Garrity holds data center roundtable discussion in Wilkes-Barre Township
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity held a roundtable in Wilkes-Barre Township to discuss concerns about data centers, proposing a plan including updated zoning, noise ordinances, and a development pause. This comes as she criticizes Governor Josh Shapiro's recently released "Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) standards" for data centers, which aim to set clear accountability and guardrails for developers seeking state support. The discussion highlighted a political divide on how to best regulate data center growth in the state.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the Republican nominee for Governor, hosted a roundtable discussion in Wilkes-Barre Township, Luzerne County, addressing growing concerns about data center development. The event included local officials like Luzerne County Councilman John Lombardo and Wilkes-Barre Township Mayor Carl Kuren, along with a Lackawanna County community activist. The discussion focused on the need to update zoning laws and noise ordinances, manage energy and water impacts, and ensure community engagement with developers.
Garrity outlined her plan, advocating for transparent rules, affordable power, developers providing their own water and energy generation, community engagement agreements, local noise ordinance protection, and restricting development to industrial or brownfield sites. Crucially, she proposed a pause in data center development to allow communities to update relevant laws. She criticized Governor Josh Shapiro's approach, accusing him of hypocrisy and downplaying widespread community protests across Pennsylvania.
In response, Manuel Bonder, spokesperson for the Shapiro for Pennsylvania campaign, defended the Governor's actions, stating that Shapiro has worked with community, labor, and environmental leaders to develop "some of the strongest data center regulations and standards of accountability in the entire country." Bonder characterized Garrity as a "desperate politician" with a record of supporting unregulated data center development.
Governor Shapiro's "Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) standards," previously introduced in his budget address, establish guardrails for data center developers seeking Commonwealth support. These standards emphasize energy affordability, clean energy generation, transparency, workforce development, community impact, and environmental protection, requiring developers to demonstrate real value to local communities while mitigating adverse impacts.