Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania (PSR PA) is pleased to announce the creation of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), a multidisciplinary group of scientists, researchers, clinicians, and technical experts who will provide independent guidance to strengthen the scientific foundation of our work. PSR PA works to protect the health of communities across Pennsylvania by advancing socially and environmentally just policies. As environmental health challenges grow

Something strange is happening on Pennsylvania’s playing fields: The smell of freshly cut grass and damp earth is being replaced by the odor of petroleum and repurposed rubber. In urban areas, herbaceous fields are being traded for a groundcovering that fosters neither pollinating life, microbial colonies, nor imagination. The cool ground once suited for enjoying sunny days is being replaced by a mat of potentially scalding hot plastic  that deters city kids from exploring it

In the past year, Pennsylvania has quickly become a hotspot for large-scale data centers. While these projects bring economic development opportunities, they also raise serious questions about electricity demand, grid reliability, consumer costs, water use, air quality, and community impacts. As policymakers consider legislation addressing large energy users and data center development, it’s critical that we strike the right balance: welcoming innovation while protecting rate

Beneath Pennsylvania’s forests lie a living infrastructure most of us never see: mycelium—threadlike fungal filaments that lace through soil—and the mycorrhizal networks they form with roots. In a healthy woodland, this underground web moves water and nutrients, trading minerals for sugar and quietly increasing the odds that young trees survive beneath the canopy. At the center often stands an elder: the “mother tree.” Because it captures more sunlight, this tree produces mor

FLIR video of the event is available here (Pittsburgh) A highly concerning flaring event took place on February 17, 2026 at the Shell Cracker Plant (Shell Polymers Monaca) Potter Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania.  The flaring event was observed by two staff members of Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania (PSR PA). A PSR PA staff member recorded FLIR video of the incident. PSR PA has submitted an incident report to the state Department of Environmental Protec

Call on your legislators to support a stateside moratorium on data center development! Tell them to support Sen. Katie Muth’s proposed three year moratorium: buff.ly/Zws4yDg   Is there a data center near you? Check out this data center tracker . Data Center Fact Sheet Across the state, we have been hearing about up and coming proposals for new data centers and additional oil & gas infrastructure related to powering these projects. Both tech and petrochemical industries claim

Have you ever walked a forest trail? You see the typical sights, rustling leaves, birds, deer, and a creek. Imagine that same forest with the constant drone of cars nearby. You might still see nature, but the sound and experience of that walk through the woods would be different. Sound is more than background noise for birds, bats, frogs, owls, and countless other animals. They use it to find mates, locate danger, hunt prey, or avoid predators. As road noise spreads, the vita

Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania is celebrating that Philadelphia’s HOME Initiative is moving forward with legislation ensuring that families with the greatest need will receive the greatest assistance! Alongside many other organizations, we pushed for the first installation of Philadelphia mayor’s $800 million injection into housing preservation and new building to maximize funding for the Basic Systems Repair Program and the Built To Last program, and ensur

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house Not a surface was untouched by PFAS, not even the couch Stockings were hung by the fireplace with care But microplastics shed so easily from there The gifts stacked high were tenderly wrapped Though compounds that made them shimmer can never be put back And while the merriment made a heartwarming sight These disposable traditions create the planet’s next blight While we may love a scene that sparkles and shines A great

On a recent fall morning I stepped out on my porch, coffee in hand, expecting the smell of fall leaves and spruce that usually imbues my rural community only to be met with something entirely different - the overwhelming smell of chlorine .  Running through the possibilities of what this could be, my eyes drifted up to the fracking pad above my home.   It can be hard to trust our nose. Afterall, we decided long ago  that our olfactory senses are inferior to those of our house

Physicians, environmental health experts, and community residents filled Chester City Hall today, voicing deep concern about Pennsylvania’s proposed investment in oil and natural gas and its implications for community well-being. Penn America has proposed a $6.7 billion Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Export Terminal in Chester  or adjacent locations on the Delaware river. The company, led by CEO and public figure Franc James, who has no discernible experience in energy or constr

The Cove Point LNG (liquified natural gas) facility in Lusby, Maryland is the first LNG export facility on the US East Coast. It is located in a beautiful coastal area near the Cove Point Lighthouse. The plant has been touted as a “model facility” by those hoping to install a similar, yet larger, operation on the Delaware River in PA. Two PSR PA staff members visited the area recently. What they discovered was a huge, yet hidden industrial campus with gigantic LNG holding tan

More than 2 years after they were released, Gov. Shapiro still has not acknowledged the alarming results of the 3 health studies from the University of Pittsburgh and his Department of Health. Those studies showed that young Pennsylvanians had 5-7 times increased risk of developing lymphoma if they lived up to one mile from a fracked gas well, and dangerous birth outcomes and severe asthma attacks up to 10 miles away. Other public health studies done by other researchers in P

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Across the state, we have been hearing about up and coming proposals for new data centers and additional oil & gas infrastructure related...

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Recently, Rep. Mandy Steele, vice chair of the PA House Energy Committee spoke out in defense of PA House Bill 502. The bill purports to...