Amid concerns from communities across the country and calls for a moratorium in Philadelphia, Mayor Cherelle Parker signed an executive order to create a task force to establish guardrails for any potential data centers in the city. Parker initially announced on Monday, Sept. 14, that she had mob ilized the task force across the city’s Planning and Development, Sustainability, Public Health, the Water Department, Licenses and Inspections and Clean and Green departments over the summer. “This week, I will sign an Executive Order to formalize the Task Force,” Parker wrote on Monday. “By putting rigorous guardrails in place, we will ensure that any incoming tech infrastructure directly serves our vision of a safer, cleaner, and greener Philadelphia.” On Wednesday, Sept. 16, Parker officially signed the order, NBC10 confirmed. According to Parker, the task force’s mission is to “establish enforceable standards for data centers that protect our infrastructure, water supply, and local neighborhoods.” Data Centers nbc10 investigators Sep 14 Inside data centers: What massive projects mean for power, water and noise Artificial Intelligence Sep 3 EPA proposal could leave the public in the dark on data center plans Delaware Aug 26 Delaware governor signs legislation toughening restrictions on data centers Battleground Politics Aug 25 How will Gov. Shapiro's data center executive order work? Pennsylvania Aug 18 Gov. Josh Shapiro signs executive order placing guardrails on Pa. data centers Data centers are facilities used to house computer systems and serve as infrastructure for storing and processing information. They also support the global financial system, cloud services, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Rising electricity costs and a strain on electric grids fueled by the growth of the AI industry have led to significant backlash to proposed data centers from communities across the country, including towns and neighborhoods in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Other critics of data centers have expressed concerns about their environmental impact as well as AI’s potential threat to millions of jobs. On Aug. 18, 2026, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order which he said would place the strictest guardrails in the nation on data centers and developers. The order includes requirements for large data center projects to disclose projected water and energy use and pay for costs associated with connecting to the electric grid. In July, Philadelphia’s planning commission held an informational meeting in which they identified two potential locations – one on 3143 West Passyunk Avenue and the other on 2600 Grant Avenue – where a large data center could be built. Officials have said there are no plans to build a data center in Philadelphia at this time, however. In response to the meeting, concerned residents and groups have called for Philadelphia to issue a moratorium on data centers. Protesters held a “No Data Centers in Philly” rally outside City Hall early Monday afternoon, hours before Parker’s announcement on the task force. They urged City Council to pause potential data center development in Philadelphia and establish guardrails. Protesters gather for a “No Data Centers” rally outside Philadelphia’s City Hall on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. “Two potential data center sites have already been identified in Philly, but right now our city has no rules on how communities should be protected,” organizers wrote. “That’s a recipe for disaster. City Council can and must pass a moratorium and pause data center construction so leaders and Philadelphians can write strong guidelines to protect our health, affordability, and quality of life. We can’t let an industry that raises our PECO bills, pollutes air and water and powers surveillance expand without guardrails; that’s what will happen if Council doesn’t act.” Vincent Thompson, communications director for Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, issued a statement in response to the protest protest. “Philadelphia City Council members and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration continue discussions on the future of data centers in the city,” Thompson wrote on Monday. “At this time, no legislation or resolution has been introduced in City Council.” Parker then made her announcement on the data center task force a few hours later. During an interview with NBC10’s Lauren Mayk for her Battleground Politics podcast, Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton said that the state “wouldn’t be in a space for a moratorium” on data centers. She also mentioned potential legislation that would continue to place guardrails on data center development in Pennsylvania, however. NBC10 investigative reporter David Charns toured one of the largest data centers in the country to examine the questions driving the nationwide debate over how they’re impacting the environment and communities. You can read and watch his full report here. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less