Allegheny County climate plan draws questions about data centers, environmental justice
Allegheny County held an open house for its Climate Action Plan, drawing feedback from residents. Concerns were raised about the plan's scope, particularly regarding industrial emissions from proposed data centers in Springdale and their implications for environmental justice. An environmental nonprofit delivered a petition calling for greater investment in clean energy.
Allegheny County's Department of Sustainability hosted its first in-person open house in Downtown Pittsburgh to gather public feedback on its developing Climate Action Plan. The plan aims to significantly reduce emissions across the county over the next two decades and attracted approximately 70 residents.
Phoebe Shackeroff Reese, a volunteer with the Climate Reality Project Pittsburgh, voiced concerns that the plan might not adequately address industrial emissions, specifically citing proposed data center developments in Springdale. She questioned the county's ability to meet climate goals amidst ongoing fossil fuel expansion and, along with her organization, delivered a petition signed by about 1,000 people to Brittany Prischak, director of the Department of Sustainability. The petition advocates for increased investment in clean, affordable renewable energy.
Prischak acknowledged residents' significant concerns regarding environmental justice, attributing them to historical government decisions and the region's industrial legacy, which have disproportionately burdened certain communities. She stated the county is drafting an acknowledgment statement to address past harms and aims to use the Climate Action Plan to reduce existing inequities while preventing future burdens on vulnerable populations.
The draft Climate Action Plan encompasses seven sectors, 29 strategies, and over 180 proposed actions. Chris Cieslak, COO of the Green Building Alliance, described the proposed plans as ambitious yet pragmatic. A draft greenhouse gas inventory indicated that Allegheny County generated approximately 21.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in 2024. The county plans further public input through virtual meetings and community events in the coming months.