Executive Order in PA

What does it take to win against incredible odds?

Pennsylvania’s community organizations show us that investing in local, rooted power makes the impossible possible. Just over a year ago, Governor Josh Shapiro was actively championing and fast-tracking new data centers, but our grantees mobilized a brilliant, multifaceted, and bipartisan statewide campaign that forced a complete reversal.

What started as a bimonthly call with the state climate equity table grew into a campaign that included local elected officials and out-of-state allies. The coalition has been tracking dozens of bills at the Capitol, crafting model local ordinances, and conducting one-on-one staff and volunteer trainings on high-stakes city developments.

The resulting pressure was relentless: hundreds of community members packed city council meetings throughout the state, advocates flooded the capitol for multiple lobby days and direct phone campaigns, and organizers introduced left-flank state legislation for the nation’s strongest moratorium—even taking a city to court for suppressing civic participation.

Last Tuesday, this groundswell culminated in a sweeping Executive Order from the Governor stripping data centers of their fast-track status. While our grantees rightly acknowledge this order doesn’t go far enough, their amazing work will continue to dictate the terms of this debate. By educating and empowering communities to demand that we deserve a say in the future we deserve, these grantees haven’t just won a policy shift; they have secured long-term consequences for the type of future that is possible in Pennsylvania.