GOP's Garrity faults Shapiro's stance on data centers, stresses local control
Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity criticizes Gov. Josh Shapiro's approach to data center development in Pennsylvania, emphasizing the need for local control and the ability for communities to pause development. Shapiro's administration has proposed the GRID standards, offering tax exemptions for developers who meet community and environmental targets. The debate highlights concerns over noise, water consumption, and strain on local utilities.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity has publicly criticized Governor Josh Shapiro's stance on data center development in Pennsylvania, asserting that Shapiro's policies are misdirected. During a discussion in Cranberry Township with local leaders from Butler County and surrounding areas, Garrity advocated for strong local control over development decisions. She argued that communities should have the authority to set their own rules and implement development pauses for as long as needed to address concerns from all stakeholders, contrasting this with Shapiro's perceived rush to embrace data centers.
Garrity specifically highlighted community concerns about noise pollution, water consumption, and the strain on local utilities. She connected Shapiro's budget pledge to make Pennsylvania a leader in artificial intelligence (AI), which relies heavily on data centers, to a larger political ambition. Garrity also characterized a state sales-tax exemption for computer equipment—a subsidy aimed at attracting Amazon's $20 billion data center investment—as an attempt by Shapiro to curry favor with Amazon owner Jeff Bezos. This critique comes despite Garrity herself having praised Amazon's data center investments a year prior.
Shapiro's campaign spokesman, Manuel Bonder, countered Garrity's claims, stating her record shows support for unregulated data center development. Meanwhile, Shapiro's administration has introduced the Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) standards, a policy initiative offering sales tax exemptions to developers who commit to meeting specific community, environmental, and job-creation targets, such as generating their own power and utilizing water-recycling systems. Garrity, however, dismissed these voluntary standards as an unwelcome state overreach into local decision-making. Local officials, including Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche and Connoquenessing Borough Mayor Deborah Williamson, expressed varied perspectives on data centers, from questioning their long-term economic impact to emphasizing the importance of remaining competitive in the AI sector.