24k-strong farmers’ group seeks data center moratorium amid eminent domain worries
The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau has voted to endorse a statewide moratorium on data center construction, driven by concerns over farmland preservation and the potential use of eminent domain for related infrastructure. Farmers in Gregg Township, Union County, are particularly worried about PPL Electric Utilities' proposed high-voltage transmission lines to power a planned PNK Group data center, which could impact preserved farmlands.
The 24,000-member Pennsylvania Farm Bureau has unanimously voted to endorse a statewide moratorium on data center construction, raising significant concerns among farmers regarding the protection of preserved farmland and the potential for eminent domain.
Testifying before the Center for Rural Pennsylvania board, which includes state lawmakers, Andy Bater highlighted the situation in Gregg Township, Union County, where farmers' frustrations are escalating. PPL Electric Utilities has presented five potential routes for a new high-voltage transmission line, seemingly dedicated to a single proposed data center location. Farmers report that one proposed route traverses several 'preserved' farms, where the government has invested taxpayer money to purchase conservation easements. PPL has reportedly mentioned eminent domain as an option for land acquisition, a prospect that deeply troubles landowners.
Sen. Gene Yaw, R-23rd, who chairs the Center's board, acknowledged farmers' eminent domain worries but stated PPL is merely required to mention it. However, farmer Barron Shaw likened it to a threat. The Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, established in 1988, aims to protect prime farmland, with the state spending $43 million annually on conservation easements. Will Whisler of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau emphasized that preserved farmland should remain protected, expressing dismay over the current situation in Union County.
PPL Electric Utilities confirmed its Allenwood Transmission Project, involving nine miles of 230-kilovolt lines, is in evaluation, with no final route chosen. The company stated it is considering feedback from landowners and local officials, and recognizes the importance of the farmland preservation program. While PPL did not name the 'customer facility' at Allenwood, PNK Group has publicly stated its plans to develop a data center campus there. Local farmers like Terry Snoddy and Janet Sellard voiced their strong opposition, citing a 'generational' traumatic memory of land acquisition and questioning the value of farmland preservation if eminent domain can be invoked.