Brown's push for statewide data center moratorium fails in Senate committee

Pennsylvania State Senator Rosemary Brown's effort to implement a three-year statewide moratorium on hyperscale data center construction was defeated in the Senate Local Government Committee on Tuesday. Brown, a Republican representing Monroe County, had sought to replace Senate Bill 1345 with the language of her own Senate Bill 1359, which called for a temporary halt to development pending a study of the industry's impacts. Her amendment was voted down 9-2.

Senator Brown emphasized that the rapid proliferation of data center proposals across Pennsylvania has outpaced existing state regulations. She cited over 50 large-scale projects statewide, including a dozen in her 40th Senatorial District, and noted six proposed data center campuses in Archbald Borough alone. Brown expressed concern that current laws do not adequately address the impacts or resident concerns, stressing the need for "enforceable protections."

Despite the failure of her moratorium amendment, Brown voted in favor of Senate Bill 1345, which advanced from the committee with a 10-1 vote. This legislation would grant municipalities the option to voluntarily pause the acceptance of new hyperscale data center applications and permits for up to 18 months, allowing time to revise local zoning ordinances. The committee also approved House Bill 2496, which similarly expands municipalities' authority to temporarily halt development for zoning updates.

Brown supported both bills as they offer "additional tools" for municipalities, but she maintained that they do not provide the "compre-hensive safeguards" her constituents are demanding. She pledged to continue advocating for a statewide moratorium and additional regulations to address concerns such as energy demand, water usage, infrastructure strains, and environmental impacts linked to hyperscale data center projects.