HARRISBURG (KYW Newsradio) — With only a handful of voting days left this session, several bills relating to data centers could make it through the Pennsylvania legislature after clearing committee this week.
The bills relate to a variety of issues associated with data center construction, utility status and municipal agreements.
Bill 2775, introduced by Democratic state representative Kyle Donahue, requires data center developers to apply for electric service and pay associated fees before getting zoning approval for their projects.
Donahue says it’s common for developers to get land use and zoning approval before they make commitments to build, but with the enormous size of projects like data centers, speculators are tying up significant resources and panicking residents.
That bill moved out of the House Energy Committee.
Democratic representative Chris Pielli introduced Bill 2755, which advanced out of the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee.
According to Pielli, rumors indicate that AI and tech companies may seek public utility status, allowing them to preempt local zoning laws, exercise eminent domain and operate as regulated monopolies.
His legislation attempts to stop that. “We need to cut off that exploitable loophole before it takes root,” he said.
A third bill from Republican state senator Tracey Pennycuick moved out of the Senate Communications and Tech Committee.
Bill 1408 would prevent data center developers from requiring municipalities to sign non-disclosure agreements about their projects, a practice Pennycuick says makes sure “residents are kept in the dark while plans that directly affect their lives take place.”
The current legislative session is set to end on Nov. 30.
Three bills relating to data centers made it out of committee this week and are headed for the state legislature as voting days dwindle
Three bills relating to data centers made it out of committee this week and are headed for the state legislature as voting days dwindle
