The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill last month with bipartisan support that seeks to set guardrails on data center development aimed to protect communities across the commonwealth from the industry’s high energy usage. However, my opponent in the 143rd House District, Republican Shelby Labs, voted against it.
On average, 1-in-5 Pennsylvanians reported having trouble paying their utility bills. In 2025 alone, utility shutoffs soared 38%. As the affordability crisis rages on, uncertainty around utility costs is only going to increase. This is due in large part to data centers rapidly coming online throughout our Commonwealth.
One hyperscale data center facility consumes enough energy that could power nearly 100,000 homes. Pennsylvania’s current energy grid cannot withstand these facilities coming online without guardrails in place that protect both consumers and our natural resources. House Bill 1834, introduced by Rep. Rob Matzie of Beaver County and sent to the State Senate for consideration, is the first step towards ensuring data center development in Pennsylvania is not on the back of ratepayers.
If passed, this bill would require data centers to source a portion of their energy capacity from in-state clean sources, like solar, nuclear, geothermal, and battery storage. Clean energy is the most reliable form of electricity to serve large load facilities like data centers, as it can quickly make its way through our grid’s congested interconnection queue, provide 24/7 reliability, and reduce harmful emissions that would pollute surrounding communities.
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This also presents a significant opportunity for Pennsylvania’s labor unions, as there will be an increased need for skilled union labor to construct and maintain these energy systems. It also ensures the technology is not sourced from out-of-state entities.
The bill also implements several consumer protection provisions.
West Rockhill Township Wants to Get Ahead of the Curve in Case It Runs Into a Data Center | About 150 people turned out to voice concerns over environmental impacts, noise pollution, NDAs and a lack of transparency as supervisors passed the first version of a likely to be revised zoning ordinance.
— Bucks County Beacon (@buckscountybeacon.com) 2026-04-19T10:22:49.792Z
Data centers will be required to contribute to an account that bolsters funding for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This program has been under threat by the Trump Administration in recent years, and in its most recent budget draft, the administration proposed eliminating the $4 billion dollar program entirely and letting low-income households fend for themselves. Over 300,000 families in Pennsylvania rely on LIHEAP to heat their homes in the winter, and the state alone cannot backfill the $215 million dollars it receives from the program on average. Having data centers contribute to the Data Center LIHEAP Enhancement Account ensures low-income ratepayers will have access to reliable utility relief in the wake of potential federal cuts and high-energy facilities coming online.
Pennsylvania’s electric distribution companies, like PECO and PPL, will be prohibited from shifting the costs needed to serve data centers onto ratepayers. High energy demand means significant upgrades will be needed for the energy grids generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure. Under this legislation, any infrastructure upgrades will have to be paid for by the data center itself.
Overall, this bill is a big win in the fight against the affordability crisis in Pennsylvania. Which is why it’s disappointing to see Representative Labs cast a negative vote. Her website says she’s “working across the aisle to lower energy prices,” but when she had the chance to do just that, she decided not to.
At a time where working families are struggling more and more, we can’t have a representative that’s asleep at the wheel. As PA-143’s next State Representative, I will always fight to protect ratepayers, preserve our natural resources, provide opportunities for our labor unions, and make data centers pay their own way.