Republican nominee for Pennsylvania governor calls for pause on data center development
Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity called for a pause on data center development during a listening session in Butler County. She advocated for local control over zoning and ratepayer protections, while criticizing proposed state legislation known as GRID Standards that would offer tax benefits to certified developers.
Pennsylvania State Treasurer and Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity called for a pause on all data center development during a listening session with local, county, and state leaders in Butler County. Garrity stated that local leaders are not adequately involved in the decision-making process and advocated for a halt in development to allow municipalities time to update zoning regulations and establish protections for ratepayers and communities. She emphasized the need for all stakeholders to be at the table to protect citizens and their communities.
Garrity also offered criticism of the proposed legislation known as "GRID Standards" or the "Governor's Responsible Infrastructure Development Standards." This legislation, which recently passed the House and is now in the Senate Finance Committee, would require developers to submit an application to the state outlining how they would protect energy affordability and the environment, and support economic development. Developers granted GRID certification would be eligible for tax benefits on data center equipment sales. Garrity argued that these new standards fail to address concerns about data center development or existing tax deals, despite claims of fighting for community input.
In response, Shapiro for Pennsylvania spokesperson Manuel Bonder described Garrity as a "desperate politician" with a record of supporting "completely unregulated data center development." Bonder asserted that Governor Shapiro has worked with community, labor, and environmental leaders to propose some of the country's strongest data center regulations. State Representative Aaron Bernstein, who represents Butler County, joined Garrity in expressing concern over a perceived lack of local control, advocating for reduced government intervention and increased local authority.