Data Centers & Fracking
Proposed Data Centers Near You
South Western PA
A data center is a warehouse-like building containing rows of networked computer servers and equipment used for the remote processing, storage, and distribution of data.
Municipalities across Pennsylvania are currently receiving many proposals for large data center projects, primarily for the purpose of allowing technology companies to power AI tools and cloud computing. These hyperscale facilities can cover hundreds of acres of land and require vast amounts of energy and water.
Advocacy Target Areas: Regional sites where we actively mobilize community members around shared concerns.
Get Involved
SAVE (Save Allegheny Valley Environmental) Springdale Resident Meetings
Date: Every Wednesday
Time: 7 PM - 8:30 PM
Location: From Italy Pizza Restaurant
1115 Lincoln Ave, Springdale, PA 15144​​
Monthly Upper Burrell Community
Meetings
Date: Last Wednesday of Each Month
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Location: Penn State New Kensington
3550 7th Street Rd, New Kensington, PA 15068​
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Impacts to Residents and the Environment from
Large Scale Data Centers
Increased Electric Costs
Data centers use tremendous amounts of electricity. New hyperscale facilities, which are designed to support AI development, demand hundreds of megawatts (MW) or even several gigawatts (GW) of energy. That's as much energy as a mid-size city like Pittsburgh. This can drive up costs for local residents and small businesses. People in northern Virginia, the "Data Center Capital of the World," are already facing rate hikes as data centers consume more than 25% of the state's electricity.
Fracking Operations
A sudden influx in energy-intensive data center projects would strain our resources, encouraging more unconventional oil and gas development. Many of these facilities are being proposed alongside gas-fired power plants. Southwestern Pennsylvanians are already facing the burdens of fracking in the form of negative health impacts, disturbances, and stress. We are concerned that data center development would be a significant roadblock to moving in the right direction for a clean and healthy energy future.
High Water Usage
Data centers have become a top 10 water consuming industry in the United States. Hyperscale facilities can consume up to five million gallons of water per day to cool their servers. In fact, each 100-word email generated by an AI Chatbot using GPT-4 requires 519 millimeters of water for cooling, which is more than 1 standard bottle of water. Not all water authorities may be capable of or suitable for serving these data centers. This high water use could also pose a problem during periods of drought.
Air Pollution
Noise and Light Pollution
Many of these data centers would be powered by gas-fired power plants or mobile gas turbines, which release harmful pollutants into the air. Data centers are also often equipped with backup diesel generators, which kick for additional power use. These noisy generators produce particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, which can cause breathing problems in exposed populations.
People living near data centers are sometimes affected by noise and light pollution. Data centers emit constant, low-frequency noise, which can affect physical and mental wellbeing. The type of activity that a data center is used for can affect how much sound it produces, with cryptocurrency mines being especially loud. Careful facility siting and design is necessary to prevent data centers from emitting nuisance noise.
