October 2026 Grantee Highlight

This month we are turning the spotlight onto Protect PT and its tireless fight for environmental justice in the Penn-Trafford area as well as Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties as a whole.  This organization began in 2014 as a community-based advocacy group that protects local economic, environmental, and legal rights of residents as they relate to fracking (unconventional oil and gas development).  Fracking is a process in which deep wells are dug and highly pressurized water and sand are deployed down them to fracture the surrounding earth.  This, in turn, allows natural gas released from this process to be collected and extracted.  Overall, this environmentally destructive method creates toxic waste water, 24//7 noise pollution too near residential neighborhoods, and has the potential to contaminate drinking water if mishandled.

Protect PT has since expanded its work to include environmental monitoring, including air quality, water purity, and radon.  These activities, done in partnership with communities, act as an evidence base for legislative changes on both the municipal level (zoning for well pad setbacks, etc) and state level (recommendations for updating PA’s hazard mitigation plan, etc).  The organization also hosts educational workshops for residents who live near fracking sites, encourages citizens to report observed environment protection regulation violations, and helps individuals to protect their mineral rights by facilitating legal counsel before the signing of leases and/or housing contracts.

The newest threat that Protect PT and its member communities are facing is the construction of data centers.  Springdale and Upper Burrell have tech companies wanting to build hyperscale data centers in their neighborhoods that would require more electricity/year each than the entire city of Pittsburgh.  While Governor Shapiro’s executive order has required that these companies supply the majority of their own power, regulations around that electricity are lacking.  Also, one of the major ways that electric plants (which also need to be constructed to meet projected demand) generate that power is through natural gas.  And natural gas in Southwestern PA is often produced by fracking.  Since safety guidelines for neither focus area have been finalized or universalized, many think we as a region are putting the cart before the horse.

Data centers themselves also drain environmental resources and have severe effects on human health outcomes for people that live near them.  These massive server farms of cloud storage can cover thousands to 1 million square feet, use many terawatts worth of power a year (enough to power a few smaller countries in the same timeframe), and cycle through hundreds of thousands of potable water per year each for cooling systems.  And while Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are not high water stress areas, tech companies tend to cluster construction near population centers everywhere from Virginia to the deserts of Arizona.

People that live near data centers also have to find ways to soundproof against 24/7 tonal noise pollution and vibrations that span hundreds of meters through residential walls and windows.  In a film done by Business Insider, residents say that even with mitigation measures implemented by data centers, these noises can trigger anxiety responses and make sleeping difficult or impossible.  Research by Gour, Ortiz, and Maibach talks about potential solutions to not only these problems, but also other social determinants of health, like the economic burden on residential electricity prices.  This is especially important because data centers are projected to consume 9% of global energy by 2030 (George & Conteh, 2026, pg. 2).   

In addition to fighting for human-first regulations to minimize these health and economic effects at the local level, Protect PT is also facilitating the development and implementation of sustainable energy solutions in this region of PA through Promote PT.  One example is Re-Imagine Turtle Creek Watershed and Airshed Communities (TCWAC).  Protect PT (through Promote PT) is a fiscal sponsor of this community-driven initiative to sustainably protect the interconnected waters and air of the 30 municipalities bordering these areas. 

Another example is Promote PT’s support of the Municipal Sustainability Project.  This national project helps small towns and rural communities access the billions of dollars in new federal funding available for climate-conscious infrastructure projects.  A link to a partner organization called the Community Project Hub of Southwestern PA allows people to explore a wider range of regional sustainability projects. 

Overall, Protect PT is doing wonderful work with individuals, local communities, and state level policy makers that is helping to defend residents’ current rights and health as well as the future of the region’s natural environment.  Please join us in supporting this awesome organization by using their resources to learn more about the mission and advocate for yourself and your neighbors.

Upcoming Protect PT EVENTS:

Sunday, November 1 - Protect PT Bingo Fundraiser

12:00 PM

The Manchester Room, 414 Brinton Ave., Rear, Trafford, PA  15085

Monday, November 9 - Webster Hollow Hearing Prep

6:00 PM

Monessen Civic Center, 861 Donner Ave., Monessen, PA  15062

Wednesday, November 18 and Thursday, November 19 - Living Near Shale Gas Workshop November 2026

6:30 PM

Zoom

Tuesday, November 24 - Lunch & Learn: Meet the Protect PT Staff

12:00 PM

YouTube Live