See what it’s like living near a data center, watch: I Live 400 Yards From Mark Zuckerberg’s Massive Data Center

There is a push to bring massive data centers to northeast Pennsylvania. These centers require large tracts of land, very large quantities of water and huge amounts of electricity. NEPA has land, water and, in areas where fracking is allowed, fracked gas for energy. Data centers may be good for some, but will almost certainly be bad for immediate neighbors and may also put many things that make this area a good place to live at risk. The time to educate ourselves about data centers is now!

Data centers will most likely be built where there are a combination of factors:

• A source of power or fuel to produce power, or pipelines carrying fuel for a power plant. The Susquehanna Basin has gas wells and gas pipelines.
• A source of water for cooling. For example, the Lackawanna River could supply water for the proposed data center in Blakely, PA.
• An economically depressed local economy that would welcome ANY development (e.g. Blakely, PA).
• Weak or non-existent local laws that might otherwise restrict or regulate development.

Living near a data center can have a number of negative impacts:

• Degradation and/or depletion of ground water (see I Can’t Drink the Water).
• Excessive noise, including low frequency noise, which has to be measured and regulated with the db(C) scale, not db(A).
• Increase in electricity costs due to demand by the data center.
• Air pollution.

Also, data centers that are powered by fossil fuels will contribute substantially to climate change.

Here are some resources to help you understand what is coming and the issues involved:

• Data centers could reshape landscape in NEPA
• AI Data Centers Meet Community Resistance in PA
• How to Protect Your Home from Data Center Impacts
• Data Centers in Virginia – a report to the Governor
• The Harms and Impacts of PA’s New Data Center Hype by Physicians for Social Responsibility PA
• Facing data center development? Review Your Zoning Ordinance NOW.
• United States Data Centers Locations – a searchable map
• AI Data Centers Are Coming for Your Land, Water and Power – a review of the issues on CNet.com, including:
• AI growth has caused a data center boom
• “Say no to a data center in our community”
• “They have only sold the positives”
• How much energy do AI data centers use?
• Environmental impact
• Are climate pledges enough?
• Is there a data center near you?

You can find out how communities are fighting back by searching for towns fighting data centers.

PennFuture has proposed a model ordinance to manage data center development. This model is a useful start, but does not address diesel generators, low frequency noise, air pollution or potential increases in electricity rates.

Related to the push for data centers in NEPA are renewed attempts to overturn the ban on fracking in the Delaware River Basin. This would bring the double whammy of fracking and data centers to the Basin. It would result in many negative impacts, including threatening the drinking water of thousands in NJ, PA and NY. You can help protect the Basin by signing this Pledge to defend the Delaware River frack ban.