Lawmakers up transparency for data centers, leave $2B tax exemption untouched in Pa. budget. Environmentalists say the one data center proposal that became law, an energy use reporting requirement, is not substantive.
Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a measure requiring data centers using over 10 MW of electricity annually to disclose their energy and water usage. This was the only data center related bill to pass, despite other proposals. Environmental advocates, while acknowledging it as a positive step, deemed it not especially meaningful.
Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a single measure related to data center regulation as part of the state's recent $50.8 billion budget deal, despite several proposals being considered. The enacted legislation mandates that data centers consuming more than 10 megawatts of electricity annually must disclose their energy and water usage. This new requirement is expected to cover most large data centers planned for the state.
Environmental advocates, as reported by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA, acknowledged the new transparency requirement as a positive development. However, they expressed reservations about its overall impact, describing it as "not especially meaningful." The budget deal notably did not address a separate $2 billion tax exemption for data centers, which remains in place.