Pa. House Panel Advances Data Center Moratorium Bill
A Pennsylvania House committee unanimously advanced a bill, HB 2496, that would empower municipalities to impose a 180-day moratorium on data center applications. This pause would allow local governments to update zoning and land-use regulations to address concerns such as infrastructure demands, water consumption, and energy use. The legislation aims to provide local officials with essential planning tools to manage the rapid growth of the data center industry.
A Pennsylvania House committee has unanimously advanced House Bill 2496, legislation that would grant municipalities the authority to implement a temporary halt on data center proposals. Introduced by State Rep. Paul Friel, D-Chester, the bill would allow local governments to impose a 180-day pause on application reviews through a local resolution, giving them time to update zoning and land-use ordinances.
Supporters argue the bill addresses a gap in Pennsylvania's planning laws, as local officials are increasingly confronted with large-scale data center developments driven by AI and cloud computing. The current municipal curative amendment process is deemed too slow and can be circumvented by developers, leading to a "race to file" applications before new regulations can be established.
Legislators emphasized the need for communities to adequately assess the significant infrastructure and environmental impacts of data centers, including substantial water consumption, energy demand, and noise. State Reps. Kyle Mullins and Kyle Donahue, both D-Lackawanna, highlighted that municipalities should not be forced into rushed decisions on permanent land-use changes without sufficient time for evaluation.
House Bill 2496 is now set to proceed to the full House of Representatives for floor consideration, potentially as early as next week.