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Last Update: 09/17/2026 at 4:01 PM EST
Pennsylvania Data Center Rules Tighten
Coverage from PoliticsPA, Adams & Reese, and others
What’s
Going On
Going On
Executive Order 2026-05 generally requires large data centers to secure municipal approvals before Pennsylvania environmental permits advance.
Start Here4 of 166 articles
A few articles that between them cover the whole topic, picked by the role each one plays.
If you read one thing
Pennsylvania Tightens Data Center Permitting RulesIt provides the clearest overall account of Pennsylvania's new local-first permitting, infrastructure-cost, GRID, and incentive framework.
Best explainer
Pennsylvania Order Gives Local Officials More Power Over Data CentersIt connects the order's local approval requirements with energy, water, environmental, and municipal-leverage consequences.
The counter-case
Pennsylvania Data Center Order Faces Questions Over Executive AuthorityIt materially updates the topic by showing why GRID compliance may condition expedited review without being legally mandatory.
The evidence
Pennsylvania Data Centers Could Drive Major Power Demand Growth by 2030It supplies quantified utility and reliability evidence for why Pennsylvania is shifting grid costs and planning responsibilities toward developers.
Where It Stands
The forces this coverage keeps returning to, and which way each has moved.
Local-first, conditional permitting
Pennsylvania now places municipal zoning, comprehensive-plan, and other local approvals ahead of state environmental permitting for large data centers. GRID-compliant or consent-order projects can receive rolling review, while noncompliant projects face slower review and reduced access to incentives.
Stable
Developers bear more grid capacity and cost
Utilities and regulators are adapting tariffs, load forecasts, interconnection reviews, and reliability planning to rapid data-center demand growth, with policy aimed at making developers fund project-caused generation and grid investments. Forecast load growth and PJM reliability concerns make power availability and cost allocation binding constraints.
Stable
Energy, water, and environmental obligations
GRID-linked requirements incorporate clean-energy procurement, full project-cost responsibility, water conservation, backup-generation limits, environmental safeguards, and recurring energy-water reporting into the approval framework. Reporting beginning in 2027 will make resource impacts more visible and compliance more consequential.
Stable
Municipal leverage and community resistance
Municipalities and residents are using zoning disputes, approval conditions, community-benefit negotiations, pause proposals, and transparency demands to shape hyperscale projects. Conflicts remain centered on land use, power and water capacity, environmental risk, disclosure, and whether economic benefits justify local impacts.
Stable
Key Numbers
Figures the coverage reports, each traced back to the sentence it came from.
25 megawatts
peak demand threshold for the two-track permitting system
“The order creates a two-track permitting system for data center projects with peak demand exceeding 25 megawatts.”
above 25 megawatts
project threshold for a formal DEP legal agreement
“The order’s genuinely new feature is a two-track enforcement structure through DEP. Data center projects above 25 megawatts must enter a formal legal agreement with the department. Projects complying with the governor’s GRID framework receive streamlined review, while those that do not face more rigorous review.”
at least 10 megawatts
peak electric demand threshold for mandatory annual energy and water reporting
“Pennsylvania’s Fiscal Code already required every data center with peak electric demand of at least 10 megawatts to report annual energy and water usage to the Department of Environmental Protection.”
about 30 percent %
planned data-center capacity as a share of PJM’s 2025 summer peak load
“The issue is especially significant in PJM Interconnection, which serves more than 67 million people across 13 states and the District of Columbia. PJM contains major U.S. titanium, aluminum, steel and semiconductor manufacturing capacity, while facing 48.5 gigawatts of planned data-center capacity—about 30 percent of its 2025 summer peak load. The central concern is whether the grid can support defense-related industrial mobilization while absorbing large amounts of uncertain commercial demand.”
48.5 gigawatts GW
planned data-center capacity in PJM
“The issue is especially significant in PJM Interconnection, which serves more than 67 million people across 13 states and the District of Columbia. PJM contains major U.S. titanium, aluminum, steel and semiconductor manufacturing capacity, while facing 48.5 gigawatts of planned data-center capacity—about 30 percent of its 2025 summer peak load. The central concern is whether the grid can support defense-related industrial mobilization while absorbing large amounts of uncertain commercial demand.”
What’s Contested
Should Pennsylvania continue approving large data centers under enforceable conditions, or pause or restrict new development until broader impacts are studied and local rules are updated?
The corpus presents a substantive policy disagreement. One side supports continued development through enforceable GRID-linked energy, infrastructure, environmental, transparency, and community-benefit requirements. The other favors pauses, moratoria, delayed approvals, or reduced incentives while officials assess grid, water, environmental, and community impacts and revise local rules.
Conditional development
Allow large data centers to proceed under enforceable GRID-linked energy, environmental, infrastructure, workforce, transparency, and community-benefit requirements.
Pause or restrict development
Temporarily pause, delay, or more broadly restrict new hyperscale data centers and reconsider special incentives until state and local officials can address their impacts and update local rules.
Does Executive Order 2026-05 make GRID compliance legally mandatory for large data centers, or does it primarily condition expedited review and incentives while preserving a slower non-GRID pathway?
The corpus contains conflicting interpretations of the order's legal effect. Some accounts describe GRID standards as mandatory requirements for new hyperscale projects and conditions for permitting. Others report that developers can decline GRID certification, proceed through a slower review track, and challenge the framework's enforceability because the order disclaims an enforceable right or benefit.
Mandatory GRID compliance
Large data centers must satisfy GRID standards to obtain the applicable permitting pathway and associated state benefits.
Conditional or contestable compliance
GRID participation is not an absolute legal prerequisite because developers can use a slower non-GRID review route, while the order's enforceability remains unresolved.
How It Developed
124 Day Timeline
May 15
Jun 5
Jun 26
Jul 17
Aug 4
Aug 25
Sep 15
The Story So Far
Clarification
GRID compliance remains legally contestable despite its link to permitting and tax incentives
New reporting clarifies that Pennsylvania’s framework does not create a single mandatory path for large data centers: developers can avoid GRID certification through slower review, while the order’s standards lack an enforceable right against the state. The administration nevertheless tied GRID compliance to streamlined permitting and new applicants’ equipment-tax exemption, despite lawmakers declining to mandate the framework.
Previously
Pennsylvania is requiring data center developers to secure local approvals and meet stricter energy, water, environmental, transparency, and community-benefit standards before receiving state permits. Governor Josh Shapiro’s Executive Order 2026-05 also removes data centers from the Permit Fast Track Program, limits nondisclosure agreements, and shifts responsibility for project-related generation and grid infrastructure toward developers. The changes could lengthen approval timelines while giving municipalities greater influence over projects and increasing scrutiny of their effects on power systems, water resources, and ratepayers.
History
09/16/2026
The story now emphasizes Pennsylvania’s response to a large but largely unpermitted data-center pipeline, with utilities and regulators actively revising forecasts, rates, interconnection reviews, and reliability planning.
09/06/2026
The story is now framed as moving into implementation and public scrutiny, with compliant projects potentially retaining some state incentives. Most substantive permitting requirements and impacts remain unchanged.
All the Evidence166 articles
Every article behind this topic, ranked by CI Score.
Important
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued Executive Order 2026-05 in Pennsylvania, creating differentiated DEP review for data centers based on GRID compliance while retaining a slower pathway for other projects.
9/15/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
After August 18, Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection began applying GRID requirements to large data center permit applications, creating expedited and standard pathways for developers statewide.
8/27/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania PUC issued a model large-load tariff in May 2026, and Act 21 of 2026 expands load-forecast oversight and 2027 energy and water reporting for covered data centers.
7/22/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers consider a municipal 180-day data center application moratorium, GRID tax-certification requirements, and tighter PJM demand forecast oversight.
7/20/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Stonebridge Associates seeks preliminary planning consent for a 16-building data center campus at the Powder Mills Site in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, with a July 20 public meeting scheduled.
7/15/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
In Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro and Stacy Garrity debate proposed data center rules on moratoriums and conditional incentives tied to clean energy, community benefits, and utility contracting.
7/13/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania approved Fiscal Code reporting and enforcement for data centers over 10 megawatts starting July 1, 2027, while a data center moratorium bill and sales tax repeal stalled.
7/12/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
In Pennsylvania, state lawmakers and local officials debate limits on data center development as fair-share zoning constrains municipal bans and bills propose moratoriums and tax changes.
7/8/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania State Sen. Rosemary Brown proposed Residents First legislation restricting large data center siting and adding water and will-serve disclosure requirements before municipal applications.
6/26/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers passed GRID-linked data-center tax certification and a six-month municipal application pause bill, sending both measures to the state Senate.
6/25/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania House lawmakers passed H.B. 2496, H.B. 2650, and H.B. 2198 to change local siting pauses, GRID certification, and sales-tax incentives before a June 30 budget deadline.
6/25/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania House members passed a Shapiro-backed bill conditioning data center tax incentives on environmental, energy, and transparency requirements, sending it to the state Senate.
6/24/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania released GRID Standards for data centers of 25 MW or more, linking state incentives to energy planning, incremental generation, community outreach, and environmental conditions.
6/8/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Governors and gubernatorial candidates in Pennsylvania, Texas, Arizona, New York, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin are tightening or proposing data center restrictions as election-year opposition grows.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania legislators considered data center incentive, tax, regulatory, and energy bills in Harrisburg during 2026.
8/6/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates Stacy Garrity and Josh Shapiro debate data center incentives and moratorium options in the 2026 campaign.
7/7/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, paused data center applications for 180 days after residents opposed NorthPoint Development's Project Hazelnut and demanded updated zoning restrictions.
7/6/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an order in Pennsylvania on August 18, 2026, imposing conditional permits and resource obligations on large data centers.
9/10/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued an executive order requiring data center developers statewide to secure local approvals and meet GRID standards before state permitting.
9/1/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Public records requests found that officials in four Pennsylvania municipalities signed data center NDAs during a state fast-track permitting program, prompting transparency concerns in 2025.
9/4/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Upper Mount Bethel Township supervisors delayed approval of a zoning and incentive memorandum for Slate Belt Holdings' proposed data center campus in Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
8/26/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Upper Mount Bethel Township supervisors in Pennsylvania declined Monday to sign Slate Belt Holdings' memorandum of understanding for a proposed two-gigawatt data center campus.
8/12/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Upper Mount Bethel Township supervisors declined Monday to sign Slate Belt Holdings' agreement for a potential two-gigawatt data center campus in Pennsylvania.
8/11/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Talen Energy and River Pointe Logistics formed Slate Belt Holdings to pursue data-center development on 754 acres in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, amid zoning and power constraints.
7/29/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration shared GRID draft data center standards with Amazon and the Data Center Coalition before public release, according to Right-to-Know emails.
7/24/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to expedite permitting and incentives for qualifying AI data centers, affecting proposed projects in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
7/22/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers added budget-based energy and water disclosure rules for data centers above 10 megawatts while sales tax exemptions and broader regulation proposals remained unresolved.
7/20/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Stacy Garrity and Josh Shapiro debate Pennsylvania data center policy as state lawmakers consider tax-repeal and incentive-condition bills.
7/7/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Senator Rosemary Brown proposed a three-year statewide hyperscale data center moratorium in Pennsylvania in 2020s committee proceedings in Harrisburg.
6/30/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers advanced House Bill 2359, a 180-day municipal pause bill, and House Bill 2650 GRID certification as data center siting debates grow across the state.
6/17/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2026-05 on August 18, 2026, restricting state data center permits until developers secure local approvals and meet specified standards.
9/2/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Josh Shapiro established mandatory infrastructure, energy, workforce, transparency, and community requirements for new hyperscale data centers across Pennsylvania.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued Executive Order 2026-05 on August 18, 2026, requiring local approvals before environmental permits for large data centers statewide.
8/26/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an August 18, 2026 executive order requiring data centers statewide to meet GRID conditions before permitting and tax incentives.
8/25/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued Executive Order 2026-05 on August 18, 2026, changing DEP permitting procedures statewide for data centers exceeding 25 MW.
8/20/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday requiring AI data centers statewide to meet environmental safeguards, disclose development terms, and secure local approval.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday in Harrisburg requiring data centers to fund energy costs, meet environmental standards, and obtain local approval.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro ordered new statewide data center guardrails requiring local approval, water conservation, electricity cost responsibility, and project-provided generation.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order in Harrisburg establishing binding requirements for artificial intelligence data centers amid rising development disputes across Pennsylvania.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is facing growing voter and local-government opposition in 2025 over expedited permitting, tax incentives, and infrastructure costs tied to data center development.
8/14/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is pursuing data center standards and executive actions after opposition to rapid development intensified across Pennsylvania.
8/11/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Muncy Township residents met with State Rep. Joe Hamm in Pennsylvania as a proposed data center waits under a six-month local moratorium amid energy and water concerns.
7/17/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania boroughs and townships apply zoning and conditional-use standards to manage data center siting and local impacts, including noise, traffic, and water demand.
7/13/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania State Rep. Christina Sappey reported House Bill 2535 out of committee, requiring annual floor plans and infrastructure inventories to local fire officials for large-scale data centers.
7/4/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Christina Sappey-backed House Bill 2535 passed a House emergency preparedness committee in the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, requiring annual data-center plans for fire companies.
7/3/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers advanced bills in 2024 to expand municipal control over data center permitting using disclosure rules, emergency planning sharing, and application pause authorities.
7/2/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Senate Local Government Committee in Wednesday votes advanced local data center moratorium bills while rejecting a statewide three-year moratorium proposal.
6/30/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced Responsible Infrastructure Development standards and Fast Track permitting as residents in Archbald opposed proposed AI data centers, including Project Boson.
6/22/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Governors and candidates across the United States are tightening or reconsidering data-center approvals and incentives in response to election-year opposition over electricity, water, land, and community impacts.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Environmental Integrity Project report links Pennsylvania data center power plans to seven behind-the-meter gas plants totaling about 14 GW and 68 million tons CO2e yearly.
7/2/2026 • Power Procurement & Grid • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled GRID standards and a municipal evaluation toolkit in Blakely and Archbald to address local opposition to proposed data center campuses.
5/27/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Plymouth Township, Pennsylvania faces a legal dispute with developer Brian O'Neill over zoning conditions for a planned 2 million-square-foot data center.
7/28/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is tightening data center approvals statewide after investment plans near Pittsburgh and former industrial sites triggered pollution and community concerns.
8/31/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an August 2026 executive order requiring major data center developers to secure local approvals and meet GRID standards before receiving state permits and tax benefits.
8/27/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order requiring most new data centers statewide to meet GRID standards and local approval conditions before receiving state permits.
8/25/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro imposed stricter DEP review requirements on data center proposals statewide, effective for applications submitted after August 18.
8/25/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro recently imposed enforceable local approval, power, water, labor, and environmental conditions on future data center projects across Pennsylvania.
8/21/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued an Aug. 18 executive order requiring new AI data centers statewide to meet mandatory power, water, environmental, and local approval standards.
8/21/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order requiring stricter permitting and public disclosure for proposed data centers across Pennsylvania.
8/21/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an August 19 order requiring data centers to secure local approvals and GRID commitments before state permit review.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued Executive Order 2026-05 on August 18, 2026, requiring local approvals before DEP permits data centers statewide.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an order requiring local approval and detailed power commitments before state permitting of large data centers in Pennsylvania.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday in Pennsylvania requiring local approval and new environmental, power, transparency, and community standards for data centers.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an August 18, 2026 executive order requiring AI data centers statewide to fund power, secure local approval, and meet strict environmental standards.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will announce Tuesday an executive order requiring stricter state and local reviews for data centers across Pennsylvania.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday requiring AI data centers statewide to meet GRID standards and local approvals before receiving expedited permits or equipment tax exemptions.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed executive orders Tuesday in Harrisburg imposing stricter local, power, infrastructure, and water requirements on data center developers statewide.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2026-05 in Pennsylvania in 2026, imposing stricter environmental, infrastructure, permitting, and community requirements on proposed data centers.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2026-05 in Pennsylvania requiring data center developers to secure local approvals and meet enforceable GRID energy, environmental, and community conditions.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday requiring local approval and stricter infrastructure, transparency, and water standards for data center projects across Pennsylvania.
8/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania is reviewing and building dozens of hyperscale data center projects aiming for 100 MW+ capacity as Governor Josh Shapiro and lawmakers consider zoning and sales tax changes amid water and environmental concerns.
7/8/2026 • Market Demand & Investment • General
Interesting
Green Amendments For The Generations hosted a webinar in Pennsylvania explaining how Article I Section 27 can be used to oppose data center siting and zoning approvals.
7/21/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Montour County residents and lawmakers urged a Pennsylvania data center moratorium during a rally over Amazon’s $20 billion investment, tax exemptions, and expected grid upgrade costs.
6/23/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
On Aug. 18, 2026, Governor Josh Shapiro imposed clean-energy and job-creation agreements on Pennsylvania data center developers, while projects across the state continued amid hearings, opposition, and appeals.
8/30/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday requiring local approvals and energy and water disclosures for data center projects statewide.
8/21/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania State Rep. Joe Webster proposed legislation requiring data centers statewide to report annual water and electricity use, community benefits, and compliance information.
8/7/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers advanced data center bills on NDA limits, occupancy disclosures, and municipal application holds while PJM Interconnection received federal emergency authority for backup generation during a 2026 July heat wave.
7/7/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday in Harrisburg removing data centers from fast-track permitting and tightening project reviews after growing statewide opposition.
8/24/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2026-05 in Pennsylvania, expanding local oversight and public feedback requirements for proposed data center projects.
8/23/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order this week imposing stricter cost, transparency, labor, environmental, water, and permitting requirements on data center developers statewide.
8/21/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Recently, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order limiting new data centers across Pennsylvania amid community, environmental, and energy concerns.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued statewide data center development rules, prompting mixed reactions from industry, lawmakers, labor, and environmental groups across Pennsylvania.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2026-05 in Harrisburg, removing Pennsylvania AI data centers from expedited permitting and imposing GRID Requirements for local, energy, transparency, and environmental protections.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order requiring data center developers statewide to secure local approvals and provide energy capacity before state permitting.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2026-05 in Harrisburg, requiring data center proposals to meet GRID Requirements and receive local approval before state permit review.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday in Pennsylvania restricting new data centers through stricter reviews, municipal approvals, and self-power requirements.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission forecasts major industrial electricity growth by 2030 as data centers expand demand in PPL Electric Utilities territory and increase PJM reliability pressures.
9/6/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
During 2025 and 2026, FERC, PJM Interconnection, and state regulators reassessed large data-center load forecasts and infrastructure cost commitments across the PJM region.
9/1/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers consider HB 2198 to repeal the sales and use tax exemption for data center equipment, as Ross Marchand disputes electricity and water rationale.
7/25/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed HB 1924 on July 12, 2026, requiring annual data-center water and power reporting and granting PUC oversight of PJM demand forecasts.
7/17/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed the FY 2026-2027 budget on July 14, 2026, adding annual data center energy and water reporting and PJM load forecasting filings to the PUC.
7/14/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Representative Kerry Benninghoff sought Pennsylvania House co-sponsors in July 2026 for a bill requiring data center operators to replace or restore impacted water supplies.
7/13/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Stacy Garrity and Gov. Josh Shapiro debate Pennsylvania data center incentives and moratorium proposals as lawmakers consider energy and water disclosure rules.
7/12/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers passed competing House bills on data center tax incentives and sales tax repeal, while also advancing proposals for municipal development pauses before Senate review.
6/28/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania House lawmakers voted 197-5 to revoke a sales tax exemption for data center equipment on Thursday, with additional bills setting standards and allowing six-month municipal pauses.
6/27/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Pennsylvania House passed competing bills on data center tax incentives in Harrisburg, with one conditioning benefits and another repealing the sales tax exemption, sending both to the Senate.
6/25/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced GRID Standards through DCED to shape energy, community, workforce, and environmental expectations for data centers, with permitting and tax incentives tied to voluntary certification.
6/12/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's office released Responsible Infrastructure Development standards for data center tax incentives and opportunity zone benefits before the June 30 budget deadline in Harrisburg.
6/2/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro released GRID standards in June 2026 to condition data center tax incentives and economic opportunity zone eligibility on clean-energy and other requirements.
6/2/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced voluntary GRID Standards for data center incentives, requiring community outreach and ratepayer protections through faster permit review.
5/30/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced Responsible Infrastructure Development Standards to tie data center tax incentives and permitting to grid and environmental impact reduction, plus community investment requirements.
5/28/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled GRID standards in 2025 to require data center electric-capacity planning and community outreach for faster permitting and tax benefits.
5/28/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro unveiled GRID Standards in 2020s, requiring data center developers to seek certification and submit energy, water, environmental, and community commitments.
5/28/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania sets GRID Standards requiring data center developers to file energy, sustainability, community outreach, and annual compliance reports to qualify for state support and tax benefits.
5/27/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced GRID standards in 2026 to require data center electric capacity planning and community outreach tied to permitting and tax credits.
5/27/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced GRID Standards for data center projects after Archbald residents raised zoning, water, and cumulative impact concerns.
5/28/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro imposed stricter AI data-center permitting standards in August, increasing approval uncertainty as New York and other jurisdictions consider construction restrictions.
9/1/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued an executive order tightening data center permitting and requiring water and energy reporting across Pennsylvania.
8/30/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Protect PT, in Pennsylvania, is supporting an August hearing and an existing 180-day construction moratorium against a TECfusions New Kensington data center project.
7/25/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Beaver County officials and Pennsylvania policymakers debated guardrails for upcoming data center projects amid community concerns over noise, water, and electric bills.
7/7/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Neha Gour and colleagues analyze data center health impacts as Pennsylvania faces growing project counts and debates public-meeting and zoning requirements.
7/7/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Pennsylvania House Bill 2535 would require annual data-center floor plans and inventories to local fire officials as an occupancy condition, advancing from a committee in Harrisburg.
7/4/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania House voted 193-to-9 on Wednesday to limit how public agencies add agenda items, closing a Supreme Court-created Sunshine Act loophole affecting municipal actions.
7/3/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania politicians are reconsidering data center support in 2020s election debates as voter opposition grows alongside artificial intelligence investment and fiscal pressures.
8/14/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania General Assembly committees considered data-center moratoriums, reporting mandates, infrastructure cost rules, and tax provisions during 2026 legislative proceedings.
8/5/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
During Pennsylvania's 2025-26 legislative session, the General Assembly considered 62 data-center bills addressing siting, utilities, water, incentives, and local government authority statewide.
7/29/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
TECfusion and other hyperscale data center proposals in Pennsylvania raise power and consumptive cooling water planning issues, including Susquehanna Basin modifications for Amazon Data Services.
7/1/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania in May 2026 launched GRID Standards requiring certified data center developers to manage power affordability, community impacts, workforce benefits, and environmental protections for incentive eligibility.
6/16/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Governors and gubernatorial candidates in multiple states are tightening data center rules and incentives as residents challenge projects over electricity, water, land use, and local impacts before midterm elections.
8/18/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an Aug. 18 executive order adding data center guardrails after residents across Pennsylvania protested potential effects on land, utilities, water, and local authority.
9/2/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a budget measure requiring data centers to report annual water and power use and expanding PUC oversight of PJM load forecasts for 2026-2027.
7/14/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
On August 18, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro established stricter statewide requirements for large data centers, tying permitting and tax advantages to grid, environmental and community obligations.
9/3/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania regulators forecast rapid industrial electricity growth through 2030 as proposed data centers in Lackawanna and surrounding counties increase generation and transmission planning pressures.
9/1/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and major utilities tightened data center interconnection and permitting rules in 2025 as proposed electricity demand exceeded credible project commitments.
9/1/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers have not adopted comprehensive data center controls as 81 proposals, rising PJM capacity costs, and local opposition pressure communities statewide.
8/3/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Slate Belt Holdings LLC is pursuing a 754-acre data center campus with a proposed 480MW substation in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, while challenging local zoning restrictions.
7/29/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
Nebius plans a staged 1.2GW data center campus in Highridge Business Park, Butler Township, Pennsylvania, targeting October 2027 for initial 260MW operations.
7/27/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced GRID Standards on May 27, creating certification requirements tied to OTO fast-track permitting and eligibility for data center equipment tax exemptions.
7/22/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania legislators left a data center sales tax exemption in the enacted $50.8 billion budget while adding energy and water reporting rules above 10 MW.
7/22/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a data center energy and water disclosure law for facilities using over 10 MW annually, while other regulation and moratorium bills stalled in the budget process.
7/20/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers advance bills through the House and committee process to increase local oversight of data centers, including a six-month municipal pause and expanded energy and water reporting requirements.
7/6/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro proposed GRID Standards in which data center tax benefits require certification for energy affordability, community engagement, workforce investment, and environmental protection.
5/30/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania, under Governor Josh Shapiro, released GRID Standards in 2025 to condition state support for data center projects on energy affordability, community engagement, workforce and environmental requirements.
5/27/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an August 18 order requiring AI data center developers to secure local support and fund power, water, and air-quality protections in Pennsylvania.
9/1/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday requiring local approval before state permits for data centers, responding to opposition across Pennsylvania.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday requiring new data center project reporting on energy and water use across Pennsylvania.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order in Harrisburg restricting data center development while preserving local zoning approvals and allowing projects to continue.
8/18/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued Executive Order 2026-05 in Pennsylvania on August 18, 2026, establishing data center permitting, grid, resource reporting, and ratepayer protections.
8/18/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed the order on August 18, 2026, requiring data center projects to provide needed power, including clean energy, for faster state construction permits.
8/18/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Representative Joe Webster circulated a Pennsylvania memo on August 6, 2026, proposing statewide data center reporting for water use, electricity consumption, and community benefits.
8/6/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Donald Trump, Josh Shapiro, and other officials endorsed data-center power-cost principles as PJM demand growth raised grid and rate concerns in Pennsylvania during 2025-2026.
8/3/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
PennLive and lehighvalleylive.com updated a Pennsylvania database on July 29, 2026, tracking 69 large data center projects across the state.
7/29/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
Josh Shapiro signed a Pennsylvania budget deal requiring data centers to report energy and water use, while mandating utility consideration of advanced transmission technologies before new power-line builds.
7/14/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Senator Nick Miller requested bipartisan Senate consideration in Pennsylvania after House passage of data center bills addressing ratepayer protection and statewide development guardrails.
7/11/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Stacy Garrity called for a pause on data center development in Butler County, Pennsylvania, while disputing proposed GRID standards awaiting Senate Finance Committee action.
7/7/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Hannah Wiseman of Penn State Dickinson Law says hyperscale data center growth in Pennsylvania increases residential power bills via PJM wholesale costs and required grid upgrades.
7/7/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania senator Katie Muth proposed July 2, 2026 statewide health-based setback legislation for hyperscale AI data centers.
7/2/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Ginny Marcille-Kerslake urges Pennsylvania lawmakers to scrutinize Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) standards and consider a three-year hyperscale moratorium amid water and power-cost concerns in multiple Pennsylvania counties.
7/1/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers advanced repeal of the Computer Data Center Equipment Incentive Program in response to budget concerns and expanding community opposition to data center proposals.
6/30/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Pennsylvania House Bill 2359, introduced by Rep. Joe Ciresi, passed the House June 30 to require large data center developers to disclose water and energy impacts and conduct community engagement for sales tax exemptions.
6/30/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania trade group Brian Kennedy urged Gov. Josh Shapiro and legislators to halt House-passed bills adding transparency, environmental requirements, and local moratoriums for data centers.
6/29/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced new guardrails for data center development, tying state support to commitments on energy, grid reliability, water use, and community engagement.
6/2/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro released GRID Standards and a municipal toolkit for data center development in Harrisburg, focusing on affordability, transparency, community engagement, and environmental protection.
5/28/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro imposed GRID Requirements on data center permit applicants in August 2025 as candidates in four competitive congressional districts debated local control, costs, water use, and development incentives.
8/31/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Mudiita Infra seeks to develop a 930-acre, 750MW data center campus in Ransom Township, Lackawanna County, after a July land purchase and amid pending confirmation of permitting filings.
7/24/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued an executive order on Aug. 18 imposing power, hiring, transparency, and water requirements on data center developers statewide.
8/22/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order in 2026 requiring local approval and stricter safeguards for data-center projects across Pennsylvania.
8/21/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Governors and gubernatorial candidates in Pennsylvania, Texas, Arizona, New York, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin announced or debated tighter data center rules amid rising local opposition before midterm elections.
8/19/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro immediately imposed GRID requirements on proposed AI data centers statewide to limit utility costs, environmental impacts, and speculative development.
8/18/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro directed data-center developers to pay for energy infrastructure as PJM demand growth outpaces generation additions and raises electricity-price concerns.
8/31/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Additional
In 2026 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said lawmakers were pursuing transparent data center policies, including possible local moratorium authority and changes to tax exemptions.
8/18/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania House Democrats passed data center regulation bills in spring 2026 covering disclosure, a 180-day application pause option, tax incentive standards, and sales tax changes, pending GOP Senate action.
7/2/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania regulators and Gov. Josh Shapiro propose requirements tying data center energy supply and grid upgrade costs to AI-driven load growth.
5/15/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Tuesday that data center projects would lose preferential construction permitting and tax treatment unless developers meet specified standards, amid growing national backlash.
8/18/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued a GRID Executive Order on Tuesday in Pennsylvania to strengthen local, environmental, energy, workforce, and consumer requirements for data center development.
8/20/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued an August 18, 2026 executive order requiring greater data center accountability for energy use, zoning, and clean-energy commitments statewide.
8/19/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General