Pennsylvania Advocacy Group to Host Webinar on AI Data Center Expansion and Energy Concerns
December 1, 2025
A significant debate is unfolding in Pennsylvania over the state's strategic direction for hosting the next wave of artificial intelligence infrastructure, pitting promises of major economic investment against concerns over long-term environmental and energy policy.
The nonprofit advocacy organization PennFuture will host a virtual community webinar on December 4 titled “Uncovering PA’s AI + Energy Strategy: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly.” The event aims to scrutinize current efforts to establish new AI and data center infrastructure across the commonwealth. Featured speakers will include PennFuture President and CEO Patrick McDonnell, its Policy Manager for Sustainable Economics Donna Kohut, and Sean O’Leary, a senior researcher at the Ohio Valley River Institute.
The webinar follows Amazon's June announcement of a planned $20 billion investment in Pennsylvania to construct AI-driven data center expansions, including a specific project in Falls Township, Bucks County. That proposed facility, spanning 1 million square feet, has raised alarms about its potential environmental footprint. PennFuture, in a press release, criticized the prevailing development model, stating, “Big Tech is promising big economic rewards... and the fracked gas industry is positioning itself to be the sole energy provider. Meanwhile, we are asking ourselves why cheap, clean, fast to deploy renewable [energy sources] are being left out of the conversation.”
The group points to the broader national pattern where similar large-scale data centers have strained local water resources and led to accelerated carbon dioxide emissions due to massive electricity consumption. Furthermore, while such projects are marketed for job creation, PennFuture argues that the majority are temporary construction roles, with only a fraction translating into permanent full-time positions once facilities are operational.
Central to the controversy is the role of the Team Pennsylvania Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public-private partnership. PennFuture asserts this group is helping drive the push for large-scale AI data centers reliant on fracked gas. “Since its inception in 1997, Team PA has championed fossil fuels as the key to economic development and prosperity for the commonwealth,” the organization noted. Team PA recently released its “2025 Pennsylvania Energy, Data Center and Artificial Intelligence Roadmap,” outlining a ten-year vision for the state's economic future that is now facing critical examination.
The discussion takes place against a stark backdrop: Pennsylvania currently ranks 49th in the nation for renewable energy growth. The upcoming webinar highlights a pivotal conflict between a development strategy anchored in legacy energy sources and the urgent call for a transition to sustainable power to fuel the digital economy.
Source: buckscountybeacon
