmakers up transparency for data centers, leave $2B tax exemption untouched in Pa. budgetby Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PAEnvironmentalists say the one data center proposal that became law, an energy use reporting requirement, is not substantive.
July 10, 2026Patrick Semansky / APMaryland county adopts a two-year moratorium on data center developmentby Aman Azha of Inside Climate NewsCounties across the state have resisted the federal push for a rapid buildout of AI infrastructure, buying time to craft legislation protecting electricity ratepayers and the environment
July 2, 2026Gene J. Puskar / APNew power plants for data centers would significantly increase Pennsylvania’s climate pollutionby Jon Hurdle of Inside Climate NewsA new report studied potential emissions from seven planned gas-fired plants that would fuel data centers in Pennsylvania. The industry says it’s investing in clean technology.
July 2, 2026Dave Harp / Chesapeake Bay JournalWarehouses add to air pollution in Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Valleyby Carolyn Beans of Chesapeake Bay JournalA new analysis reveals links between warehouse expansion, health risks, and economic benefits.
June 26, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesTrump cuts to clean energy credits threaten planned renewable projects across Pa.by Daniel Perrin of Inside Climate NewsThe president’s “one big beautiful bill" accelerated the phaseout of federal investment tax credits for renewable energy that had been expanded under the Biden administration.
June 22, 2026Ted Shaffrey / APAmerica’s data center backlash is bipartisan — can it stay that way?by Zoya Teirstein and Kate Yoder of GristOpposition spans party lines as communities resist AI infrastructure's impact on energy costs and resources.
June 12, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesThe Pentagon quietly delayed PFAS cleanup at 9 military sites in Pennsylvaniaby Anna Kramer and Joe Gould of NOTUSThose delays extend a cleanup process that federal, state, and local lawmakers say has already gone on too long.
June 11, 2026Courtesy of Chesapeake Conservancy‘Live stakes’ transform Pennsylvania creek banks from invasive grass to native shrubsby Carolyn Beans of Chesapeake Bay JournalThe work was done by volunteers with the Live Stake Collaborative, a riparian restoration initiative led by the Chesapeake Conservancy.
June 11, 2026Ted Shaffrey / APPennsylvania activists urge lawmakers to help curb soaring electric billsby Jon Hurdle of Inside Climate NewsDespite skyrocketing demand driven by data center development, the industry says it is not the cause of increasing costs for consumers.
June 9, 2026Stephanie Strasburg / Pittsburgh’s Public SourceUS Steel pledges up to $2.5B in upgrades to Pittsburgh-area plantby Lucas Dufalla of Pittsburgh's Public SourceThe investment will preserve the roughly 3,000 jobs at Mon Valley Works, the company says.
June 8, 2026Courtesy of Nidel & Nace P.L.L.C.Meat plant spreads 1000s of gallons of blood on fields, fouling Pa. town's waterby Maddy Lauria of GristA recent verdict doesn’t require Nicholas Meat to change how it operates despite the history of environmental violations revealed during the trial.
June 5, 2026Courtesy of PA Turnpike CommissionPennsylvania Turnpike wants to turn roadside land into pollinator habitatby Carolyn Beans of Chesapeake Bay JournalThe commission is adding wildflowers, EV charging stations, solar panels, and more to make America’s first sustainable superhighway.
June 3, 2026Courtesy of Eric AltonRiver otters flourish in former toxic hot spots across Chesapeake Bay watershedby Karl Blankenship of Chesapeake Bay JournalBiologists once thought such urban areas were mostly off-limits to the semi-aquatic mammals, which are often associated with more pristine conditions
June 2, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesShapiro pitches incentives for data centers to be environmentally friendlier as budget deadline approachesby Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PAGOP leaders, unions say they’re open to the plan. But some environmental groups argue it’s too deferential to developers.
May 18, 2026Ted Shaffrey / APWhat’s next for data centers in Pa.? State lawmakers are split on how to regulate them.by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PAThe state House recently passed bills to mandate energy use disclosure, require data centers to contribute to state programs, and more.
May 18, 2026Carolyn Kaster / APAs electric bills rise, some states are focusing on the growing profits of utilitiesby Marc Levy of the Associated PressThe push comes during a midterm election year in which affordability is the leading theme in Democrats’ attempts to loosen Republicans' control of Washington.
May 4, 2026Ted Shaffrey / APData center demand is making bedfellows of construction unions, tech industryby Associated PressConstruction workers, employed on many data center projects, are scrambling to recruit new apprentices to feed the demand. They’ve become allies of tech giants and sympathetic government officials.
April 22, 2026Matt Rourke / AP3 Pa. counties rank among nation’s worst for air pollution, study findsby Keerti Gopal of Inside Climate NewsAllegheny, Dauphin, and Philadelphia Counties received failing grades for three measures of pollution in a recent American Lung Association report surveying the nation’s air quality.
April 13, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesNatural gas interests court Pa. Democrats, touting products as ‘clean energy’by Kiley Bense of Inside Climate NewsNatural Allies for a Clean Energy Future, an industry coalition formed in 2020, wants to redefine gas as an affordable and clean source.
April 6, 2026Rebecca Egan McCarthy / GristData centers are straining the grid. Can they be forced to pay for it?by Naveena Sadasivam of GristThe “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” signed by Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, and Amazon lacks oversight mechanisms to ensure that they follow through on promises.
March 26, 2026Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PAPa. is at the epicenter of an avian flu outbreak that has killed thousands of birdsby Kiley Bense of Inside Climate NewsPennsylvania and its densely clustered poultry farms are directly in the path of the Atlantic Flyway, a major migration route for wild birds.
March 19, 2026Evan Vucci / APPa., 22 other states sue EPA over Trump rollback of greenhouse gas health findingby Shifra Dayak of NOTUSThe Obama-era finding on greenhouse gas emissions underpinned almost all climate change mitigation measures by the federal government.
March 19, 2026Rebecca Egan McCarthy / GristSix data center campuses are planned for just one Pa. borough. Residents are fighting back.by Rebecca Egan McCarthy of GristFive developers are planning to build six data center campuses in Archbald, which will cover a full 14% of the town, evict a trailer park, and border many residential properties.
March 13, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesPennsylvania’s data center boom, by the numbersby Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PADozens of new data centers are proposed in the commonwealth, big companies are pledging to spend billions, and many Pennsylvanians are skeptical.
March 9, 2026Ted Shaffrey / APShapiro wants to incentivize data centers to be better neighbors. Will that work?by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PAThe governor plans to allow faster permitting for data centers built with consideration for water, energy, and local jobs.
Jan. 28, 2026Feixu Chen / Pittsburgh Media Partnership NewsroomMajor power grid operator for Pa., East Coast predicts energy shortfall by mid-2027by Hannah Frances Johansson of Pittsburgh Media Partnership NewsroomThe shortfall is driven by a slow replacement of retiring power plants and rising demand from electrification and data centers, PJM officials have said.