The midterm 2026 election that ushered in a Democratic-controlled Congress sent a strong message from voters on a number of topics and .one of them – AI and data centers – had already emerged as a potentially important political issue in a recent survey conducted by the Center for Energy and the Built Environment. The survey of 1,289 U.S. adults, conducted in August, found that AI and data center views could become a ballot-box issue in November. While the survey did not ask

As AI, automation and robotics continue to evolve, a new use for struggling malls and closed big box stores is emerging in the real estate market. The large spaces have the potential to be transformed into small-scale data centers that can bring computing power close to internet-connected, automated devices such as industrial equipment, medical devices, and self-driving cars, ensuring that data is sent and received instantaneously. The trend is just starting to gain notice as

How you heat your home and where you live will be big factors in how much you pay this winter for fuel, as the cost of certain energy sources is falling while others are rising. The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released its Short-Term Energy Outlook and Winter Fuels Outlook, both of which found that homes using heating oil will see a big jump and those with electric heat also will see an increase, while those using natural gas and propane will see decreased

EQT will acquire Range Resources in a deal that is valued at more than $50 billion, its CEOs announced in a joint press release. The move will combine two of the largest operators in the Appalachian natural gas basin into one powerhouse that expects to grow the business further. EQT will merge with Range in an all-stock deal that has already been approved by both companies’ boards of directors. Range shareholders will receive .987 shares of EQT stock with EQT shareholders exp

Southwestern Pennsylvania residents will have the opportunity to voice their opinions on a proposed 107-mile, high-voltage electric transmission line that will carry power from this region through Western Maryland and Northern West Virginia to provide more power to Virginia. The state Public Utility Commission scheduled four public hearings in November in Fayette and Greene County on the siting plan for the proposed MidAtlantic Resiliency Link (MARL). The 500-kilovolt line pr

An overflow audience engaged in in-depth discussion about the Pittsburgh region’s growth, strategies for continuing to attract new businesses, and the challenges and opportunities that data center development presents at the Oct. 20 “New Horizons” conference presented by the W&J Center for Energy and the Built Environment. Experts in economic development, construction, real estate, energy and law talked about how the development of data center projects is being accomplished,

A massive, $13 billion power plant complex will be built along the Monongahela River in Fayette County, the developer recently announced. NextEra Energy Resources announced the location for the complex on 700 acres in Luzerne Township that will include three combined-cycle natural gas plants that will each produce 1.25 gigawatts of electricity. The power will be fed into the regional grid operated by PJM Interconnection through existing transmission lines. It will be built in

Gov. Josh Shapiro's Executive Order 2026-05, signed Aug. 18, requires data center developers to obtain municipal and county land use approval before the Department of Environmental Protection will issue their permits. The order covers projects with peak demand above 25 megawatts. Because it attaches to the filing rather than to the development itself, projects already holding some DEP permits may find later applications subject to the new process. Developers who sign a legall

Almost half of U.S. public school buildings are 46 years old or older, and billions in investment is needed to address the looming crisis, an expert explained during the Center for Energy and the Built Environment’s recent webinar. "Built to Last? Understanding America's School Building Crisis" brought together three presenters who are studying the issue of deteriorating school buildings and developing suggestions for possible solutions. Mary Filardo, Executive Director of th

The average cost of electricity in Pennsylvania has risen 14.6% over the past year, a new report from the state Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) found, driven by rapidly rising demand that is raising the cost of wholesale power. The report uses the most recent “price to compare” calculated in June for each electric utility for default electric service to help residential customers shop for the best rate for power suppliers. The PTC includes only generation and transmission cos

The region’s transportation infrastructure will see billions in upgrades over the coming years as part of a 25-year SmartMoves long-term investment plan. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) recently announced the transportation improvement plan (TIP) for years 2027-2030 which identifies the projects in a 10-county region that will receive federal, state, and municipal funding that is prioritized based on their condition, safety, and economic development considerati

The Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy and the Built Environment will host a free August 12 webinar on the state of America's K-12 school buildings as part of its Energy Lecture Series. "Built to Last? Understanding America's School Building Crisis" will be presented at 11 a.m. Wednesday, August 12. The webinar brings together three presenters who approach the same set of questions from different vantage points. Mary Filardo, Executive Director of the 21st Centu

Impact fees on natural gas drilling are increasing by 48% in 2025 to the highest amount since 2022, largely due to higher prices that raised the fee imposed on each well. The Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office and the Public Utility Commission recently reported that the state collected $243.9 million for 2025 from unconventional well drilling, an increase of $79.3 million from 2024’s $164.6 million. The total is higher than an IFO estimate released late last year. The inc

Pennsylvania municipal officials and economic development and planning specialists have a new resource to help them navigate the process of planning for future data center development in their communities. In conjunction with the recent release of the Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) initiative establishing standards for data centers to receive support from the commonwealth, the administration also announced a new local government toolkit to help munic

Requirements for Pennsylvania data center developers seeking state support, faster permitting, and access to tax incentives were recently unveiled by Gov. Josh Shapiro. The Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) Standards were initially proposed as part of Shapiro’s 2026-27 budget outline, and the recently released standards provide details of that plan. The GRID standards establish best practices that data centers must comply with to receive support from st

Municipalities across Pennsylvania are being urged to put in place an ordinance regulating data center development as the number of projects being announced continues to accelerate. Data centers are large warehouse-like buildings that house networked computers, storage systems, and computing infrastructure used to store, process, and distribute massive amounts of data. These energy-intensive centers operate 24/7 to support cloud services, AI, internet traffic, and online appl

A new review article in Oxford Open Energy by Dr. Corey Young, executive director of the Center for Energy and the Built Environment at Washington & Jefferson College, makes the argument data centers are critical infrastructure, and should be governed that way. The paper, titled “Clouds on the horizon: an integrative review of data centers and local governance in the United States,” synthesizes sprawling literature on various aspects of data center development, including ener

Walkable neighborhoods are often seen as desirable places to live, offering the convenience of strolling to a nearby grocery store, restaurant, or park while keeping auto traffic to a minimum. Not only do walkable neighborhoods help reduce carbon emissions, they also offer health benefits for residents. One concept for walkable neighborhoods is the “15-minute city.” This is an urban planning model where everything residents need in their daily life can be accessed within a 15

A $1.7 billion high-voltage power line project to help the regional electric grid improve reliability and meet rising power demand in other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region is planned to be built through 10 Western and Central Pennsylvania counties. The Kammer-Juniata Project is a 765-kilovolt (kV) line that will span 220 miles from the Kammer substation in northern West Virginia, through Greene, Fayette, and eight other counties to the Juniata substation in Perry County. It

Residential electric customers are increasingly being drawn to easy-to-install portable solar panels that simply plug into an electrical outlet and provide enough energy to shave some money off their rising utility bills. Also known as plug-in solar panels or balcony solar, the panels are a low-cost option that is available to renters and homeowners when a traditional residential rooftop solar system is not an option. The panels, which can be placed on a balcony, outside a wi