On August 18, Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro signed an Executive Order (EO) that the Governor’s office says “lays out strict requirements that data center developers must meet regarding energy affordability, community engagement, workforce and economic development, transparency, and environmental protection – and gives local municipalities a greater say over development in their communities.”

Folks in communities across Pennsylvania are concerned about the local, regional, and broader impacts of data center projects proposed in their areas.  Let’s take a look at this Executive Order (EO) and explore what it does and doesn’t actually do, and what it means for communities who are thinking about what they should do in the face of the Pennsylvania data center rush.

Landowners may be curious as to who has the right to make a decision about a creek on their private property, and the answer is not necessarily a straightforward one. Unfortunately, the “right” to make decisions about waterways on a private property is multifaceted and not always just up to the landowner.

Baseline monitoring can help community members address concerns about environmental and personal health risks associated with data centers and other industrial development. 

Baseline monitoring helps to: 

• Create a record that shows a variety of impacts to the environment before, during, and after development to record any potential changes 

• Collect data for community organizing efforts by showcasing the impacts of industrial development on the area  

• Potentially help meet a legal burden of proof that an industrial project negatively impacted a community 

Baseline Monitoring helps establish written and visual records of environmental conditions over time. It can take years before a facility is permitted, built, and ready for operations. The time lag makes it difficult to recall pre-construction conditions accurately enough to establish a “before and after” comparison.