Pennsylvania community faces multiple data center proposals, residents raise environmental concerns
The small community of Archbald in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, is facing seven different data center development proposals, including six campuses with over 50 buildings. Residents have formed an opposition group,
The segment from "The Allegheny Front" on "West Virginia Morning" details significant data center development proposals in Archbald, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. Cat Bolas, a reporter for WVIA News, explained that the small borough, with a population of 7,500, is facing seven different potential projects. These include six campuses with over 50 buildings, each larger than a Walmart, with a seventh proposal recently emerging.
Residents' primary concern is the potential degradation of their quality of life, transforming a "nice residential area" into one dominated by data centers. A major environmental worry is air quality, specifically from the 588 diesel-powered backup generators planned for one project, known as Wildcat Ridge, which has 15 buildings. The "Stop Archbald Data Centers group," an opposition movement, commissioned a public health expert who estimated potential annual health damages between $3 million and $124 million, linked to increased heart attacks, asthma, and hospitalizations.
Bolas noted that while the sheer number of proposals without named end-users is unique to Archbald, the "zoning fight" and strong, well-informed resident opposition are consistent with trends seen elsewhere in Pennsylvania. She highlighted the unprecedented level of unified, bipartisan public participation in the issue, even observing security measures at a conditional use hearing where residents remained engaged but non-aggressive.