More than a quarter of data center projects in Pennsylvania halted or delayed — Channel NewsAsia
In Pennsylvania, more than a quarter of over 90 planned data center projects have been halted or delayed following local opposition. The expansion of this infrastructure has become a campaign issue ahead of the U.S. congressional midterm elections, including in the state’s competitive 8th District, Channel NewsAsia reports.
State residents fear higher electricity bills, water pollution, and the impact of large facilities on the landscape. Data centers require substantial amounts of electricity to operate servers and cooling systems, while facilities using water cooling can also consume large volumes of water. Residents also question tax incentives for projects that create relatively few permanent jobs.
Investments and rules
In July 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump and Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro welcomed the announcement of $90 billion in investments in energy and artificial intelligence-related projects. In August, Shapiro tightened rules for data center development, including by excluding AI projects from the accelerated permitting program.
Pennsylvania resident Viola Byerly, who lives opposite a data center project that is still moving forward, accused politicians of insufficiently protecting community interests. Another state resident, Erica Cook, opposes a project that was previously rejected, but which developers continue to pursue. According to her, they offered households $10,000 each to gain support for the facility. Some residents consider such a payment insufficient compensation for the project’s impact.
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An election campaign issue
In Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district, Scranton’s Democratic mayor Paige Cognetti is competing for a seat in the House of Representatives against incumbent Republican Congressman Rob Bresnahan. Cognetti accused Bresnahan of supporting data center development in the state’s northeast while holding investments in companies linked to the industry. She called for requiring developers to pay for infrastructure themselves, denying them special tax incentives, and hiring local union workers.
Bresnahan emphasizes his efforts to give communities more control over such projects, although he had previously welcomed them as a potential driver of economic growth. In June, he introduced a bill intended to protect municipalities from federal lawsuits by developers seeking to challenge decisions rejecting data center proposals.
Lehigh University political science professor Chris Borick noted that the protests unite supporters of different political views. According to him, supporters of the MAGA movement and liberal voters can stand side by side at local meetings against data centers.
