Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) signed an executive order Tuesday to remove current and future data centers from Pennsylvania’s fast-track permitting program, which he says has received more than 100 data center proposals from technology companies.
The governor decried the “unacceptable number of speculative proposals” that have been submitted to the state for consideration. He also accused tech companies of “being aggressive with township officials, bullying our neighbors, and refusing to listen to the people of Pennsylvania” while presenting their case for more data centers.
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The state’s new requirements, which Shapiro hailed as the most stringent in the nation, are focused on protecting energy affordability for Pennsylvania residents, promoting transparency from data center developers, and reducing the environmental risks associated with the advanced infrastructure.
“If these companies want to do business here, they need to comply with the strictest guardrails in the nation on data center development, starting today,” Shapiro said before signing the order. “Otherwise, they’ll have to go somewhere else.”
The executive action comes after the Democratic governor introduced the GRID Requirements in his most recent budget address to manage the rapid growth of data centers. The standards, however, did not fully pass the state legislature.
The Pennsylvania state Senate, controlled by a Republican majority, did not bring up the measure for a vote after the state’s lower chamber approved it. Shapiro criticized Joe Pittman, the Republican majority leader of the state Senate, for refusing to act on the proposal.
“The absence of legislative approval has left me with no other option but to protect the people of Pennsylvania by taking executive action to put the strictest guardrails in the nation in place to stop the predatory developers and bad proposals,” the governor said.
“Because I’ve heard loud and clear from the people of Pennsylvania as I’ve traveled our Commonwealth, and I’m here to say that we will not be bullied by developers and bulldozed by the lawyers working for these big tech companies,” he added.
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Shapiro is not entirely opposed to data centers; he announced two projects last year to generate thousands of new jobs and bring in $20 billion in new investment to Pennsylvania.
The governor’s executive order comes as more local residents across the country protest the construction of data centers in their respective jurisdictions over rising electricity costs and environmental concerns.
