Middlesex supervisors expected to vote on approval of data center in wake of Shapiro executive order

Middlesex Township supervisors in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, are set to vote on the final approval for a data center project that is already under construction. The meeting, moved to a larger venue at Middlesex Elementary School due to anticipated attendance, is expected to be contentious as neighbors express worries about aesthetics, noise, power, and water consumption.

This vote comes shortly after Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued an executive order that effectively pauses future data center development in the state. The Shapiro administration has stated that under these new requirements, only five data centers across Pennsylvania currently meet the criteria to proceed, one of which is a development on the outskirts of Lancaster City. The Middlesex project is reportedly not among those permitted under the new order.

Despite preliminary approval, the developer is actively proceeding with construction, leading to uncertainty about the outcome of the final approval vote. A representative from a Houston-area data developer, who claims their company proactively addresses power concerns, commented on the broader trend of community pushback and regulatory pauses in states like New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.