Gallup poll<\/a> released in May found that 71% of Americans oppose the construction of local data centers, with 48% of respondents strongly opposed.\n<\/p>\nBrown initially co-chaired a Senate Majority Policy Committee on data centers in August with state Sen. David Argall, R-29, at Valley View High School. The three-hour hearing painted data centers in a favorable light as a panel of 19 subject matter witnesses largely touted the benefits of the industry.<\/p>\n
Brown said she held the hearing to educate herself, municipal leaders and residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came out of that hearing really not thrilled with some of the information that I had,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel confident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Do it right\u2019<\/p>\n
Brown contrasted her legislation with Gov. Josh Shapiro\u2019s recently announced \u201cGovernor\u2019s Responsible Infrastructure Development\u201d standards, or GRID, that require data center developers to comply with new, stricter guidelines to receive support from the state. The Democratic governor traveled to Archbald and Blakely in May to unveil the standards, which are not mandatory. Instead, the program incentivizes developers with tax benefits and faster permitting.<\/p>\n
Developers who apply for GRID certification must outline how they will protect energy affordability, promote transparency and community engagement, support the workforce and economic development, and protect the environment.<\/p>\n
The standards reflect some of the conversations surrounding utility usage and the environment, but they\u2019re not mandated, Brown said. Her legislation would require data centers to comply.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not asking you to do it right,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s saying, \u2018You are going to do it right, and you\u2019re going to do it right because it\u2019s the right thing to do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Shapiro\u2019s standards took a major step forward Wednesday when state representatives voted 134-68 to pass House Bill 2650, which would codify GRID standards into law. If it passes the Senate, the legislation would replace an existing sales tax exemption on data center equipment with a GRID certification framework, according to the governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
Rosie Lapowsky, a spokeswoman for the governor, cited an unwillingness from leadership in the Republican-controlled state Senate to pass any data center legislation.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernor Shapiro\u2019s GRID standards are a real proposal with bipartisan legislative momentum to establish clear, commonsense requirements for data center developers, including bringing their own power, being transparent with local communities, supporting workers, and protecting natural resources,\u201d Lapowsky said in a statement. \u201cIf Senator Brown is serious in her position and wishes to do something different, she should actually work with her leadership in the State Senate \u2014 who have stated they will not be moving any data center regulation legislation \u2014 to get something done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown contends the state has not adequately supported communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe state has not done what it needs to do at this point, which is why, I think, my voice has become very strong as far as, \u2018Pay attention \u2014 pay attention to what is going on,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u2018Critical local oversight\u2019<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania needs a moratorium on data centers to give itself time to put up guide rails at the state level, Brown said. A moratorium would also give municipalities more time to address the industry at the local level, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of very detailed information for a township supervisor or borough council member that have other jobs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Introduced June 4 by Muth, Senate Bill 1359, which was co-sponsored by Brown and Sen. Carolyn Comitta, D-19, would create a 36-month moratorium on hyperscale data centers and the infrastructure needed to power them.<\/p>\n
The moratorium would attempt to halt all hyperscale projects by preventing the state, governmental agencies, political subdivisions and public benefit corporations of the state from issuing permits or approvals for the siting, construction or commencement of data centers, regardless of when they received the application.\n<\/p>\n
Brown acknowledged the uphill legal battle it would face trying to retroactively stop projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cRetroactivity in the law is very difficult \u2014 it usually doesn\u2019t happen,\u201d she said. \u201cAt this point, I hope that the municipalities have been working pretty hard across the region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Municipalities in Pennsylvania are required to allow for every lawful land use, from data centers to power plants. Failing to include a use in their zoning ordinance exposes a municipality to legal challenges over exclusionary zoning.<\/p>\n
Alternatively, data center developers have capitalized on unclear or overly permissive zoning language to propose data centers in areas where municipal governments didn\u2019t necessarily intend them.<\/p>\n
Also on Wednesday, the state House nearly unanimously voted to pass House Bill 2496, which would amend the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, or MPC, to allow municipalities to put a six-month pause on data center proposals. Co-sponsors included state Reps. Kyle Mullins, D-112, Blakely, and Kyle Donahue, D-113, Scranton.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cLarge-scale data centers cannot be allowed to bypass community scrutiny,\u201d Mullins said in a statement. \u201cWith development surging across Pennsylvania, this bill ensures critical local oversight and forces transparency before any projects are approved. It ensures that municipalities can set strict expectations and that decisions of this magnitude are made openly and in the public interest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Good planning takes time, and local governments deserve the ability to make informed decisions, Donahue said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cMunicipal officials across Pennsylvania are being asked to make decisions about massive data center developments without having the tools, information or local regulations in place to properly evaluate them,\u201d Donahue said. \u201cThis legislation gives communities the opportunity to take a brief pause, gather the facts, engage residents and develop thoughtful ordinances that protect public safety and quality of life before these projects move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The House bill, which does not use the term moratorium, would give local governments the power to adopt a resolution imposing a 180-day pause on the consideration of data center developments. Currently, a municipality\u2019s only way to buy itself time to amend its land-use laws to address new developments is through the curative amendment process, where a municipal government declares its zoning ordinance invalid and drafts a zoning amendment to cure the defect and regulate the new use. The curative amendment process also gives a town six months, but it can only be used once every three years, according to a news release from House Democrats.<\/p>\n
Brown said she has instructed municipalities in her district that, if they don\u2019t have an ordinance in place governing data centers, they need to adopt one immediately \u2014 or seek their own moratorium.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need time to make sure they get this right,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThey cannot get this wrong, and we have seen the wrong already happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Brian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/STT-L-WRIGHTSON-0628-01.jpg\")
Brian Wrightson (SUBMITTED)
\nChallenger Brian Wrightson weighs in<\/p>\n
State Sen. Rosemary Brown\u2019s Democratic challenger for the 40th District seat, Brian Wrightson, took aim at the timing of her legislation.\n<\/p>\n
Wrightson, 57, a Jessup native living in Archbald, will vie for Brown\u2019s state Senate seat in November.\n<\/p>\n
He called the state of data centers \u201cabsolutely horrible\u201d in Northeast Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a travesty of what\u2019s going on,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t blame the local councils and township supervisors at all for this. I blame the big corporate bullies that decided to pick on Northeast Pennsylvania.\u201d<\/p>\n
He criticized Brown\u2019s Senate hearing on data centers in August for putting a positive spin on the industry, and the time it took to put together legislation after holding the hearing nearly a year ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cRosemary could say all she wants that she\u2019s for us, she\u2019s going to sign on to a moratorium, she\u2019s for residents first, but where was she when this all began?\u201d Wrightson said. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t for the residents, she was for the big corporations, and that\u2019s where her position now has changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Brown supports a moratorium, Wrightson challenged that she should get Republican leadership in the Senate to put it to a vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that happens, great, and whatever the outcome is, we have to quasi live by that, right?\u201d he said. \u201cDon\u2019t talk \u2014 do.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an emailed statement, Brown chided Wrightson for choosing to \u201cplay politics with this important issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was meeting with residents, municipal officials, community groups and experts to hear their concerns and learn about the challenges surrounding large-scale data center development long before Mr. Wrightson entered the conversation. During that time, I did not see him at a single community meeting \u2014 including the very meeting he now criticizes,\u201d Brown said. \u201cWhile I appreciated the opportunity to hold a Senate hearing on this issue, I\u2019ve stated before that it did not provide all the answers I had hoped it would. That is exactly why I continued working with residents and local officials to develop my comprehensive Residents First legislative package.\u201d<\/p>\n
The senator described herself as a leading voice on the issue in the Pennsylvania Senate from the beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat leadership has resulted in meaningful progress, including the repeal of their sales tax exemption,\u201d she said. \u201cPerhaps Mr. Wrightson should try standing up to his ally Governor Josh Shapiro and ask why he is fast-tracking data center development across the state while I am working across the aisle to protect communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wrightson acknowledged he has not attended any of more than a dozen public hearings since January on data centers in Archbald, where he lives. He defended his decision, saying he\u2019d rather stay out of the focus, educate himself and be an ally. He commended Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan, county Controller Gary DiBileo and state Rep. Kyle Mullins, D-112, Blakely, for their testimony at hearings.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, showing up at those meetings would have been me saying, \u2018I\u2019m here grandstanding and looking for votes,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s not me. I am not that kind of a politician. I\u2019d rather show people by my actions and by my physical words, and not just showing up and saying, \u2018Here I am.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
If elected to the Senate, Wrightson wants to establish an independent statewide commission composed of affected residents, municipal officials, environmental experts and data center representatives. He also wants to explore the impacts of data centers on the agriculture and tourism industries.<\/p>\n
He agreed that data centers should be restricted to industrial areas, though any legislation doing so should be well defined.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not opposed to development, and I\u2019m not opposed to the job creation,\u201d Wrightson said. \u201cIt\u2019s the process, and where a lot of these places could come in and place them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As data center proposals flood Northeast Pennsylvania,\u00a0state Sen. Rosemary Brown proposes legislation that would limit large-scale campuses to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229765,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2116,201,182,2941,139,28,178,180,179,181,1481],"class_list":["post-229764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-data-centers","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-monroe-county","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-top-stories-stt","tag-wayne-county"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229764","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=229764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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