The Northeastern PA Data Center Community Protection Team has developed some materials that build on templates and guidance from other organizations to create a toolkit for local governments to defend against the challenges we face from the boom of data center proposals in our area.

Don't count on Pennsylvania legislation or a possible moratorium to buy us time. Local governments need to take proactive action by passing local ordinances ASAP.

Start Here

1. Why Your Municipality Needs a Strong Data Center Ordinance
2. Responsible Data Center Checklist
3. Data Center Ordinance FAQ for Residents
4. Data Center Myths and Facts

Common Scenarios

• 100 MW Gas-Powered Data Center Scenario
• Questions Residents Should Ask Developers
• Public Hearing Toolkit for Residents

Impacts to Understand

• Why Data Center Noise Matters
• Air Pollution and Data Center Generators
• Data Centers, Cooling, Water Use, and Wastewater
• Emergency Response and Power Infrastructure

Take Action - Resources for Activists

• Data Center One Page (for tabling)
• Does Your Municipality Have a Strong Data Center Ordinance? Scorecard
• Before a Data Center Application Arrives: Municipal Action Guide
• State/Federal Permits, Ozone Nonattainment, and Closed-Loop Coolants
• Ongoing Compliance Verification and Cost Recovery
• Communications, RF/EMI, and Ordinance Impact Crosswalk
• Fuel Storage, Security, and Emergency Response
• Reference Links and Further Reading

For Municipal Officials

• Municipal Adoption Guide
• Municipal Action Guide
• Core Model Ordinance (V 7.2)
• Ordinance FAQ and Scenario Guide
• Tiered Adoption Toolkit
• Reference Links and Further Reading

For Solicitors / Technical Review

• Solicitor Scenario Playbook
• Legal Defensibility Memo
• Technical Support Packet
• Non-Regression Audit Matrix
   

A strong ordinance does not ban data centers; it requires responsible siting, objective standards, and proof of compliance. Large fossil-fueled generation serving a data center has separate impacts and should be reviewed as a separate land use.

To ask a question or learn how you can contribute to the Data Center team, use the NEPA Data Center Contact Us form. A volunteer leader will get back to you.

Want help analyzing your data center ordinance? Or assess your exposure to the risks that a new data center proposal might bring based on the ordinances currently on the books? Or want to learn about our process? We can help! All analysis is confidential and free. Contact us with the NEPA Data Center Contact Us form.

• Sierra Club resources
  • Sierra Club PA Chapter Data Center page 
  • Sierra Club PA Chapter Local Governments Best Practices Fact Sheet for Data Centers
  • National Sierra Club 2026 Data Center Policy Guidance
  • Unconstrained Demand - Virginia Chapter
     
• Local Resources, Examples & Advocacy Groups
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• PA and National Resources
  • Penn State Extension and the College of Agricultural Sciences: 
    • A Guide to Common Questions, 
    • the Penn State Research and Extension Network for Data Centers in PA
  • This report on Diesel Generators from The Better Data Center Project 
  • Data Centers Increase Electromagnetic Fields Exposure from Environmental Health Sciences 
  • Physicians for Social Responsibility - 2 page fact sheet
  • Nature Forward

Here are the data center proposals that we are aware of in northeastern PA - updated June, 2026

Based on the Data Center Proposal Tracker for Pennsylvania - interactive map