PA Gov Shapiro criticized by town hall speakers for his role in data center, secrecy

A virtual town hall hosted by citizens' coalitions Better Path Coalition and No False Climate Solutions PA revealed widespread "outrage" and "intense opposition" across Pennsylvania regarding the state's escalating data center boom. Participants, including state legislators and numerous residents, criticized Governor Josh Shapiro's perceived support for data center development, labeling the situation "an onslaught" that has "bulldozed" citizens with little public awareness. Senator Katie Muth, a Chester County Democrat, expressed her intent to introduce legislation for a three-year moratorium on new "hyper scale" data center projects. Concurrently, Republican state Representative Jamie Walsh of Luzerne County is proposing bills, including one to revoke the sales tax exemption for data centers. A bill that passed the state House in April, sponsored by Democratic Representative Kyle Donahue of Lackawanna County, which aims to create a state-level model ordinance for data centers to guide local communities, drew sharp criticism from residents like Colby Wesner of Montour County, who called it "a data center developer's dream" that would limit local governmental decision-making. Residents from various counties, including Chester, Cumberland, Columbia, Montour, Lawrence, Beaver, Montgomery, Luzerne, and Schuylkill, shared personal accounts of non-transparency and fears about future impacts. Jennifer Dusart, a business owner from Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, noted that opponents are often dismissed as "uninformed" or "anti-progress." John Zola from Sugarloaf, Luzerne County, highlighted multiple data center proposals in his area, predicting a calamitous transformation for Salem Township. Karen Feridun, host of the town hall, stated that an invitation delivered to Governor Shapiro's office eight days prior had not received a response, though a spokesperson for the Governor, Rosie Lapowsky, cited the high volume of invitations received. Critics like Kelly Donia and Roseann Weinrich of Schuylkill County vowed to oppose Shapiro's re-election, accusing his administration of prioritizing "money and big tech" over constitutional duties and public transparency. Senator Muth warned that Pennsylvania was on track to become "Virginia in 10 years," referring to the state already abundant with data centers.