Mount Carmel Township Oks Data Center Rules, But Residents Say They Fall Short
Mount Carmel Township supervisors unanimously approved zoning rules for data centers, including setbacks, noise limits, technical studies, financial guarantees and conditional-use requirements. Residents and the CRANE advocacy group said the ordinance does not go far enough, while preliminary plans from Blue Creek Investments for two data centers remain unaccepted as administratively incomplete.
Mount Carmel Township supervisors unanimously adopted an ordinance regulating data centers in the township. The rules establish setbacks from schools, houses of worship and residential parcels; impose building, noise, screening and property-coverage limits; and restrict data centers to specified industrial and coal-reclamation zoning districts. Developers must provide studies on water use, electricity demand, traffic, mine stability and emergency response, disclose ownership and end-user information, negotiate a community development agreement and post financial security equal to 110% of estimated decommissioning costs.
The ordinance followed months of resident activism during a township moratorium and was accelerated by preliminary plans from Blue Creek Investments for two proposed facilities. Those plans were deemed administratively incomplete and were not accepted for filing. The Coal Region Advocates for a Neighborhood-First Environment said the new rules lack enforceable safeguards, including independent technical reviews, ongoing noise and air-quality monitoring, inspections and a larger remediation bond. Supervisor Aaron Domanski said some concerns were addressed and that further changes could be made, while township officials authorized preparation of supplemental regulations that had not yet been enacted.