06/13/2026
The data center industry has a problem. This unwanted, unnecessary, and unmitigated proposed build out of AI data centers in communities across Pennsylvania requires an unprecedented build out of power generation, primarily from natural gas. And nobody wants it.
By unprecedented, we mean just that. Last November PPL said that it had signed contracts to supply new data center projects with 20GW of power and in discussions for another 70GW. 1GW is roughly enough for 1 million households. There are currently 5.5 million households in Pennsylvania. And that’s just a snapshot of one electricity distributor. There are also all the others and all the other data centers planning to build their own power plants on site. Unprecedented.
Communities don’t want these power plants, just like they don’t want these hyper scale data centers - probably even more so.
🙌 Last year there was an attempt in Harrisburg to take away local control of the zoning of power generating facilities. The bill was/is called HB502. It’s now crystal clear what that was for, whether the legislators knew it or not. Luckily we pushed hard. Really hard. And because of all of your calls and emails to your state representatives, we stopped that bill from getting a vote in committee on June 25. It has sat in the House Energy Committee ever since.
🔴 So now another bill is suddenly on the move a full year after it was introduced, HB1567. It’s basically a pay-to-pollute bill, providing “community benefits” to municipalities burdened with these new power plants.
I don’t know about you, but this money to cover the municipalities’ increased cost from this use, provide some local improvements, possibly reduce taxes, etc., is not worth the harms. It’s possible though that municipalities in our Commonwealth that are struggling would be enticed to impose all the harms on their residents that would come from a power plant in their community. But no community should have to do so in order to have safe roads, good schools, parks to play in, etc.
🌎 💧And what about the far-reaching harms - the air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, etc of this power generation and all of the harms from the fracking, pipelines and high voltage transmission lines that go along with it - all for Big Tech.
This is not the legislation we need. This is not protect communities, our resources and the environment.
Join us June 23 when we go to Harrisburg to tell our state legislators and Governor Shapiro that Pennsylvania is NOT for sale. We need a data center moratorium. ✅ Get more details here https://www.mobilize.us/fww/event/965115/
HB1567: https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/by-sponsor?sessind=0&memberid=1844&billbody=h&sessyr=2025&pagenumber=4
