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54 The Authority │ April properly investigate the plans for data centers. “Who has control about the information of these projects is really key,” Muth said. “These decisions are being made in vacuums.” Leadership on data centers Party leaders largely support building more data centers, citing the potential to create jobs and bring private investment into the state. State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) said he wants to see the “responsible growth of data centers,” though he hasn’t been specific about what type of legislation he would support. “To me, the biggest concern is data centers coming online without commensurate supply,” Pittman said at a news conference last November. “At the end of the day, these data centers are coming. It's the reality of technology. We've got to be prepared to match the supply [of energy.]” Democrats who control the state House didn’t commit to backing specific data center legislation when asked by Spotlight PA. A spokesperson said lawmakers “must take a balanced, responsible approach to data centers” and the caucus is exploring legislative solutions that “provide reasonable oversight, protect energy and natural resources, and help keep utility costs affordable for consumers.” Shapiro has thrown his support behind data centers, celebrating a planned $20 billion investment from Amazon Web Services for the buildout of two in eastern Pennsylvania last summer. “I announced the largest private sector investment in the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania just a few months ago, right here in northeastern Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said last October. “A deal with AWS, Amazon, that's going to create 10,000 construction jobs, and it's also, at the same time going to create over 1,000 permanent jobs.” Shapiro has also said he views AI development as inevitable. The question, he says, is whether the U.S. will be able to outpace China. “I do not want China to beat America in this,” he said at a news conference last August. “There are just less than a handful of states in the entire country that are poised the way we are to be leaders on this data center development, leaders on AI development … and I believe Pennsylvania is poised to do that.” When asked about resident concerns regarding data center deals, Shapiro said in October that “with any of these deals, you’ve got to work with the local community.” In Chester County, the fight over data centers continues to play out. Pennhurst Holdings LLC, the company that owns the land where the data center is slated to be built, is currently applying for conditional use permitting — wherein a local government can approve land use that is not explicitly permitted under its zoning code — from the township. This comes after township supervisors declined to vote on a proposed ordinance that would create more restrictions over the planned data center. Matt McHugh, an attorney for the company, says that the hearings will address many of the public’s concerns over water and electricity usage, among other issues. “Ultimately, the township can impose conditions on an approval if they so choose, to which we would be obligated to adhere to as part of moving forward with the development,” McHugh told Spotlight PA. East Vincent Township’s supervisors have remained quiet on the issue. Messages from Spotlight PA to Township Manager Bob Zienkowski were not returned. “We have to keep an open mind,” said Township Supervisor Craig A. Damon II. “The board cannot prejudice itself for or against a data center.” And residents like Hacker have gotten involved, attending local zoning meetings and reaching out to local elected officials and state lawmakers. But Hacker worries his efforts won’t make a difference. He compared the spread of data centers to the rise of the oil and gas industry in the past decades. The oil and gas wells drilled were later revealed to be correlated with negative health impacts, like increased risk of cancer. “To let industry do whatever they want and deal with the consequences later, we should know better,” Photo credit: Commonwealth Media Services Many PA Residents article continued from page 27.