For Frank Mazza the interest of communities must be at the forefront of conversations about data center proposals across Pennsylvania.
"Our local governments continue to play a key role in ensuring that … our communities and the residents that we all serve are served well by the development that is, I shouldn't even say coming, is already here,” said Mazza, Director of Government Relations for the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.
Mazza testified Tuesday during a Pennsylvania Senate Democrats Policy Committee Hearing on Data Centers at Marywood University.
About 30 people listened in the audience during the hearing, which revolved around the impacts, operations and policy considerations of data centers.
State Senate Republicans held a similar hearing in August at Valley View High School.
“The core of this conversation is about how Pennsylvania manages growth and prepares for the future,” said state Sen. Marty Flynn, who represents parts of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. “They bring long-term questions about land use, environmental impacts and community costs. But there are also clear opportunities.”
Flynn held the hearing alongside state Sen. Nick Miller, chair of the policy committee. He represents parts of Lehigh and Northampton counties.
There was no public comment at the hearing. But Flynn did ask for questions ahead of time. He said residents raised concerns about the water supply, electricity rates and the environmental impact of data centers on forests and wetlands. They questioned whether the projects would provide real jobs or if communities would eventually shoulder their costs.
Local governments' role
Developers are proposing data centers across Northeast Pennsylvania, including in Lackawanna County. The developments have put small boroughs and township officials at the forefront of rezoning areas of their communities or adding zoning provisions to account for data centers.
"Local governments’ role in land use decisions is meant to balance the wishes of residents with the wants of developers, and to do it with an eye on safety and affordability,” said Holly Fishel, policy and research director for Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors.
Fishel said local governments must continue to be allowed to set commonsense rules that vary by community.
“Positives need to be balanced with mitigation of the impacts on the residents who live down the street and share well [water] with the facility or the fire department who will respond to an emergency,” she said.
Utility usage
Data centers are energy intensive facilities that house rows and rows of servers to manage online-based content, like Artificial Intelligence.
The strain on the state’s power and water supply was also a topic of discussion. Many of the panelists, including local state Reps. Bridget Kosierowski, Jim Haddock, Maureen Madden and Kyle Mullins — who are all Democrats — were concerned about potential utility cost increases for residents.
The electrical demand from the data centers is unprecedented, said Stephen DeFrank, chairman of the Pennsylvania Utilities Commission.
“Interconnection of data center customers is similar to creating a brand new city,” he testified over Zoom.
He later added: “I'm confident with prudent planning, new data centers can be integrated into the electric grid in a manner that benefits all utility customers, local municipalities and the Commonwealth.”
Tony Nokovich is vice president of engineering for Pennsylvania American Water, the state’s largest water utility.
He testified that the company collaborates with developers of data centers to ensure proper infrastructure upgrades are performed.
"Data centers should pay the cost associated with development and infrastructure upgrades necessary to serve them so our customers do not foot the bill for the investments that they do not benefit from,” he said.
State Senate Bill 939
In July, Republican Sens. Greg Rothman, who represents Perry County and parts of Cumberland and Dauphin counties, and Tracy Pennycuick, who represents parts of Berks and Montgomery counties, introduced Senate Bill 939.
Flynn is a cosponsor on the legislation which would provide for high impact data centers; establish an Office of Transformation and Opportunity and would create the Artificial Intelligence, Data Center and Emerging Technology Regulatory Sandbox Program.
Flynn drafted an amendment to the bill to ensure that residents and local elected officials have a role in shaping the projects.
“Under the proposal, a municipal governing body must hold a publicly advertised meeting and approve any data center application by majority vote. If a majority of the local governing body votes against approval, the application for the project would be denied,” Flynn said.
The amendment has not been introduced, but a spokesperson for Flynn said the senator would not vote in favor of the bill unless it included the language.
During the hearing, Flynn asked Mazza about the bill.
"The provisions related to the local government responsibilities under it have given us some some pause, we'll say, and have given us some concerns, and we certainly have expressed that to the bill's sponsor,” he replied.
