Pennsylvania Should Lead, Not Obstruct, on Data Centers

Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity said last week that Pennsylvania should “pause data center development.”

This week, she clarified those comments: “I don’t think a full moratorium is necessary. I just think we need a pause to get it together, to make sure the zoning is updated, to make sure that nothing falls on the backs of ratepayers,” Garrity said on Monday.

We agree with that clarification. There are some in Harrisburg who would endorse a full moratorium, but while caution is warranted on any major policy change, a complete halt to data center construction is the wrong approach, and one that risks having our commonwealth lose the competition for data center jobs and revenue before it even begins.

Data centers have been much in the news lately. Although they have existed for many years now — if you have anything stored in iCloud or OneDrive, it’s in a data center — the rise of artificial intelligence has made demand for data centers and processing power generally rise at unprecedented rates. And the wild promises of the AI companies, when combined with the equally wild doomsaying of their opponents, can leave anyone at a loss on what to do next.

Read the entire article HERE: From the Editors: Pennsylvania should lead, not obstruct, on data centers