Developers are pushing to build data centers here in Bucks county. Several of these projects are already nearly complete. These were fastracked before any of us had time to understand the implications of data centers for us. This is not how good neighbors operate. 

Lawmakers in the State House passed legislation to reign these data centers in and hold developers accountable. But, the Republican controlled State Senate is refusing to take any action - letting data centers off the hook. The State Senate has let developers come in without any guardrails and hike our energy costs, pollute our air, and drain our water. 

Our energy grid is already strained, especially during heat waves and cold snaps. And families are seeing their energy prices increase at record speed. So it is absolutely the wrong time to let Data center developers come to town and have taxpayers subsidize their electricity costs. To protect Bucks County residents, developers must power their data centers on their own dime without drawing power away or increasing the energy costs on our families. We must protect rate payers from the burden of increased energy costs both now and in the future. 

Beyond power, we must mandate that data centers bear the burden of preventing any impacts on our communities. Developers must come with a plan to protect air quality and prevent noise pollution. In addition to this, data centers must commit to giving back to the communities they’re in. They must be built and maintained by local Pennsylvanian union labor, to ensure the jobs created benefit people right here. Once constructed, I want to see these projects supporting local STEM training opportunities, and hiring people from those same programs.  And finally, the public deserves to know who is building these data centers and for what purpose. We should stop data center developers from being able to hide behind shady NDA’s - so local communities can have real input and make informed decisions on what is best for themselves.