What stance do the candidates for PA governor have on data centers?
CoreScale plans to build the $10.5 billion Highlands Data Center campus on the former Dauphin Highlands Golf Course in Swatara Township after purchasing the property from the Dauphin County General Authority. Residents oppose the project over concerns about electricity costs, environmental impacts and property values, while Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates Josh Shapiro and Stacy Garrity have backed new restrictions, with Garrity also supporting a development moratorium.
The Dauphin Highlands Golf Course in Swatara Township is set to close and be replaced in part by CoreScale's proposed $10.5 billion Highlands Data Center campus. The Texas-based developer bought the property from the Dauphin County General Authority for $45 million and offered a $120 million community benefits agreement, but local residents remain concerned about the effects on electricity rates, the environment and nearby property values. The project has no approved permits and construction has not begun.
The development has become a campaign issue in Pennsylvania's gubernatorial race. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro previously promoted Amazon's planned $20 billion investment in two eastern Pennsylvania data centers but later issued an executive order requiring developers to provide their own power and obtain municipal approval before state permits can be issued. Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity has supported similar requirements and proposed a temporary moratorium while stakeholders determine how to protect communities and ratepayers. Golf course members and other residents continue to oppose the loss of the longtime community gathering place.