Gov. Josh Shapiro and Treasurer Stacy Garrity have laid out their positions on data centers
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Data center development and proposals have become a flashpoint issue throughout Pennsylvania, and the candidates for governor have laid out their positions on the issue.
Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro and Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity are vying for the office in the upcoming election on Nov. 3.
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Both Shapiro and Garrity at one point supported data center development in some form. Shapiro touted Amazon’s $20 billion investment for two centers in eastern Pennsylvania, while Garrity encouraged deregulation to allow more data centers to be built.
As the pitfalls of AI development became clearer, both candidates have backed regulation.
Shapiro has touted the executive order he signed in August which put severe restrictions on data center development.
The order follows the governor’s “GRID” standards for data centers unveiled in February, requiring developers to use their own power for centers and pay for it themselves, along with requiring the use of clean energy.
The order also requires approval by municipalities before state permits for a project can be issued.
“AI data center developers who want to do business in our commonwealth must respect our communities and abide by these stringent requirements,” Shapiro said upon signing the order. “And if they can’t agree to that, they should stop considering Pennsylvania.”
Garrity supports many of the same measures, along with developing data centers in more underutilized areas.
“Communities need to be protected, and data center development should be restricted to industrial and brownfield sites, and we have a ton of those sites,” Garrity said at a listening session in June. “We have a ton of those sites, and it should not be residential areas because what I hear is ‘Not in my backyard.'”
During their first and only debate on Wednesday, the candidates disagreed over whether the state needs a moratorium on new projects.
Shapiro defended his executive order establishing guardrails for artificial intelligence and data center development, saying his administration has prioritized protecting local communities, the environment and residents who could be affected by the projects.
Garrity argued that communities need more time to update their zoning regulations and protect residents from unwanted development, though she did not specify how long of a pause she would call for.
“A real leader doesn’t need that long of a pause,” Garrity said. “You get all the stakeholders around the table, and you find out what you need to protect ratepayers and protect communities. So, as long as it takes.”
When pressed on whether she would support a 90-day pause, six months or another defined period, Garrity said the timeline should be based on how quickly the work could be completed.
“No, I come from the private sector, so I think he could get it done very quickly,” Garrity said.
Shapiro defended not calling for a moratorium, arguing that his administration has already established the policies needed to protect residents.
“A moratorium is a timeline to get to a policy. I put in place the strictest policy, the strictest guardrails in the nation to ensure that our communities are protected,” Shapiro said. “If a local community does not want that data center to be built in their community, it will not be built.”
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