ARCHBALD, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — In the borough of about 7,500 people, covering roughly 17 square miles, the possibility of as many as six data centers has sparked a growing grassroots movement.
About 21 residents have been organizing meetings, handing out flyers, filming council sessions, and spreading information online.
Their goal isn’t to eliminate data centers completely. Instead, they say they want the borough to limit them to the industrial district.
Under Pennsylvania law, municipalities must allow every type of zoning somewhere within their borders, meaning data centers would need to be permitted in at least one area.
But recent activity along the road between Archbald and nearby Jermyn, Pennsylvania along Route 6 has stirred new concern.
Trees and land have been cleared, despite the fact that no data center project there has been approved.
Organizers say the sight of the cleared land shocked many residents.
“I’ll be honest—I’m heartbroken that those trees were cut down. But that has woken so much of this area up. I’m genuinely getting chills talking to you about it right now because the momentum that we have built this past week alone has been unbelievable,” said Janessa Bednash of Jermyn.
Bednash says for some residents, the clearing felt premature.
“It’s very disheartening to see that they cut them down for now when it’s not even a done deal that they would even be able to build,” said Bednash.
Across Archbald, bright yellow “No Data Center” signs are beginning to appear in yards and along roadways.
Organizers say they’ve also collected around 500 signatures in just a few days for a petition calling for the removal of several borough positions, including the solicitor, council president, borough manager and zoning officer.
The group alleges those officials have worked too closely with developers.
Only Archbald residents can sign the petition, and signatures must be collected in person.
“I personally don’t want to see anybody lose their job, but at the end of the day your responsibility is to protect your constituents. We begged and we pleaded for the council to work with us so we could fight the developers, and they chose the developers when they approved that overlay. Unfortunately, we’ve come to this point,” said Bednash.
The group has also raised about $25,000 for a legal fund and says they’ve been speaking with state and county leaders about potential regulations.
Among the ideas they support, a proposed three-year moratorium on new data centers from state Senator Katie Muth that would allow more time for research and planning.
Organizers say what once felt like a small community taking on powerful developers is beginning to shift.
“For such a long time it seemed like David versus Goliath. But with all the support we’ve had, I really feel like we’re Goliath versus Goliath at this point, so I’m very confident and very hopeful that we will be able to stop these proposals,” said Bednash.
Still, residents say even if data centers are ultimately allowed in the borough’s industrial zone, they want strong oversight.
“This is not a cross-your-fingers situation. Even when they’re hopefully up in the industrial area, we need them to be held accountable. We need projects to be shut down or even running data centers to be shut down if they’re not going to follow the strict stipulations that the borough eventually puts in place to protect the residents,” said Bednash.
County Commissioner Bill Gaughan has referred to residents involved in the effort as “guardians of their town”—a description organizers say reflects how they see their role.
More conditional use hearings for proposed data center projects are expected in the coming weeks.