As data center developers continually propose new facilities throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro recognized their importance to the state\u2019s economy while also stressing the need to ensure they\u2019re meeting stringent regulations within individual communities during his 2026-27 budget address Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Shapiro announced the GRID \u2014 Governor\u2019s Responsible Infrastructure Development standards \u2014 developed by his administration, in consultation with the community, to hold data center developers accountable to strict standards if they want full support.<\/p>\n
Specifically, Shapiro laid out four main requirements data center developers must follow, including committing to bringing their own power generation \u2014 or paying entirely for the new generation; committing to transparency standards and community engagement; hiring and training local workers; and committing to the highest standards of environmental protection, especially water conservation.<\/p>\n
As one example of the demand data centers would place on resources in local communities, the Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus in Archbald would use 1,600 megawatts of power, and to offset its water demands that top out at 3.3 million gallons per day, the data center campus is exploring tapping into the mine water below as a source of cooling for its computers.<\/p>\n
Tamara Misewicz-Healey, who founded the Stop Archbald Data Centers group along with her husband, Justin Healey, believes Shapiro\u2019s standards could be beneficial, but also stressed they must be followed through completely.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s potential in all of them, but it\u2019s the fine details that really matter with any of them,\u201d she said. \u201cTransparency has been a huge problem within the state, and even local, level. I think that is kind of the emotion behind why residents even feel so upset and scared. There are a lot of questions, there are very little answers, and there is little opportunity for members to even participate. They\u2019re creating a lot of bills right now, but they\u2019re just kind of doing it on their own and pushing it through, rather than opening it up for public review and maybe a town hall to ask questions about it and give feedback on it. People want to know what\u2019s going on and they want to be a part of it to ensure it fits our future, and that it considers us in that future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Misewicz-Healey noted it\u2019s especially crucial that developers be held to strict environmental standards.<\/p>\n
\u201cSustainable, responsible development is absolutely important for human survival,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to get this right. We can\u2019t be reckless about this.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also would have liked to see Shapiro propose a one-year moratorium to limit the number of new data center projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we need, more than anything, is to slow this down and properly review it,\u201d Misewicz-Healey said. \u201cI think, above all else, that\u2019s what all the residents want to hear right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Supporting emergency responders<\/p>\n
Shapiro\u2019s budget proposal includes a $30 million investment in competitive grants through the Office of the State Fire Commissioner \u2014 doubling annual funding \u2014 to support recruitment, retention, and capital needs for volunteer and professional fire companies.<\/p>\n
Scranton Fire Chief John Judge expressed optimism that the funding will come through this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cFire departments across the state are struggling with funding for improvements to aging infrastructure,\u201d he said. \u201cAnytime they can set money aside in a competitive grant process, we definitely support that. Hopefully they can take the $6 million they continue to send to the western part of the state for Urban Search & Rescue teams and possibly add that to the $30 million. I\u2019m encouraged that he\u2019s continuing to put it in and hopefully the legislature will keep that funding stream in there for a competitive grant so we can update boiler systems, generators, and garage doors \u2014\u00a0 the basic needs in fire stations across the Commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Housing demands<\/p>\n
Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti attended Shapiro\u2019s address in Harrisburg and believes his plans for meeting the housing demand lines up with the city\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis comprehensive plan for housing really goes hand-in-hand with what we\u2019ve been doing in the city with making sure we\u2019ve streamlined our permitting department and permitting fees,\u201d she said. \u201cThe governor is also focusing on permitting reform and working with localities to make sure it matches the need for housing going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sen. Dave Argall, R-29, who serves Schuylkill, Carbon, and southern Luzerne counties, also agrees with\u00a0Shapiro that housing remains a critical issue in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am committed to expanding public-private partnerships to deliver more housing in our region, and we need policies that promote homeownership and remove unnecessary regulatory barriers,\u201d he said. \u201cAs a member of our state Senate\u2019s majority leadership team, I will continue to advocate for honest budgeting, restrained spending and policies that help more Pennsylvanians achieve the American Dream throughout this large district in Carbon, Luzerne and Schuylkill counties.\u201d<\/p>\n
Higher education<\/p>\n
Shapiro emphasized expanded access to education and training, investing in career and technical education, strengthening higher education pathways and addressing workforce shortages, according to a release from Luzerne County Communtiy College.<\/p>\n
He cited the growing demand for adult education and GED programs, noting that more than 700 individuals are currently on the waiting list at LCCC alone \u2014 a powerful example of both the challenge and the opportunity facing the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernor Shapiro made it clear today that Pennsylvania\u2019s future depends on education that is accessible, affordable, and directly connected to workforce needs \u2014 and that is exactly what community colleges like LCCC deliver every day,\u201d said John Yudichak, President, Luzerne County Community College. \u201cWhen you invest in community colleges, you are investing in local talent, local employers, and local economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As data center developers continually propose new facilities throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro recognized their importance to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105177,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[201,182,803,139,28,231,178,180,179,181],"class_list":["post-105176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-luzerne-county","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-schuylkill-county","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-top-stories-stt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}