19119_Authority_April_2026

26 The Authority │ April M any P ennsylvania R esidents D on ’ t W ant D ata C enters in their C ommunities . S tate L eaders are W elcoming T hem By Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA HARRISBURG — January 15, 2026 — Steve Hacker’s well ran dry in October 2024 for the first time since he moved to Chester County in 1983. Hacker, now retired and working part- time at the local Colonial Theatre, says he went 39 days without running water in his house. He showered at his workplace or the local YMCA during that time. The well ran dry due to a drought, Hacker said, but he’s worried that it’s a sign of things to come. Hacker’s township of East Vincent is considering plans to build a data center campus, which would house computer servers and equipment. These facilities require huge amounts of energy and millions of gallons of clean water annually to cool their servers. “They want to pull millions of gallons [of water] out — I don’t see how that can work,” Hacker told Spotlight PA. “Who is responsible if all the wells in my town dry out? Who’s going to compensate us?” Pennsylvania residents across the state, from Allegheny to Lackawanna Counties, have expressed concerns about planned data centers and their impacts on energy prices, water usage, and pollution. In a recent poll, 42% of Pennsylvanians said they do not want one built in or near their community. Yet many state and local lawmakers — even skeptics — have accepted the proliferation of data centers in Pennsylvania as a fact of life. “I've had people tell me, ‘Well, just let's bar them. We'll prohibit them,’” state Senator Gene Yaw (R., Lycoming) told Spotlight PA. “Then let's go to the library and burn all the books too while we're at it.” Companies such as Amazon Web Services and Blackstone have announced tens of billions of dollars in private investments to build data centers across the state. Legislative supporters say the projects will create thousands of temporary construction jobs and hundreds of permanent ones, attract more workers to the state, and enable the U.S. to compete with China in technological development. Even lawmakers who are concerned about the spread of data centers say that the number is likely to increase, and that the legislature should create regulatory bodies or economic incentives for developers to prioritize environmental safety. Hacker wants to see elected officials push back against data centers but fears that most, from township supervisors to Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, are “gung-ho” on the prospect of private investment. “They want to go full speed ahead. But I want them to slow down,” Hacker said. “That’s the number one thing I want from the state government: I want to slow down. I would want a moratorium on building these things.” What’s on the table? State lawmakers have offered a range of proposals regarding data centers, including making them easier to build and adding checks. Some legislation focuses on speeding up the permitting process, which often requires government permission to excavate and dig under land, manage stormwater drainage, mitigate air pollution, and begin construction. Two such bills, both from Republicans, would tie speedier permitting to a commitment “to improved environmental outcomes.” Other bills are aimed at ensuring that increased energy demand from data centers does not impact consumer energy costs and at creating a regulatory framework. A bill from state Representative Rob Matzie (D., Beaver) would allow the Public Utility Commission to regulate data centers, including implementing fees for building out transmission lines and deposits to begin construction. Other proposals would amend an existing tax exemption to incentivize data centers to use clean energy when powering their campuses or mandate that developers request a meeting with local officials, including zoning and planning officials. State Representative Elizabeth Fiedler (D., Philadelphia) chairs her chamber’s Energy Committee, which would likely consider many of these proposals before they became law. Fiedler told Spotlight PA that Matzie’s oversight bill, and a proposal to mandate data centers report energy and water usage to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, are among the measures she expects to review.