Paige Cognetti links data centers to coal companies in new ad
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti released a campaign ad criticizing data centers. The ad links data centers to historical environmental damage from coal companies and demands they pay their own way, avoid tax breaks, not raise electric bills, not poison water, and hire local union labor. Cognetti stated, "You can't meet that? Goodbye. Then get out."
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti released a new campaign advertisement criticizing data center development in northeastern Pennsylvania. The ad draws a parallel between modern data center companies and the historical environmental impact of coal companies, asserting that both have taken resources and left behind negative consequences.
In the ad, Mayor Cognetti, who is running against Rep. Rob Bresnahan in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, demands that "Big Tech" data centers pay their own way without tax breaks or non-disclosure agreements. She also insists they avoid raising electric bills, polluting water, and instead hire local union labor.
Her firm stance is articulated with the statement, "You can't meet that? Goodbye. Then get out," emphasizing that the region is "not for sale."