Contact: Christine Ho, christine.ho@sierraclub.org
Pittsburgh, PA - Today, Donald Trump announced a $90 billion investment to boost data centers that support multibillion-dollar tech companies.
Just last month, the Sierra Club, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, League of Conservation Voters, and Public Citizen took out full-page ads in San Francisco and Seattle calling on tech company CEOs to power their data centers with clean energy. Last September, the Sierra Club released a framework for powering data centers with 24/7 clean energy and clean capacity.
Tech company data center sustainability goals are linked here for Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft.
“Data centers rely on a shockingly large amount of power to operate,” said Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter Deputy Director Sarah Corcoran. “An investment in data centers is a nod to big business that Pennsylvania is open for new power plants when we should be investing in cleaner energy projects. Pennsylvania municipalities are hard pressed to fight proposals as companies take advantage of limited data center ordinances, leading to multiple data centers already being proposed across the state. These centers do not exist in a vacuum; they bring with them increased strain on the local power grids, a need for additional power sources, increased levels of air and water pollution, and decreased peace of mind. Pennsylvania power will be used for these projects, but the only ones to benefit will be the companies bulldozing their way through our local governmental bodies and our farm fields.”
About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.