On his terrace overlooking the forest in eastern Pennsylvania, Ed Negra lays out four letters. All are from a developer promising a $10,000 check to each household once its data center is running.<\/p>\n
“I call it a bribe,” says the American retiree.<\/p>\n
The scene is picture-perfect. Autumn leaves are turning russet, and there is a stunning mountain view in this corner of Pennsylvania, a key state in America’s upcoming midterm elections.<\/p>\n
“We thought it was a beautiful place to retire,” says the septuagenarian, who used to manage a large building-supply store in neighboring New Jersey.<\/p>\n
He and his wife settled in a sprawling gated community with round-the-clock security.<\/p>\n
Eagle Rock Resort, in Hazle Township, has hundreds of comfortable homes scattered through the woods, two golf courses, swimming pools, an equestrian center and even a few ski slopes for the winter.<\/p>\n
“We didn’t know until we heard all the noise” of chainsaws in late 2024, Negra recalls.<\/p>\n
More than 1,200 acres (500 hectares) of land below the resort were cleared to build the future server complex.<\/p>\n
Residents quickly mobilized. They were furious that no one had warned them, and they worried about noise and pollution.<\/p>\n
Their fight echoes many conflicts across the United States over data centers, which have become an issue in the November 3 vote.<\/p>\n
Local opposition blocked or delayed at least 75 data center projects in the first three months of 2026, according to Data Center Watch, which tracks resistance to the industry.<\/p>\n
And polls show that the hostility crosses party lines.<\/p>\n
But Republican President Donald Trump fervently backs these projects in the name of US dominance in artificial intelligence, and he chastises those who oppose them.<\/p>\n
– ‘Drop in the bucket’ –<\/p>\n
In Hazle Township, residents won a court-ordered halt to construction as well as a municipal moratorium.<\/p>\n
A few pieces of heavy equipment sit idle on the vast cleared tract. The logs have already been hauled away.<\/p>\n
But developer NorthPoint Development has not given up.<\/p>\n
Its letters now flood local mailboxes, saying “there is a lot of misinformation and fear that has circulated about data centers and our project.”<\/p>\n
The letters also lay out a $165 million fund for the township and its residents.<\/p>\n
The money would pay for a new police station, lower trash fees and more.<\/p>\n
Part of it, $45 million, is to be paid directly to the 4,500 households once the data center’s first building goes into service.<\/p>\n
In the former mining town, one in six residents lives below the poverty line, according to official data.<\/p>\n
“For a young, struggling couple… living from paycheck to paycheck, $10,000 is a lot of money,” says Jeff Fasnacht, a retired high school teacher who lives in the gated community.<\/p>\n
Like Negra, he sees the offer as a bribe. He also calls it “a drop in the bucket” compared with how much value his home could lose if the project goes ahead.<\/p>\n
“This was supposed to be pristine forest forever,” sighs the golf enthusiast.<\/p>\n
Neither the developer nor township officials responded to AFP’s requests for comment.<\/p>\n
– ‘David and Goliath’ –<\/p>\n
Across the valley, residents of rural Sugarloaf Township are fighting a high-voltage power line that is likely intended to supply the data center.<\/p>\n
They are not eligible for the possible $10,000 check.<\/p>\n
“There’s no amount of money that can replace or take away the beauty, the tranquility that we live in,” says Annie Vinatieri. She shares a house with her in-laws, her husband and their young son.<\/p>\n
She has been fighting the power line for almost two years.<\/p>\n
“This fight feels akin to a David and Goliath fight,” she says. She takes heart in how many residents have rallied against tech interests: “The empowerment is unbelievable.”<\/p>\n
Erika Cook, 42, lives nearby and works remotely for an insurance company.<\/p>\n
She and her husband raise a few chickens and keep a vegetable garden. They also tap maple trees for syrup in the woods on their property.<\/p>\n
Part of that land is now the target of an eminent domain proceeding to make room for a huge transmission tower.<\/p>\n
Republicans dominate at the ballot box in this region. Cook says opposition to data centers has one virtue here: “It’s bringing people together… across party lines.”<\/p>\n
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