Sorry if we sound like a broken record, but… the connection between fracking and data center development is BIG.
So we’re going to double down on it this week.
You probably already know that data centers use a massive amount of energy, most of which is coming from natural gas. And power plant development and expansion has begun to accommodate this need. But where will all the gas come from? In Pennsylvania, residents, organizers, and advocates are getting ready.
Read on to learn how they’re prepping for the surge, and more on the overlap between fracking and data center development.
In this newsletter
This bi-weekly newsletter is a new project from Halt the Harm Network. For more regular updates and meetups on data center organizing, request access to the Stop Bad Data Centers group inside the HHN community space.
What We’re Following
More Data Centers Will Mean More Fracking in PA
With 47 data centers proposed or under construction in Pennsylvania and more on the way, environmental advocates are sounding the alarm about the fracking surge that will follow. The Environmental Integrity Project and Clean Air Council are pushing the state to widen protections.
Forever Ends Here: Big Tech Shouldn’t Get to Poison Our Water
As semiconductor factories and data centers multiply, so does their use of PFAS, the “forever chemicals” linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and reproductive harm. CHIPS Communities United’s “Forever Ends Here” campaign is targeting a specific, actionable lever: Clean Water Act wastewater discharge permits.
Learn more about the campaign and get involved here.
What Fracking Taught Planners That Data Center Communities Need to Learn
A new paper by Dr. Austin Zwick at Syracuse University argues that communities facing data center development can draw directly from the anti-fracking playbook. Drawing on fieldwork with planners across five Marcellus Shale states, the research finds that communities fared better when they regulated specific impacts—water use, noise, road damage, infrastructure costs—before development arrived, rather than trying to fight it after the fact. Without stronger local rules in place now, data center communities may find themselves absorbing the costs while the profits flow elsewhere.
Resource: Massive archive of peer-reviewed sources on data centers and AI
The document hosts nearly two dozen pages of bibliographies on just about everything—from public health to governance to economics.
Event Recap
Tracking the Data Center Industry: Insights from Southwestern Pennsylvania
FracTracker Alliance partnered with four Pittsburgh-area students and recent graduates to investigate 12 proposed data centers across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Over nine weeks, the team attended public meetings, reviewed permits and zoning rules, filed Right-to-Know requests, mapped potentially affected sites, and spoke with residents.
This webinar will share findings and updates on the Homer City Energy Campus, Springdale Data Center, Upper Burrell Data Center, and Project Phoenix. Attendees will learn about behind-the-meter power, community organizing, moratoriums, local ordinance updates, and the ongoing need for greater transparency from developers and local governments.
Closing Comment
In case you needed another reminder—extractive industries use the same playbook over and over again. Instead of feeling like we’re starting from scratch every time, these resources give us the tools to walk in the footsteps of those who came before us. Let’s honor their work by learning from it—and each other.
