Overview:

Data centers pose unique challenges to every level of government here in Pennsylvania—from poor siting and local air and noise pollution, to high water usage and grid-scale power impacts. While every new industry brings new concerns, data center facilities are unconstrained by traditional economic factors and can be built at a speed that cannot be matched by decisionmakers.

While PennFuture is working at the local, regional, and statewide level to address these impacts, the basic fact remains that our current laws are ill-equipped to protect Pennsylvanians.

Therefore, PennFuture has called for a statewide moratorium —or pause— on data center development until state lawmakers can adopt strict policies that ensure data centers are sited properly, have regulated water usage, and bring their own clean energy. It’s critical that Pennsylvania sets guardrails in place before a surge of data centers are built so that our electricity grid can be maintained, ratepayer impacts are constrained, and our air, water, and climate pollution problems don’t get worse.

But there is good news! Some state legislators have put forward several bills in response to the needs of municipalities to protect communities and to the concerns regarding energy prices and resource consumption. This blog will analyze data center bills we’ve engaged with, evaluating whether it aligns with our four Data Center Principles.