Philadelphia Pushes Back as AI Data Centers Collide With Industrial Pollution Fears
Philadelphia activists seek an AI data center moratorium as pollution, power, water and health fears drive restrictions across U.S. cities and New York.
Summary
More than 100 people launched the No Data Centers in Philly campaign at Philadelphia City Hall on Monday, seeking a moratorium before any project is formally proposed. Officials have identified possible sites in Northeast Philadelphia and Grays Ferry, where Philly Thrive managing co-director Shawmar Pitts grew up beside the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery. The facility processed up to 335,000 barrels of crude daily before closing after a 2019 explosion. Pitts joined Philly Thrive in 2018 after connecting neighborhood illnesses with refinery pollution. Board president Sonya Sanders believes emissions caused the rare bone cancer that killed her husband in 2020. Resident Donna Greenberg also cited surveillance, noise, water and electricity risks.
BloombergNEF expects U.S. data centers to consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035, nearly double its forecast nine months earlier. Burning one cubic foot releases the equivalent of 60 grams of carbon dioxide, while additional data center demand is projected to create 1 million extra metric tons of greenhouse gases daily, about 12% of current U.S. emissions. Harvard University researchers concluded in 2021 that fossil fuel air pollution causes one in five deaths worldwide. Clean Air Council attorney Annie Fox said a typical planned Pennsylvania data center has hundreds of diesel engines that could operate when heat waves strain the grid.
Companies promise jobs and growth, but most Americans oppose nearby construction amid environmental and energy concerns. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has temporarily blocked new state permits for large projects, while Denver, Indianapolis, Asheville, Charlotte and Reno have approved moratoriums to study local effects. Philadelphia has not decided whether either potential site will proceed.
Positives
- More than 100 people joined Philadelphia’s City Hall rally, giving the proposed moratorium an organized public constituency before any formal project arrives.
- New York Governor Kathy Hochul temporarily halted permits for large projects, linking future approvals to community acceptance and resource protection.
- Denver, Indianapolis, Asheville, Charlotte and Reno approved moratoriums that give officials time to assess data centers before allowing construction.
- Philadelphia has received no formal construction proposal, leaving officials time to evaluate the two identified sites and their community effects.
Risks & concerns
- BloombergNEF projects U.S. data centers will consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035, nearly doubling its nine-month-old forecast.
- Additional data center demand could generate 1 million metric tons of greenhouse gases daily, equal to about 12% of current U.S. emissions.
- A typical planned Pennsylvania data center has hundreds of diesel engines that may run when heat waves overburden the electrical grid.
- Grays Ferry residents fear another industrial burden after living beside a refinery that processed 335,000 barrels daily before its 2019 explosion and closure.
- Residents cite potential pollution, noise, surveillance, higher utility pressure and competition for neighborhood water and electricity.
