McCormick defends Homer City data center project amid environmental concerns

U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick on Thursday defended the Homer City data center project in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, likening the environmental concerns raised by protestors to the initial opposition against fracking 15 years ago. McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, expressed that much of the anxiety surrounding AI and data centers is uninformed, drawing a parallel to how fracking eventually proved beneficial for Pennsylvania's economy and job creation. McCormick met with officials from Homer City Redevelopment and Indiana County in Pittsburgh to discuss the $10 billion project. Located on 3,200 acres in Center Township, Indiana County, just outside Homer City, the development involves replacing a demolished coal-fired power plant with a new natural gas-fired plant and hyperscale data centers. Corey Hessen, the project's CEO, stated that the 4.4-gigawatt plant is designed to return an estimated one gigawatt of energy to the electrical grid, enough to power around 700,000 homes. The project, which broke ground earlier this year, currently provides over 1,000 jobs and is expected to employ 3,600 through its completion in 2029. Despite McCormick's defense, the project faces opposition from Indiana County residents concerned about increased traffic, a lack of affordable housing, and potential impacts on air quality. Community members have raised these environmental concerns during public hearings since September 2025. The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has scheduled a public hearing for an upcoming Tuesday at the Indiana Theatre in Indiana, Pa., to discuss a permit for a 5.8-mile natural gas pipeline intended to feed the new plant. During a congressional recess, Senator McCormick has been touring energy infrastructure projects to promote his new legislation, which aims to streamline the permitting process by setting a one-year deadline for permits and restricting the use of the National Environmental Policy Act to halt approved projects. He advocated for greater local authority in approving data centers, asserting that local leadership is best positioned to decide what benefits their communities.