Opposition to data centers is mounting. But what can actually be done to stop development?

Data center projects are on municipal drawing boards across the Pittsburgh region, and public opposition is growing. But how much power does your town really have to stop or even modify them? 

One of several data centers popping up all over the region plans to transform 1,400 acres at an old Alcoa Research and Development site in Upper Burrell into a sprawling data center campus. The developers say it will bring jobs, tax revenue and economic vitality. But like proposals elsewhere, those who live nearby don't want it, fearing noise, air and water pollution and higher electricity bills. 

"Whether we can do anything about it to stop it or not get it approved, I don't know," said Upper Burrell Township resident Gary Kantorski. "There's not support for it that I know."

But while municipalities may have a say in things like setbacks and noise levels, if the developer owns the land and it sits in an industrial zone, land use experts say there is almost nothing these towns can do to flat-out stop a data center from being built. 

"It's very difficult for them to do anything to stop them," said Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development head Lew Villotti. "We have to follow the law. If the zoning ordinance allows for a data center to be there, there is very little they can do."  

In Upper Burrell, the Florida developer TECfusions is already restoring a pre-existing data center on site and has proposed turning the rest of the site into "one of the largest data centers ever constructed." But the township has imposed a 180-day moratorium on data center development while it pens its own ordinance to regulate them. 

A draft of that ordinance sets guardrails, mandating minimum setbacks and limits on noise. It also requires developers to supply their own power and a closed-loop water system to conserve water. In Beaver County, where three major data center campuses have been proposed, Economic Development Head Lou Villotti says ordinances like this are the best a municipality can do. 

"You can't stop them," Villotti said. "This is happening. You can't stop all of them, so get the best ones you can." 

Still, municipalities across the state are being caught flat-footed and are scurrying now to draw up their own ordinances. And environmentalists are calling for a statewide moratorium on data centers like one recently imposed in New York State. 

"I really feel that as a commonwealth, we should take a leadership role and say, 'let's pause, let's let everybody get their protections in place, which are allowed by Pennsylvania law — and then move forward,'" said Lisa Graves-Marcucci with Environmental Integrity Project. 

Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to deprive developers of tax exemptions if similar standards are not met. But Villotti says the state should be doing more — establishing statewide protections across the commonwealth as it did during the shale gas boom. 

"I think there needs to be sort of a comprehensive approach to data centers that does all of it," Villotti said. "From incentive packages, to where they can be, to what they have to have to be able to develop in the state." 

A spokesperson for Shapiro released a statement, saying he has heard residents' concerns about data centers but blames Republicans for being unwilling to "rein in" developments. 

"The Governor believes Pennsylvania should establish strong, enforceable standards that ensure development happens responsibly and benefits local communities, and that's why he proposed the GRID Standards to establish clear, commonsense requirements for data center developers seeking Commonwealth support — including bringing their own power, engaging transparently with local communities, supporting workers, and protecting natural resources," the statement said.

While the governor supports restrictions, there's no talk of a statewide moratorium. For now at least, municipalities will have to fend for themselves.