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Don’t Be Fooled! 7 Data Center Greenwashing Lies
Food and Water Watch debunks seven data center greenwashing claims — renewable energy pledges, wastewater recycling, closed-loop cooling, "bring your own power," carbon capture, biogas and AI's climate benefits — arguing each masks fossil fuel reliance, water depletion or higher electricity costs. It calls for a nationwide pause on new data center development until a…
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Pennsylvania Citizens’ Toolkit
This toolkit from the Environmental Integrity Project collects fact sheets, guides and templates covering local oil and gas permitting and public participation in Pennsylvania. It explains how municipal zoning authority works, points residents to the state's Right-to-Know and Sunshine laws, and walks through preparing testimony for public meetings and hearings.
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An Act amending the act of July 31, 1968 (P.L.805, No.247) … in subdivision and land development, providing for local option for high impact data centers. (HB2821, PA)
Requires municipalities to hold local referendum to approve proposed high impact data centers. Ballot to include brief description of the proposed development, including the total acreage, proposed building size, any proposed road and street improvements, estimated peak electricity demand and water usage, and estimated noise impacts.
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An Act … in zoning, providing for hyperscale data centers and public input. (SB1461, PA)
Requires that zoning hearing boards hold at least two public comment meetings before approval of a hyperscale data center application.
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An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in restructuring of electric utility industry, further providing for definitions and for standards for restructuring of electric industry. (SB1473, PA)
That new hyperscale data centers provide their own baseload generation and pay transmission and distribution interconnection costs.
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An Act … in zoning, prohibiting the location of data centers. (SB1460, PA)
Prohibits establishing or operating data centers in residential zoning areas and only permits larger data centers to be located in industrial and mining zones.
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An Act amending Title 27 (Environmental Resources) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in water resources planning, providing for water conservation requirements for data centers. (SB1470, PA)
Requires data centers to make use of water conservation methods, and to submit plan for such to the Department of Environmental Protection for approval. Water services may not recover costs due to data centers from other customers.
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An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in rates and distribution systems, providing for large load hyperscale data center tariffs. (SB1469, PA)
Directs Public Utility Commission to develop a large load tariff for hyperscale data centers and require each electric distribution company subject to the commission's jurisdiction to institute it. Tariff must ensure cost-covering by data centers, including all infrastructure costs and operations and maintenance expenses.
Exposing AI Data Center Threats and Harms