PA Green Groups Appeal DEP Permit for Homer City Gas-Fired Power
In April, Knighthead Capital Management, Homer City Redevelopment (HCR), and Kiewit Power Constructors Co. announced a plan to convert the former Homer City Generating Station, previously the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania (Indiana County, 50 miles east of Pittsburgh) into a more than 3,200-acre natural gas-powered data center campus, designed to meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (see Largest Gas-Fired Power Plant in the U.S. Coming in Western Pa.). The new gas-fired plant attached to the project will be THE LARGEST gas-fired power plant in the country, capable of producing up to 4.5 gigawatts (4,500 MW) of electricity. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently approved an air quality plan for the new facility (see PA DEP Signals Air Plan Approval for $10B Homer City Power Plant). PA radicalized green groups have officially appealed the DEP’s permit approval. Read More “PA Green Groups Appeal DEP Permit for Homer City Gas-Fired Power”
Ohio already has 217 data centers with more on the way. Data centers are warehouses filled with computer equipment that generates a lot of heat. To cool down the computers, data centers use massive amounts of water. If data centers want to get rid of that water after it’s been used, they have to apply for a permit called the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) through the Ohio EPA. Currently, data centers must apply for an individual NPDES permit, which is detailed and unique to their operations. The OEPA is looking to streamline the process to make it faster and easier. That’s a good thing. 
MDN was among the first to tell readers that so-called environmental groups were quickly morphing from anti-fracking to anti-data center. Over the past several months, we’ve observed in various posts how opposition to data centers (from the same people who oppose fracking and shale energy) has gone from local and regional anti groups (see 
In early April, MDN brought you the exciting news that pipeline giant Williams, via its newly-minted subsidiary, Will-Power, is planning to build two Utica/Marcellus gas-fired power plants in the New Albany International Business Park in Licking County, Ohio, near Columbus, to power a massive new Meta (Facebook) data center complex (see 
Earlier this year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and PJM Interconnection, the country’s largest electric grid operator (covering PA, WV, and OH, among other states), began to grapple with the issue of co-locating power plants with data centers (see 
U.S. natural gas production and demand reached record highs in 2025, with the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projecting continued growth in output and LNG exports through 2026. Driven by surging international demand in Europe and Asia, the U.S. has become the world’s largest LNG exporter. This natural gas resurgence is bolstered by the Trump administration’s support and significant investments from major energy firms prioritizing gas as a so-called transition fuel (it’s actually a destination fuel). Consequently, U.S. natural gas pipeline capacity is set for its biggest one-year expansion since 2008. Surging demand from LNG exporters, data centers, and manufacturing is driving a $50 billion investment boom. 
Democrats in Virginia are experiencing political ecstasy at the prospect of reversing four years of common-sense energy policies under outgoing Governor Glenn Youngkin. Gov. Youngkin removed the state from the odious Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax scheme. Incoming Gov. Abigail Spanberger has pledged to re-enroll the state in the program. Youngkin vetoed bills that would have favored unreliable renewable energy. Now, the Dems will not only have Spanberger as Governor, but hardened leftist Ghazala Hashmi as Lt. Governor, and a strong majority in both chambers of the legislature. They are already planning to reintroduce bills favoring renewables and blocking new data centers. It’s a crying shame what Virginia has done in electing these radicals to lead it. 
A new RBN article takes a stab at distinguishing between the hype of future data center power demand and the reality of current grid consumption. Despite projections of massive energy usage, verifying actual draw is difficult due to utility confidentiality and behind-the-meter generation. RBN’s analysis reveals that today’s largest consumers are long-established campuses rather than new builds; specifically, Google’s Council Bluffs and Microsoft’s Quincy facilities top the list with estimated loads of 500–600 MW. The article concludes that because substantial capacity takes over a decade to scale, the market should remain skeptical of new facilities claiming immediate, massive power consumption. 
The rapid expansion of data centers, driven by AI and cloud computing, is creating a surge in energy demand that exceeds renewable capabilities, forcing a shift toward natural gas. Good news for the Marcellus/Utica. However, building new pipelines to handle the extra gas needed is not an overnight process. Industry experts at the recent LDC Gas Forums’ Nat Gas to Power event proposed an ingenious solution that uses existing pipelines to move more gas to new data center customers. 
A commentator writing for Reuters warns that soaring U.S. natural gas prices and falling global values are squeezing profit margins for American LNG exporters, threatening future exports. The narrowing price gap between U.S. and European markets, driven by high domestic demand and global oversupply, has reached its lowest point since 2021. The prognosticator postulates that while immediate production cuts are unlikely, a surge in new global capacity by 2027 could force reductions in U.S. LNG exports. Furthermore, rising domestic prices pose a political challenge for President Trump, as his promise to lower consumer energy costs conflicts with market tightening driven by increased LNG exports and energy-intensive data centers. 
There have been a number of new reports recently released predicting how new AI data center projects will affect (a) demand for electric power, and (b) demand for natural gas to generate that power. We spotted what at first glance appears to be contradictory predictions in two new reports issued this week. On Monday, BloombergNEF (the research arm of Bloomberg) issued a report predicting data center power demand will hit 106 gigawatts (GW) by 2035, a 36% jump from its previous outlook. Two days later, Enverus Intelligence® Research (EIR), a subsidiary of Enverus, issued a report that predicts 30 GW of new U.S. data center capacity will be needed over the next five years (by 2030)—significantly below the 50 GW forecasted by major grid operators. One report is wildly optimistic, the other pessimistic. What gives? 
Pennsylvania and Ohio should be looking over their shoulders regarding new data centers and their decisions on where to locate them. West Virginia is making serious efforts to be THE destination for new AI data centers to locate in the Marcellus/Utica region. The West Virginia Office of Energy’s recent summit highlighted the state’s unique position to power the booming AI and data center sectors through its vast natural gas reserves. Like PA and OH, WV’s homegrown natural gas offers a reliable, cost-effective, and flexible solution for necessary baseload power. What’s beginning to set WV apart from its neighbors is legislation that explicitly targets data centers. 
Continuing on our data center theme, a new article by MDN friend Gordon Tomb, a senior fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation, makes the case that Pennsylvania needs more energy and sensible regulation to lure data centers. There is a stark contrast to what PA legislators are offering. On the Republican side, legislators are offering a bill that would expedite permits for data center projects that meet or exceed federal standards (see 
We have to (immodestly) say that we spotted the environmental left’s opposition to AI data centers a mile away. We were the first to alert you to PA green groups lining up to oppose data centers based on an irrational hatred of the fossil energy that powers them (see