Garrity, DiBello talk data centers in Hatfield
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity is challenging Governor Josh Shapiro's data center policies, advocating for stricter regulations and a development pause amid local opposition. Garrity held a listening session in Hatfield, where local officials expressed concerns about land use decisions, power and water demands, and lack of state guidance. The debate highlights a political rift over how to manage the rapid growth of data center infrastructure in the state.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity is positioning herself against Governor Josh Shapiro's administration on data center policy, leveraging public dissatisfaction with large-scale data center developments. Garrity critiques Shapiro's initial promotion of Amazon's $20 billion AI infrastructure in Falls and Salem townships and his subsequent "voluntary guardrails" as insufficient, arguing they do not address community concerns or halt "sweetheart tax deals" for developers.
Garrity advocates for a comprehensive state strategy that includes transparency, clear rules, thoughtful planning, and local protection through ordinances. Her proposals call for developers to provide their own water and energy, sign community engagement agreements, restrict data centers to brownfield sites, and enact a "pause" on development until municipalities can pass protective ordinances. She argues her approach, unlike Shapiro's, would be mandated rather than voluntary.
At a listening session in Hatfield, Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello highlighted the absence of state guidance for municipalities grappling with complex land use decisions related to data centers, including power and water demand, infrastructure strain, and community impacts. Local officials from Richland, Warrington, Plumstead, Hatfield, and Douglas townships voiced frustrations about feeling overwhelmed by well-funded corporations and the lack of information on environmental impacts, noise levels, and emergency preparedness, especially concerning facilities with lithium batteries.
Plumstead Township Supervisor Greg Bankos noted that his township recently passed an ordinance to cover data centers, indicating local efforts to establish rules in the absence of perceived strong state action. Garrity also supports repealing a bill that provides sales tax exemptions for data center equipment and suggests developers post bonds for potential municipal damages, asserting that proper regulation would not make Pennsylvania less business-friendly.