CLINTON TWP., PA — The clock is ticking for Clinton Township supervisors as they face a critical September 28 deadline to act on a massive land development application proposed by Pittston-based Linde Corporation. Under Pennsylvania’s Municipalities Planning Code, if township supervisors fail to formally approve or deny the project application by that date, the application will automatically be deemed approved by default. The proposed development calls for a 20-building data center campus along with on-site power generation facilities spanning hundreds of acres near Browndale.
During a marathon public hearing on Wednesday, vocal community opposition reached a boiling point as residents and local business owners delivered extensive testimony outlining environmental, economic, and infrastructure concerns. Opposition groups pushed back against the project's potential impacts on local businesses, the surrounding environment—including the nearby Lackawanna River watershed—high water usage, noise pollution, and property values. In a key victory for project opponents, an effort by Linde Corporation’s legal counsel to throw out a 500-signature petition opposing the development was unsuccessful, keeping the community's petition on the public record.
Lacking pre-existing data center zoning ordinances to regulate the scale of such industrial developments, Clinton Township officials find themselves in a tight regulatory window as the statutory September 28 deadline approaches. Township supervisors must render a formal decision to either approve or deny the application before time runs out, or the project will move forward by default under state law.
