Vicki Lightcap: Pennsylvania’s data center boom doesn’t have to come at communities’ expense
Pennsylvania is undergoing a data center boom, but depending on which side of the debate you fall on, that’s either a reason to celebrate or a reason to protest. Either way, there is no denying that data centers bring real, tangible benefits to Pennsylvanians.
Just look at Homer City, where a $10 billion project to build a power plant and data center is expected to create 10,000 on-site construction jobs and 1,000 direct and indirect permanent jobs in areas such as operations and energy infrastructure. The local school district has also seen job applications surge and a financial outlook turn around almost overnight.
As a state, we need to find ways to responsibly develop data centers so that other communities can reap similar benefits, but it’s vital that residents have a voice in the process.
That’s exactly what Penn Forest Township in Carbon County has done, and while I’m no longer serving as Pennsburg Mayor, I know good policymaking when I see it.
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