Lawsuit: Salem Twp. planners illegally advanced data center plan with lockout

Eight pro-se plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit against the Salem Township Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, alleging the planning commission illegally voted to advance plans for a third data center campus by preventing public entry to a July 23 meeting. The plaintiffs claim the commission violated the Sunshine Act, as over 200 people sought to attend but only about 140 were admitted, with many more relegated to an overflow room.

During the contested July 23 meeting, the planning board voted 2-1 to recommend that township supervisors approve an expansion of the data center overlay zone by approximately 4,466 acres to accommodate the "Salem 3 Data Center Campus." Landowners reportedly stand to gain $1.2 billion from a deal with an unnamed data center company. The plaintiffs, who include residents living near the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station nuclear power plant, have filed a motion to prevent the township supervisors from voting on the plan and are seeking legal assistance for an upcoming court hearing.

The township supervisors have scheduled a public hearing for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Berwick Assembly of God Church to gather public comment on a proposed ordinance to amend the zoning ordinance for the data center overlay district expansion. Following this, the supervisors are expected to meet at 6 p.m. to address the matter. Separately, in a related development, township supervisors had previously approved requests from QTS Data Centers on July 15 for a master plan and land consolidation for a data center campus, a decision that followed a dismissal of a similar lawsuit by Luzerne County Judge Richard M. Hughes III, which is now under appeal.