A call for Gov. Shapiro and state lawmakers to pass a data center moratorium in Pa.
Dozens of advocates rallied at the Pennsylvania Capitol to urge Gov. Josh Shapiro and state lawmakers to enact a three-year moratorium on new data center development. The administration defended recently adopted development standards and legislation requiring larger data centers to report energy and water use, while opponents cited environmental, health and community concerns.
More than 100 advocates gathered at the Pennsylvania Capitol to call for a statewide moratorium on new data center development. The rally, organized by the Better Path Coalition, included rural residents, health professionals, faith groups and immigrant-rights advocates who said the state needs time to assess the environmental, health, energy and water impacts of at least 100 proposed projects.
Speakers urged lawmakers to pass legislation sponsored by Sen. Katie Muth that would pause new development for three years. They criticized Gov. Josh Shapiro for initially supporting the industry, while Shapiro spokesperson Rosie Lapowsky said the governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development Standards are among the nation’s strictest and require developers to protect communities, cover their power and infrastructure costs, and earn local support.
Shapiro previously removed data center proposals from Pennsylvania’s Fast Track permitting process. The state budget also requires larger facilities to report energy and water usage to regulators, but opponents said those measures do not adequately address pollution, noise, resource consumption and potential health effects from hyperscale and artificial-intelligence data centers.