Opinion: Pennsylvania should impose fees and power requirements on large data centers
In an opinion essay, software engineer Matt Cleere argues that Pennsylvania should impose stricter financial and energy requirements on large data centers. He proposes per-megawatt fees, requiring facilities to build new in-state generation, and creating a public dividend fund funded by data center payments.
Matt Cleere, a software engineer from Verona, argues that Pennsylvania should use its control over land, water and electric infrastructure to negotiate better terms with AI and data center developers. Citing PJM capacity-market costs and Duquesne Light’s claims that it cannot currently recover data center-related expenses, he says residential customers are bearing costs associated with rising data center demand.
Cleere urges the Pennsylvania Senate to advance House Bills 1834 and 2650 and calls for stronger future requirements. His proposals include fees on facilities larger than 25 megawatts, construction of new clean and firm generation equal to 125% of a facility’s demand, and a constitutionally protected fund distributing revenue to Pennsylvania residents. He also invokes Gov. Josh Shapiro’s call for developers to meet state grid requirements.