Controversy over data centers bleeds into hotly contested NEPA congressional campaign
Data centers have become a central issue in the race for Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District, with Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti opposing projects and Rep. Rob Bresnahan promoting legislation to give local governments more control. Scranton officials are preparing zoning amendments addressing data center locations, noise, water demand, utility capacity and environmental impacts, with adoption targeted for December.
Data center development has become a major point of conflict between Democratic candidate Paige Cognetti and Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan in the race for Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District. Cognetti has criticized developers, attended hearings opposing projects in Lackawanna County and pledged to protect residents from higher electric bills, water impacts and inadequate local hiring. Bresnahan, who previously welcomed data center investment, has introduced the Local Control Protection Act, which would limit developers' ability to challenge local decisions and require agreements addressing infrastructure, environmental monitoring and local employment before receiving federal benefits.
The dispute also centers on Scranton's delayed effort to regulate data centers. Mayor Cognetti's administration proposed zoning amendments covering siting, landscaping, noise, vibration, traffic, utility capacity and water demand, but City Council members have questioned the pace of the process. Officials now aim to complete and adopt the amendments by Dec. 16. The campaigns have also traded accusations over contributions and investments tied to the data center industry, including a proposed DBT Data facility in Jessup and holdings in companies such as Digital Realty, Iron Mountain and Equinix.