Pennsylvania Data Center Intel

Recent Pennsylvania data center news

• May 4, 2026

  Pennsylvania PUC advances measure that aims to protect ratepayers from data center demand

  The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has advanced proposed guidance (a model tariff) to govern how energy companies connect high-demand users such as data centers to the grid.

  • Main announcement: The PUC advanced a proposed model tariff that would provide recommendations for rapid interconnection of large-load customers while protecting ratepayers; it defines large-load customers as those needing >50 MW individually or >100 MW aggregate, and includes measures such as developer termination fees, contributions from large-load customers to universal service programs, and two DeFrank amendments permitting large-load customers to construct their own infrastructure upgrades and requiring electric distribution companies to recover interconnection transmission and distribution costs except for upgrades already planned prior to the service request. A revised final order will be issued in the coming days (PUC spokesperson).
  • Background and details: The guidance is proposed (nonbinding) and commissioners and stakeholders emphasized implementation details; the PUC cited grid stress tied to data center load growth, noting approximately $1 billion more in generation costs this year, residential bills rose 10–20% in parts of last year, and utility shutoffs increased 21% last year. Trade groups and utilities (Data Center Coalition, PECO, EAP) provided statements indicating they will review and engage with implementation filings from individual electric distribution companies.
• May 1, 2026

  Scenes from the great data center revolt

  Andy Patrizio reports growing community and political pushback against multiple proposed data center projects across the United States.

  • Widespread local opposition and legal/political actions: Multiple communities have moved from passive concern to active resistance, including a recall of four Festus, Missouri city council members after approval of a $6 billion, 360-acre data center proposal; a citizens’ lawsuit in Hermantown, Minnesota to block a $1.5 billion Google “Project Loon” site; and a coalition in Pennsylvania seeking a three-year moratorium plus legislation (HB 2150, HB 1834, HB 2151) requiring reporting on energy/water use, banning cost-shifting to residents, and a model zoning ordinance.
  • Project specifics and mitigations for two large developments: In Box Elder County, Utah, a Kevin O’Leary–backed hyperscale campus on 40,000 acres plans an initial ~3 GW power need and up to 9 GW at full buildout with on-site power via the Ruby Pipeline (MIDA says “100% of the power will be generated off the Ruby Pipeline”); Wyoming’s Project Jade expanded from 1.8 GW to 2.7 GW (designer says theoretically up to 10 GW) and proposes closed-loop water cooling with initial fill equivalent to ~20 households and ongoing use equivalent to <3 households per year.
• Apr 30, 2026

  US data center pollution costs could reach $25B, study finds

  Nicholas Z. Muller of Carnegie Mellon University has published a working paper estimating US data center pollution costs could reach $25 billion.

  • Study findings: Muller analyzed ~2,800 operational data centers and estimates $25 billion in environmental damages across the United States, including $3.7 billion in damages specifically tied to artificial intelligence usage; he also warns total environmental damages could increase by up to 85% as data center expansion continues.
  • Context and background: The paper links data center emissions to PM2.5-related health harms (lung disease, heart conditions, premature mortality), notes energy demand has been met in part by revived fossil-fuel power plants (attributed to policies under the Trump administration), highlights the voluntary Ratepayer Protection Pledge, and records rising public opposition and project delays (public sentiment stats: 71% concerned about permanent job losses from AI; 47% believe AI could have negative consequences).
• Apr 30, 2026

  Switch Announces New Data Center Campus in Beaver County, Pennsylvania

  Switch announced plans to develop a new 382-acre data center campus in Big Beaver Borough, Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

  • Main announcement: Switch will develop a 382-acre data center campus in Big Beaver Borough, Beaver County, PA, located in the greater Pittsburgh area at the intersection of key East-West and North-South fiber routes; the campus will serve finance, healthcare, higher education and government organizations concentrated across the Eastern United States. The company will fund the infrastructure required for its power needs and expand its Prime campus portfolio.
  • Details and background: The campus will use Switch’s proprietary closed-loop Switch EVO® design that recycles water and the EVO data centers “consume zero water to cool the servers and GPU’s” while requiring a minimal water connection for office and warehouse; the new campus will join Switch’s Prime portfolio (Las Vegas, Tahoe Reno, Atlanta, Grand Rapids, Austin).
• Apr 29, 2026

  Dashboards, AI infrastructure and the States Leading Both

  Dell participated in two National Governors Association (NGA) convenings in Charleston and Philadelphia to advance statewide data dashboards for student/system success and to discuss energy infrastructure needs as AI scales.

  • Dell participated in two NGA convenings:

    • Location: Charleston, SC (NGA Policy Academy to Advance Data Dashboards Measuring Student and System Success) and Philadelphia (NGA Chair’s Initiative “Reigniting the American Dream”).
    • Date: not specified in article
    • Time: not specified in article
    • Agenda/subject: designing user-centered data dashboards that connect agencies and measure student/system success; discussing permitting reform, grid upgrades, and community engagement to support AI-driven energy demand.

  • Key follow-ups and context:

    • Technical examples and gaps: Indiana’s “Graduates Prepared to Succeed” dashboard cited as a model; teams identified measurement gaps in civic preparation and student well-being.
    • Energy and permitting focus: states are prioritizing permitting reform, grid upgrades, smarter demand mapping and energy-efficient design; the article cites a multi-year permitting example (“a project that takes seven years to permit”) as a strategic liability.
• Apr 27, 2026

  Residents left furious as their picturesque small town surrounded by forests and nature is set to be 'ruined' by sprawling data centers... but they're refusing to back down

  Cornell Realty Management has applied to develop the Wildcat Ridge AI Data Center and multiple developers are preparing to build several large data centres in Archbald, Pennsylvania.

  • Project scope & developer action: Cornell Realty Management applied for the Wildcat Ridge AI Data Center campus (14 centres across 400 acres) and other proposals could see 51 data warehouses built on ~14% of Archbald’s land; developers claim the campus would be at least 1,500 feet from homes, create 1,280 jobs, be as quiet as a ‘normal conversation’, and use about 50,000 gallons of water a day.
  • Permitting, finances & community response: Developers state the project would generate $7 million in annual borough tax revenue and $23 million for the school system; residents and local officials (including Mayor Shirley Barrett) are actively opposing the plans via a Stop Archbald Data Centers Facebook group (~10,000 members) and council meetings. Additional state and local permits are required and construction could still take months to years to begin even if local approvals advance.
• Apr 25, 2026

  How do you feel about AI’s environmental impact?

  Gannon Knight’s Roundtable asked Gannon students and staff their thoughts on AI’s environmental impact.

  • Main announcement/action: Gannon Knight surveyed Gannon University participants — including Sam Mason, Ph.D. (Director of Project NePTWNE; oversees the Center for Lake Erie Education and Research, CLEER), Zara Toomaney (senior, Environmental Engineering), and Sophia Cuzzola (junior; IBM SkillsBuild student ambassador) — on April 25, 2026. The article cites external research: University of California, Riverside (reported by The Washington Post) finding that every 100-word AI search uses roughly 519 milliliters of water, and a LinkedIn (2025) stat that 66% of leaders would not hire someone without AI literacy.

  • Details/background: Interviewees noted concrete environmental impacts — AI/data centers require large amounts of energy and water (cooling towers) which can impact nearby cities’ water pressure and quality and increase carbon emissions. They recommended using AI as a service, not a replacement, and urged cross-disciplinary action involving environmental experts, policymakers, researchers, and developers to pursue more sustainable AI practices.

• Apr 25, 2026

  Life With Liz: Develop technology to help save environment

  Liz Pinkey argues that technology should be developed to help save the environment.

  • Main announcement/action: Liz Pinkey calls for developing technology that both enables modern connectivity and protects local environments, urging caution over recent trends such as data center construction on local advisory agendas and policy moves affecting public lands.
  • Background and details: The column cites the United States Forest Service being “systemically dismantled”, steps to lift mining restrictions on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (Minnesota), and concerns about back-door deals and large corporations acquiring land; she also references local reclamation projects and recent warehouse/data center development patterns.
• Apr 24, 2026

  Nation's First State Data Center Moratorium Vetoed by Maine Governor

  The Governor of Maine, Janet Mills, vetoed a bill that would have established the country’s first state moratorium on the construction of large data centers.

  • Main action:Janet Mills vetoed a bill that would have instituted a moratorium of more than one year on data centers above a certain size and created a special council to help towns vet potential projects. Mills said she vetoed the bill because it lacked a carve-out for a proposed project in Jay that she said would bring needed jobs to a community hurt by a mill closure; she plans to issue an executive order to create a council to examine data center impacts.
  • Background and details: The bill had passed the Democrat-controlled Maine Legislature and was sponsored by Rep. Melanie Sachs, who said the veto was “resisting the will of a majority of Maine people.” Similar moratorium proposals have been introduced in at least a dozen states (none other than Maine had passed a chamber), and opponents cited include data center developers, chambers of commerce, tech giants, labor unions, and electric utilities. The article also notes concerns about power use and warnings about potential blackouts in the mid-Atlantic grid.
• Apr 24, 2026

  Episode for April 24, 2026

  Gov. Josh Shapiro announced two Western Pennsylvania coal-fired power plants will push back their retirement dates by at least four more years.

  • Main action: Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the two Western Pennsylvania coal-fired power plants will stay open through 2032, providing additional time to meet water pollution standards and to help satisfy rising energy demand from data centers.
  • Background and other details: The episode (April 24, 2026) also reports Ohio residents’ concerns about planned fracking in a remote natural area, coverage of native hawthorn trees Crataegus pennsylvanica and their habitat value for the scarlet tanager (an estimated 13% of its breeding population in Pennsylvania), and a farm–nonprofit partnership redirecting spoiled produce to a farm where chickens eat the food as a “salad bar” to reduce waste and fight hunger.