Rachel McDevitt is a general assignment reporter with 90.5 WESA. She previously covered energy, the environment, and climate change as part of the StateImpact Pennsylvania project at WITF in Harrisburg.

Rachel McDevitt

A house with an industrial facility across the street.

Residents urge Allegheny County to reject Springdale data center based on noise, pollution

Rachel McDevitt·October 16, 2026

One resident said that the community dealt with air pollution and dust from the former coal-fired power plant on the site. “Don't you think we've suffered enough? Give us a break.”

Federal energy officials praise Duquesne Light efforts to make electric grid more resilient

Rachel McDevitt·September 17, 2026

Duquesne Light Company is preparing to install tens of thousands of smart meters to help identify problems that can lead to outages.

Economy Energy Latest Stories

Decades After Flight 93 Crashed, the Living Memorial Faces Both Old and New Threats

Rachel McDevitt·September 11, 2026

The memorial’s designers set out to restore life at the site, and provide a space for healing and reflection in nature. But maintaining that vision is proving to be a challenge.

Conservation Culture Latest Stories

Energy bills driven by data centers threaten Pa. small businesses, report says

Rachel McDevitt·September 3, 2026

Small businesses may end up subsidizing mammoth tech companies’ AI data centers, according to a report from the Pennsylvania Sustainable Business Network.

Climate Change Economy Energy Latest Stories

Gov. Shapiro wants data centers to bring their own power. What’s that mean for prices and pollution?

Rachel McDevitt·August 26, 2026

Environmental advocates and energy analysts are calling on the General Assembly to do more to regulate data centers.

Climate Change Economy Energy Latest Stories Pollution

Policy playbook urges Pa. lawmakers look to renewables, not fossil fuels, for energy affordability

Rachel McDevitt·August 19, 2026

The playbook calls for legalizing community solar, which are neighborhood-scale solar arrays that people nearby can subscribe to directly.

Climate Change Energy Latest Stories

A woman in black and a woman in white pants stand on the riverfron reading a statement

Pittsburgh-area rivers and streams see routine E. coli contamination, report finds

Rachel McDevitt·August 13, 2026

Statewide, more than half of 653 waterway sites tested had at least one day with potentially unsafe levels of the bacteria last year.

Pa. environmental groups turn to crowdfunding to challenge Homer City data center project

Rachel McDevitt·July 21, 2026

The gas-fired power plant that would power the data center could be the biggest in the country, emitting as much pollution as all the cars on Pennsylvania’s roads.

Climate Change Economy Energy Latest Stories

A long two-story building with a series of large windows with a roof with slanted sections with solar panels on top.

Hill District energy tech hub puts ‘lazy roof’ to work with new solar array

Rachel McDevitt·May 1, 2026

The power generated by the panels will be worth $50,000 annually over the next 25 years, and help guard against future electricity price increases.

Climate Change Energy Latest Stories

Two people stand, with their backs to the camera, looking down a hill at a wooded area.

Pittsburgh-area conservation projects get grants to help wildlife, climate

Rachel McDevitt·April 27, 2026

A New York-based conservation group is funding projects to preserve green space in the Pittsburgh area, as part of an effort to protect the Appalachian corridor.

Climate Change Conservation Latest Stories Recreation

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