Probst ties I-80 wetland loss to rising data center demands, introduces local protection bill

State Rep. Tarah Probst, representing Monroe and Pike counties in Pennsylvania, has introduced House Bill 2296 to ensure wetland mitigation remains local. The proposed legislation seeks to mandate that wetland restoration efforts occur within the same local watershed where environmental impacts take place, rather than allowing offsets in distant locations. Probst highlighted that current practices, such as PennDOT's plan to use a mitigation bank in Wayne County (60 miles away) for the I-80 Expansion Project, fail to protect local communities. She argues that replacing wetlands far from the affected area does not restore local water quality, flood control, or ecological benefits, equating it to "theft" of water protections from one community to another. The urgency of this issue is compounded by Pennsylvania's increasing demand for AI-driven infrastructure, including data centers. Probst noted that these facilities consume significant amounts of electricity and water, placing strain on local resources, while local wetlands, which naturally protect water systems, are being allowed to disappear or be offset remotely. The bill has been referred to the House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee.