Tony Dastra Campaign for
Governor of Pennsylvania
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT
Chris Robinson, 267-977-0570 and
[email protected]
Green Party Candidate says, “No AI Data Centers”
On July 9, a Green Party of Pennsylvania candidate for office expressed animus against artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Tony Dastra, the Green Party candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, said, “We have to stop AI data centers because they threaten our lives, natural resources, and our constitutional rights as Pennsylvanians.”
Tony Dastra was referring to Josh Shapiro’s announcement during May 2026 of his Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) Standards. Shapiro is running for re-election, and his GRID Standards will allow corporations to fast track approval of proposed AI data centers. Those which are approved will then avoid state sales tax and will participate in preferential property tax zones. This is projected to cost our Commonwealth more than $2 billion in lost tax revenue.
The Green Party candidate said he was influenced by a study by the Earth Observation group at Cambridge University. “Looking at AI data centers around the world,” said Dastra, “researchers found that following the construction of major AI installations, the surface temperature of the Earth increased up to 16 percent. The long-term environmental effects of AI heat islands is unknown, and so air cooling cannot be viewed as a safe alternative to water cooling.”
“We agree with citizens across our Commonwealth who are now organizing to oppose mammoth AI data centers,” said Dastra. “Some of them are being sited in wilderness and agricultural areas, and all of them require massive amounts of water and energy. I am opposed to cutting back our renewable energy and energy independence goals to power new AI data centers. As your next Governor, I will stop all new development and work to remove unwanted AI data centers which have already opened.”
Dastra also gave a legal explanation for his stand, “Conservation is not only in line with the Green Party Platform, but also with the Constitution of Pennsylvania, Article 1, Section 27. Therefore, the Green Party calls for a halt to the destruction of habitats and the unbounded consumption of resources, which are being sacrificed for big tech greed. The State government has a constitutional responsibility as trustee of the scenic and natural beauty of our Commonwealth. Allowing these massive projects unregulated is destroying both the habitability of urban areas and the quiet beauty of the Pennsylvania Wilds.”
Erin King, chair of the Tony Dastra Campaign for Governor of Pennsylvania, had a slightly different point of view. “I think that the GRID Proposal ignores science. If allowed to continue, it will harm the long-term health of citizens living near AI data centers." King, a member of the Green Party of Centre County, continued, “Recent research into their health effects in Virginia’s Data Center Alley, the world’s largest concentrated data centers, shows harmful results. The study’s authors found that AI data centers harm resident’s health due to ‘air pollution, extensive water use, noise pollution, and detrimental land use’s risk of disrupting natural ecosystems and community well-being.’ This is why I am working to get Tony Dastra elected, and it is why I support my neighbors who are fighting to stop AI data centers where they live.”
Tony Dastra is currently gathering voters' signatures on nomination papers. Please contact the Dastra Campaign to Say “No” to AI Data Centers. .
Dastra-Bolton Campaign Contact Information
Website, https://www.dastraforpa.org/
Email, [email protected]
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/dastraforpa/
Facebook, www.facebook.com/DastraforPA
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