A data center is pictured in Brookwood, Alabama.
Gary Cosby Jr.
USA TODAY Network, Reuters
A Quinnipiac University poll of Pennsylvania voters this summer found that 74% say they would oppose building an AI data center in their community, while 16% would support it, with 10% not offering an opinion. This compares to Quinnipiac’s February poll, when 68% said they would oppose an AI data center in their community and 20% would favor it, with 12% not offering an opinion.
Guardrails on PA data centers
Governor Josh Shapiro in August issued an executive order demanding that data center developers meet energy affordability, community engagement, economic development and environmental protection standards. If they don’t, he said, the commonwealth will not give them permits to build and operate.
PA data center permit tracker
In correlation with the governor’s executive order, Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection has created a “data center permit tracker.” You can check it out online.
Community solar update
Community solar projects are legal and operating in 44 states. But Pennsylvania — heavily influenced by the fossil fuel industry — is not one of them. A bill that would make community solar legal here has passed the state House of Representatives. Its fate now rests in the Republican-controlled Senate where it is mired in committee. Community solar allows renters and others who can’t put solar panels on their roofs to invest in a local solar array. The energy generated by the array is sold to the electric grid and the proceeds typically knock five-to-20% off an individual investor’s home electric bill.
Energy recommendations
PennFuture, an environmental advocacy group, in August produced recommendations for Pennsylvania’s energy future. They include: (1) requiring 35% of electricity to be generated by renewable energy sources; (2) passing Community Solar enabling legislation; (3) Incentivizing solar development on rooftops of warehouses, fulfillment centers, and large government buildings; and (4) promoting sustainable economic development by leveraging environmental standards attached to financial resources.
PA lawmakers rated on conservation
Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania has created a “scorecard” showing how state legislators voted on key bills impacting the environment in the last two years. The 2025-26 Pennsylvania Environmental Scorecard gives each member of the legislature a score on their environmental voting. Just enter your address and you can see the score for the lawmakers that represent you in Harrisburg.
Changing national forest rules
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to end a 25-year-old rule limiting road building and logging on 44 million acres of national forest land. That includes the half-million acre Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. The Forest Service will accept, until midnight Sept. 21, public comments before a final decision is made. To comment, go to Regulations.gov. The Roadless Area Conservation Rule currently protects 25,000 acres in Pennsylvania from logging, mining and other destructive human activities, according to PennEnvironment.
Clean energy second-quarter growth
Clean energy investments in the U.S. surged in April, May and June reaching the second-largest quarterly investment in history just behind the third quarter of 2025 when people were hurrying to buy EVs before tax credits ended. That’s according to the Rhodium and MIT Clean Investment Monitor. Nearly all of the increase came from retail sales of rooftop solar and home battery storage systems.
Richard W. Jones is a volunteer with the State College chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Reach the chapter at PaStateCollege@citizensclimatelobby.org.