Data center moratoriums backed in GOP-run Senate
A key Pennsylvania Senate committee advanced two bills that would allow municipalities to enact 6-month or 18-month moratoriums on data center development, rejecting a proposal for a three-year statewide moratorium. These bills now move to the full Senate for consideration. Opposition groups, such as Food & Water Watch, expressed disappointment, advocating for a longer, statewide moratorium.
A key Pennsylvania Senate committee, the Senate Local Government Committee, advanced two data center moratorium bills on Wednesday, with bipartisan support, allowing municipalities to enact either 6-month or 18-month pauses on new data center development. The bills were sponsored by Republican Sen. Jarrett Coleman of Lehigh County, proposing an 18-month moratorium, and Democratic Rep. Paul Friel of Chester County, advocating for a six-month halt.
However, a proposal by Republican Sen. Rosemary Brown of Monroe County for a statewide, three-year moratorium was decisively rejected by a 9-2 vote, with senators expressing concerns about its duration and potential overreach into local decision-making. Democratic Sen. Patty Kim of Dauphin County found three years too long, and Republican Sen. Dawn Keefer of York County argued against state preemption of local powers.
Both the Coleman bill (10-1 vote) and the Friel bill (unanimous) passed the committee and will now move to the full Senate for further consideration. Despite this legislative progress, a spokesperson for Food & Water Watch, Ginny Marcille-Kerslake, criticized the approved bills, stating they fall short of the three-year statewide moratorium that the organization and many Pennsylvanians desire. She noted that their group had actively lobbied senators for a stronger bill sponsored by Democratic Sen. Katie Muth of Chester County, which was not advanced.