Pennhurst Data Center Proposal Rejected, Labeled 'Insult To Humanity'

EAST VINCENT TOWNSHIP, PA — The artificial intelligence data center proposal at Pennhurst State Hospital was rejected on Thursday night amid overwhelming opposition from bipartisan coalitions, community groups, veterans, and countless residents seeking to protect the area from some officials have called recklessly profiteering big tech companies.

The hyperscale, 590 megawatt proposal at Pennhurst was one of the largest and most notorious in the region, both for its scale and its proximity to nearby communities. It's the latest in a string of major data center defeats in Philadelphia area, as growing public distrust has coalesced disparate coalitions against efforts backed by Gov. Shapiro, Amazon, and a slew of real estate prospectors.

State Sen. Katie Muth, who has led resistance to data center projects around the area despite pressure from within her own party, called the proposal from developers Matt Herzog and Derek Strine a "halfass, incomplete, insult to humanity."

"Yes, its a big win, and I am relieved that the Board of Supervisors did their job and made decisions based on legal zoning standards," Muth said. "Ensuring decisions were made in the best interest of the PUBLIC, not big tech bros seeking to profit off of poisoning our community."

Muth pointed to the proximity of the proposal to the Southeastern Veterans Center as one of its most egregious aspects. Part of the proposal would've had data center operations less than 400 feet from where veterans live in the long term care facility. During Thursday night's meeting, numerous veterans were in attendance and had prepared in-depth research to counter arguments of attorneys arguing for the project. Opponents credited those veterans as a decisive factor.

The East Vincent Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 to reject the conditional use application, citing non-compliance with zoning issues, unaddressed environmental concerns, and of course, the impact to quality of life. It came after a large turnout of residents raised concerns in previous meetings that supervisors were not representing their interests by giving the project favorable consideration, and that too many impacted neighbors had been denied "party status," a legal designation which allows them to have more of a voice in the process.

It brings to a halt a months-long battle that could be reignited again in the near future.

RELATED: Massive Data Center Cluster Proposed In Upper Merion

"The reality of the situation is many politicians on both sides of the aisle, including the Governor of this very Commonwealth, and elected officials in the federal government, are pushing hard for data center development all across the state," Muth said.

This is despite some 70 percent of Pennsylvania residents in a recent Emerson College poll saying they were opposed to the construction of more data centers.

Muth says she's confident the Pennhurst developers, as well as the groups behind other proposals, have teams of lawyers and engineers working together on ways to circumvent existing zoning codes and strictures.

She also reiterated a caution that has been increasingly aired in Pennsylvania in recent weeks: residents should not automatically trust data center ordinances that claim to be "protective." Montgomery and Chester counties recently partnered on a Data Center Ordinance Guide which has faced criticism from some as a handbook for developers to more efficiently push through projects. It provides some regulation guidelines, but critics say it's industry friendly and presumes that municipalities have no choice but to accept proposals.

"The devil is always in the details and the deals made behind the scenes," Muth said. "After all, June is budget season in Harrisburg... make sure your elected officials know that you will not have your health and well being compromised for corporate greed."

Other major data center projects in the Philadelphia suburbs include a proposal for 9 sites in Upper Merion, and a second attempt at building at the former Cleveland Cliffs Steel Plant in Plymouth Township. All of those sites are in immediate proximity to the Schuylkill River, which could face environmental devastation from large scale water use and polluted water used for cooling being issued back out into the river.

Brian O'Neill, a well known Conshohocken area developer who is behind both the Plymouth Township and Upper Merion projects, has been lobbying the Shapiro administration to bypass the regulatory process, according to emails obtained in a Right to Know request by the advocacy group Concerned Citizens of Montour County. Specifically, O'Neill wants the Shapiro administration to put together legislation that would require anyone who wants to appeal a data center project to post a bond that is worth double the cost of the project, the emails show.