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Last Update: 10/27/2026 at 5:34 AM EST
Pennsylvania Data Center Policy
Coverage from The Allegheny Front, MPL Law Firm, and others
Pennsylvania’s data-center policy debate spans tax incentives, local zoning and approvals, utility oversight, environmental review, and disclosure of facilities’ energy and water use.
Proposed and enacted measures have addressed issues such as who pays for grid upgrades, how large facilities report resource use, and whether municipalities can pause or shape applications. Local concerns—including electricity costs, water supply, farmland, noise, emergency preparedness, and community benefits—connect individual projects to broader questions of statewide regulation and local authority.
Looking Back
160 Day Timeline
May 13
Jun 10
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Jul 29
Aug 26
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Oct 14
History
10/09/2026
The clearest new development is stronger PUC access to and review of electricity-demand forecasts used for grid planning. The budget’s failure to repeal the data-center equipment tax exemption also clarifies that the exemption remains in place.
All Articles90 articles
Important
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
Pennsylvania townships are being urged in the 2020s to update zoning rules for data centers and associated power projects as grid demand and legal challenges increase.
10/2/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania legislators considered data center incentive, tax, regulatory, and energy bills in Harrisburg during 2026.
8/6/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
On August 4, 2026, Pennsylvania Representative Joe Ciresi circulated proposed legislation requiring local referendums for high-impact data center approvals across Pennsylvania municipalities.
8/4/2026 • 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
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
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 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 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
Paul Friel advanced Pennsylvania H.B. 2496 on a unanimous committee vote, enabling municipalities to impose a 180-day pause on data center application review.
6/17/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania House passed bills regulating large data centers, but Republican Senate leadership signaled potential delay while evaluating the issue more holistically.
5/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania data center developers are targeting the Commonwealth as AI-driven demand increases, while regulators and community groups assess cooling water use and watershed impacts statewide.
8/7/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Pennsylvania Representative Marla Brown introduced House Bill 2588 to restrict data-center construction on prime farmland statewide, and the bill remains pending in the House Local Government Committee.
8/13/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania environmental advocates urged wider gas infrastructure setbacks as dozens of data center projects increase expected demand for fracked-gas power across the state.
8/3/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Interesting
Pennsylvania advocates rallied Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Capitol in Harrisburg, calling on Gov. Josh Shapiro and lawmakers to impose a statewide data center development moratorium.
10/6/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
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
The Pennsylvania House passed H.B. 2674 on Oct. 19 in Harrisburg, sending a proposal to restrict data center public utility status to the state Senate.
10/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Representative Rob Bresnahan is promoting a municipal-approval bill for data centers in Northeastern Pennsylvania while holding investments linked to the industry's expansion.
9/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Representative Rob Bresnahan is promoting a stalled local-control bill requiring municipal approval for data centers in Northeastern Pennsylvania while disclosing extensive industry-related investments.
9/11/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania Rep. Milou Mackenzie urged stronger local oversight of data center siting in response to Gov. Josh Shapiro's executive order, citing Upper Hanover Township concerns.
8/20/2026 • 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
Rob Bresnahan endorsed a federal bill on July 29 that would protect Pennsylvania communities controlling data-center approvals and impose infrastructure and labor conditions on developers.
7/29/2026 • 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 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
Jarrett Coleman advanced Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1345 in Harrisburg to allow municipalities an 18-month moratorium on new data center applications.
6/30/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania state Rep. Paul Friel announced House passage of H.B. 2496 on June 24, authorizing up to a six-month municipal pause on data center applications.
6/24/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania House Bill 2496 would let municipalities pause data center application reviews for up to six months as zoning ordinances are updated, after a House vote of 201-1.
6/24/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers in Harrisburg are considering data center siting rules, including a farmland block proposed by Rep. Marla Brown.
5/29/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Sen. Jarrett Coleman and Rep. Jamie Walsh introduced Pennsylvania bills to repeal the data center equipment tax exemption and allow municipal 18-month moratoriums on new applications.
5/27/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers considered House-passed bills on data center energy and water disclosure, utility cost protections, and township ordinance standards, while Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman urged a broader approach.
5/22/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania regulators and PJM Interconnection moved in 2025 to shift power, grid-upgrade, and reliability risks for large AI data centers toward developers statewide.
8/14/2026 • 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
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
On May 27 and May 13, 2026, Pennsylvania issued GRID standards and a PUC model tariff for large-load data centers while PJM reported capacity-market scarcity pressures.
5/29/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania State Rep. Christina Sappey is proposing legislation that would require data center owners to secure decommissioning plans and financial assurances before construction or permitting in Pennsylvania.
9/2/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Pennsylvania State Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver and Susquehanna River Basin Commission executive Andrew D. Dehoff plan a virtual July 22 session on data-center water demand review.
7/11/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Pennsylvania residents and lawmakers intensified opposition and regulatory activity around AI data centers during 2025, culminating in July budget requirements for large facilities to report energy and water use statewide.
8/10/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Pennsylvania Representative Christina Sappey circulated a September 2, 2026 memo proposing a legislative study of data center decommissioning statewide.
9/2/2026 • 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
Pennsylvania proposes legislation to prevent data centers from obtaining public utility status, aiming to protect local zoning control and ratepayers amid rising energy costs and new builds.
6/24/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania tax guidance indicates data-center equipment does not typically qualify for the manufacturing sales-tax exemption, while the certified-data-center exemption program provides relief.
5/13/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Pennsylvania House lawmakers advanced three data center-related electricity bills in Harrisburg, seeking to allocate grid costs, curb speculative demand, and protect other ratepayers.
10/1/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers and Governor Josh Shapiro addressed Amazon's expanding data center plans in 2025 as tax exemption costs, grid demand, and local opposition intensified across the state.
9/15/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Ro Khanna introduced federal data center legislation in Washington after a Pennsylvania tour, proposing local approval rights, operating safeguards, and 2,500-foot setbacks.
8/9/2026 • 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
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 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
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 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 lawmakers advanced House bills on a data center sales tax break, with proposals to condition incentives or fully repeal them heading to the Senate.
6/25/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers advanced House Bill 2198 and related measures to repeal data center equipment tax refunds and move toward GRID-based permitting and possible municipal pauses.
6/25/2026 • 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 lawmakers consider repealing a 6% sales tax exemption for data center equipment in 2021 as projects expand and projected revenue losses increase.
5/24/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • 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 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
Pennsylvania's Department of Revenue projected up to $188.4 million in annual data center tax-exemption impact for fiscal 2026-27, intensifying incentive debates across Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
9/5/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Additional
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued an Aug. 18 executive order requiring data-center developers to address grid costs and environmental impacts as projects emerge across Pennsylvania.
9/11/2026 • 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
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
Representative Joshua Kail circulated a June 24, 2026 memo for legislation to require special assessments on data center owners to pay property taxes of nearby seniors.
6/24/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Jamie Walsh and Pennsylvania lawmakers introduced bills in 2025 to repeal a 2021 data center equipment tax exemption and enable 18-month local moratoriums.
5/29/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Sen. Jarrett Coleman will host a June 10 telephone town hall for Lehigh and Bucks county residents while promoting bills addressing data center development and municipal approvals.
6/4/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers debated repealing the state's data center equipment sales tax exemption in 2026 as projected costs and industry-linked contributions intensified scrutiny.
9/4/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Pennsylvania lawmakers and Governor Josh Shapiro are contesting the state's data center equipment tax exemption as projected revenue losses rise and repeal remains stalled in Harrisburg.
9/1/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman urged greater data center transparency and local decision-making authority during 2026-27 budget discussions in Harrisburg.
8/18/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
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
Tom Jones and James Malone are contesting Pennsylvania data center moratorium and permitting policies in campaign advertisements before the November midterm election.
8/31/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • 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
Senator Katie Muth urged Pennsylvania residents on July 11, 2026 to support Senate Bill 1359, a three-year moratorium on new hyperscale data centers.
7/11/2026 • 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 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 lawmakers debate data center tax exemption changes during 2026 budget negotiations as a June 30 deadline approaches.
6/11/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Sen. Katie Muth proposed legislation in Pennsylvania to restrict data center classification and impose a three-year development pause amid local opposition.
6/2/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Senator Katie Muth in Pennsylvania proposed legislation limiting data centers from public utility classification and eminent domain, amid community opposition to 23 hyper-scale proposals.
5/29/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
In Harrisburg, Sen. Tracy Pennycuick proposes Pennsylvania rules for closed-loop water, zoning meetings, and a Large Load Data Center Tariff to limit cost shifting.
5/27/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced GRID standards in February to regulate permitting for large-scale data center projects amid farmland preservation concerns, while Senator Katie Muth proposed a hyperscale moratorium.
5/24/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General