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CONSERVATION VOTERS OF PA STATEMENT APPLAUDS SHAPIRO EXECUTIVE ORDER AS A GOOD FIRST STEP TO PROTECT WORKING FAMILIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT FROM DATA CENTER IMPACTS
Today, Molly Parzen, Executive Director of Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, joined Governor Josh Shapiro, environmental advocates, and local elected officials as he announced an Executive Order requiring data centers seeking state permits to commit to new environmental safeguards. She released the following statement:
We applaud Governor Shapiro for listening to the concerns of the environmental community, local elected officials and community advocates and establishing important protections for working families and our environment in the face of an unchecked data center explosion.
Our commonwealth’s affordability crisis is being exacerbated by the rapid surge in data center development, which also threatens our clean air, our pure water and our open space. This Executive Order is a meaningful step forward that will help expand clean energy generation and put safeguards in place to protect local communities.
Data center developers and Big Tech titans cannot be allowed to rake in record profits at the expense of our energy bills, our clean air or our water. We appreciate that Governor Shapiro listened to the calls of so many advocates from both the environment and labor movements and brought us to the table to develop a response.
However, this Executive Order is only a first step. Compared to neighboring states, Pennsylvania is lagging behind.
While House Democrats have stepped up by passing aggressive, commonsense consumer protections, like HB 1834, state Senate Republicans have blocked nearly all efforts to regulate data centers.
For Pennsylvania to truly protect communities and the environment, Senate Republicans must stop stalling and come to the table with Governor Shapiro and House Democrats to pass comprehensive legislation that expands clean energy, protects public health and prevents Big Tech companies from making billions on the backs of Pennsylvania families.
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