Can state lawmakers control the data center boom in Southwestern Pennsylvania?
Technical.ly examines how Pennsylvania legislative candidates in Southwestern Pennsylvania would address data center development, including permitting, electricity costs, water use, zoning and environmental safeguards. Candidates have proposed or supported moratoriums, application pauses and cost-allocation rules, but the article notes that individual lawmakers cannot approve or block projects on their own.
Candidates seeking legislative office in Southwestern Pennsylvania have made data center development a campaign issue amid community concerns about noise, water consumption, environmental impacts and rising electricity costs. Sen. Camera Bartolotta supports legislation that could speed permitting for projects meeting federal environmental standards, while several opponents and other candidates, including Jodi Borello, Rebecca MacTaggart and Lois Bower-Bjornson, have called for lengthy state moratoriums or stronger restrictions.
The article explains that lawmakers can introduce legislation but cannot unilaterally approve or reject a data center. Local governments retain significant authority over land use, zoning, setbacks and community benefits, while the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission regulates utility rates and the Department of Environmental Protection oversees environmental requirements. Gov. Josh Shapiro's executive order includes water reporting and cost-recovery requirements for participating developers, though no developer had signed onto the related GRID standards at the time of publication.
Candidates also differ over whether municipalities should be allowed to pause applications, whether data centers should receive tax exemptions, and how developers should pay for grid upgrades and other project-related costs. Experts cited in the guide said state and local officials have tools to regulate development, but face legal and practical limits on imposing outright bans or controlling the interstate power market managed by PJM Interconnection.