Inside Josh Shapiro’s Attempt to Navigate the Data Center Backlash

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's administration is grappling with balancing the state's aggressive pursuit of data center investments with a growing public backlash. Internal emails reveal developers, like Brian O'Neill, expressing frustration over project appeals, citing Amazon's decision to pause projects until permitting certainty is achieved. O'Neill's own project in Conshohocken was blocked, and he advocated for requiring challengers of zoning decisions to post large bonds. The state has attracted significant investment, including Amazon's planned $20 billion in AI infrastructure. However, this boom has met widespread opposition across Pennsylvania, with 26 projects drawing public concern over water and energy consumption, noise, pollution, and lack of transparency. Citizen organizer Colby Wesner of Concerned Citizens of Montour County has used public records requests to expose secretive development practices and the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) by local officials with developers like Talen Energy and Amazon. Evidence suggests the Shapiro administration offered Amazon "exclusive early access" to a permitting fast-track program called SPEED, months before public access. This, alongside NDAs referenced in communications, highlights the administration's pro-business approach. The controversy further deepened with "Project Hazelnut" in Hazle Township, initially promoted by Shapiro but later revealed as a large data center campus, sparking local opposition that led to its rejection. Developer NorthPoint has since appealed the denial. In response to mounting anger, Governor Shapiro introduced "Responsible Infrastructure Development" (GRID) principles, aiming for developer accountability through transparency, environmental protection, and local employment. However, these principles are voluntary, and their formal outline has yet to be publicly released, raising questions about their true impact and the administration's commitment to community concerns.