Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania

08/20/2026

Shapiro’s Executive Order on Data Centers Doesn’t Go Far Enough - "While, some of the points in Governor Shapiro’s executive order are a step in the right direction, the majority misses what communities across the commonwealth are calling for – sensible solutions to protect their communities from the onslaught of data centers and a moratorium to pause all development until data, policies, and overall economics can catch up. We believe that in order to best protect Pennsylvanians, a moratorium should be put into place now," - Tonyehn Verkitus, Executive Director of PSR PA

👉 READ our full response to Governor Shapiro's EO here: https://www.psrpa.org/post/shapiro-s-executive-order-on-data-centers-doesn-t-go-far-enough

08/18/2026

What can nurses do about toxic chemicals? Toxics 101, Communicating Effectively About the Science and Health Effects & Opportunities for Action.

This three hour workshop will serve as a primer for nurses, healthcare professionals and any clinician in understanding the connection between climate change and toxic chemicals, the current science of toxic chemicals, the potential health impacts of toxic chemicals, and how to communicate to patients, colleagues, communities and policymakers.

📅 Oct 13th
🕑️ 1-4:30 PM

Register here https://buff.ly/gYkZBXG

08/17/2026

🎨 PSR PA is excited to launch Protest as Play, a new creative series exploring how communities resist creatively, playfully, and defiantly in a time when our health, safety, and futures are contested. It questions what it means to imagine or enact liberation in the face of systems designed to exhaust or erase people and places, revealing what resilience looks like when it is rooted in community, memory, and the refusal to be silent.

Over the past few months, we commissioned five artists to create original works responding to this prompt. Their pieces form the foundation of a growing collection that will soon expand to a broader call for community submissions.

Visit https://www.psrpa.org/protestasplay for more information.

Over the past few months, we commissioned five artists to create original works responding to this prompt. Their pieces form the foundation of a growing collection that will soon expand to a broader call for community submissions.

08/15/2026

CHEJ Training Webinar: Data Centers 101 — What Communities Need to Know:
Data centers are expanding rapidly across the country, raising new questions about energy and water use, environmental impacts, land use, and community decision-making. Join Josephine Gingerich from Physicians for Social Responsibility PA, and Elissa Yoder from Halt the Harm Network for an introductory session on what residents need to know as this industry grows in their backyards.

Sign up for this webinar here: https://buff.ly/nY7FxPA

08/15/2026

Data centers and their related energy infrastructure can have a myriad of impacts on our health, from respiratory and cardiovascular health, to mental health, to our reproductive health.

Learn more about the public health risks of data centers at psrpa.org.

08/14/2026

Hmm, in one of the wealthiest parts of Bucks County, a jet fuel spill has contaminated the groundwater and infiltrated the wells in million dollar homes. The EPA says they don't do groundwater clean up and the PA Senate refuses to give such authority to PA DEP leaving the residents at the mercy of the pipeline company. I think you can see how this is going and their lawsuits simply show that no one is taking responsibility. I hope the residents come out and vote in November.

Caught between gaps in state and federal environmental law, and relaxed oversight under the Trump administration, a Bucks County township is frustrated.

08/13/2026

The increasing temperatures in Philadelphia are making it difficult for students to learn. The heat affects the students behavior, attendance, and attention, forcing students to learn remotely when the weather becomes too extreme. Philadelphia Gas Works questions if installing a geothermal system could be a solution for schools. .bond, PSR PA’s environment and health education director, follows PGW’s work and feels she’s glad it’s made progress, but that’s only one step. In a space that is supposed to be for learning, growth, and comfort, it is important these children aren't burdened with the hot climate as it grows more problematic over time.

Read ’s article for here:
https://buff.ly/MEfEET8

08/13/2026

Just who owns the mineral rights to drill oil and gas in PA? It is a huge legal fight that no one seems to know about but it is billions at stake. Read “Pa. has quietly passed a law undermining a court decision on lucrative mineral rights” from Spotlight PA

The $1B battle over mineral rights in Pennsylvania is 130 years in the making, and may only intensify.

08/07/2026

Philadelphians are prepared to fight potential data center development in their city.

Multiple organizations believe the Bellwether district could be home to a new data center. “I think we are purposely targeted, they put them in our areas because they feel as though we can do nothing.” says board president Sonya Sanders. As polluter industries take advantage of Black and Brown neighborhoods, communities have to pay with their health and cost of living. Groups like Philly Thrive and continue to educate the communities and lobby elected officials, such as Sen. Katie Muth's proposed three-year data center moratorium. With this action, DeMorra Hawkins, interim co-director of Philly Thrive, believes, “We can get ahead of this battle.”

Read more here:
https://gridphilly.com/blog-home/2026/08/01/philadelphians-fight-potential-data-centers-in-the-city/

“They can’t wait to build the data center,” says Shawmar Pitts, Thrive’s managing co-director. “You need a lot of room, and you need water. The Schuylkill is right there. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out what they are trying to do.”

08/05/2026

‼️PSR PA opposes House Bill 2651‼️
As Pennsylvania continues to expand renewable energy, it's important to ensure that progress doesn't come at the expense of local communities. We believe that the people who live in affected communities deserve a meaningful voice in decisions that shape their environment, health, and quality of life.

Read our full blog here:
https://www.psrpa.org/post/why-psr-pa-opposes-house-bill-2651