Pennsylvania Data Center Boom Faces Mounting Community Resistance

Pennsylvania Data Center Boom Faces Mounting Community Resistance

Pennsylvania could see 66 data centers built if all current proposals move forward, but a new study questions whether the promised economic benefits will materialize while warning of substantial environmental and social costs.

Research group Data & Society spent nearly two years examining the data center industry's impact on Pennsylvania, conducting interviews with developers, industry participants, academics, and community members. The findings, released Tuesday and first reported by Inside Climate News, paint a picture of an industry that may repeat historical patterns of industrial exploitation rather than deliver the economic revival state leaders have promised.

Of the 66 proposed facilities tracked by the independent Data Center Proposal Tracker, five are currently under construction and another five have received construction approval.

Resource Demands and Community Concerns

The study identifies three primary resource pressures: massive land requirements, substantial water consumption, and enormous energy demands. Researchers found that Pennsylvania's existing infrastructure from earlier industrial eras makes it particularly attractive to data center developers.

Lead author Maia Woluchem said community opposition to data centers appears stronger and more widespread than resistance to previous industrial expansions, including natural gas fracking. "The data center becomes this symbol of larger remote systems, of inequality, of distrust, and really an instrument of power that folks are aiming to take back," she explained.

The report documents public health concerns, climate change implications from increased power consumption, and complaints that developers fail to adequately inform communities about their plans. It drew from on-the-record conversations with 44 individuals plus additional discussions across the state.

Rare Victory Signals Broader Opposition

Citizens of Montour County achieved an unusual win in February when county officials denied a rezoning request that would have converted farmland into a data center site. Group president Sam Burleigh characterized data centers as "probably the biggest thing that has hit Pennsylvania that everybody is rallying together against."

The Pennsylvania chapter of the American Petroleum Institute defended plans to use natural gas to power new facilities, with executive director Stephanie Catarino Wissman calling energy "the foundation of our modern economy" and citing Pennsylvania's natural gas resources as a solution for meeting AI power demands while reducing carbon emissions.

Why it matters

The Pennsylvania case illustrates a collision between AI infrastructure expansion and local autonomy that's playing out nationwide. As data centers require unprecedented amounts of electricity—often equivalent to small cities—communities are questioning whether promised economic benefits justify environmental costs and whether they have meaningful input in decisions that reshape their regions. With midterm elections approaching, the issue is becoming a political flashpoint that crosses traditional party lines.

Political Implications

David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, said polling shows overwhelming public concern about data center proliferation. State Senator Katie Muth has introduced legislation proposing a three-year moratorium on new data center development.

President Donald Trump and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro promoted the industry's economic potential at a July 2025 summit in Pittsburgh, with Trump citing $40 billion in planned data center investments plus $50 billion for supporting energy infrastructure. Protesters at that event argued the plans ignored climate science warnings about increased natural gas production.

Former Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection secretary David Hess predicted the opposition will influence fall elections: "Environmental and community activism is on the upswing and building and politicians at all levels of government better pay attention or risk losing their jobs."

The Data & Society study was supported by a $1 million Mellon Foundation grant awarded in 2023. Inside Climate News first reported these findings.