PA added just one regulation for data centers in budget

Pennsylvania weighs data center pause as 80 proposals raise power, water, and tax concerns

With about 80 data center proposals on the table, Pennsylvania officials are considering whether to put the brakes on the sector's rapid expansion in the state, according to The Allegheny Front. The rush to build the facilities that power artificial intelligence has also turned the fight into a test of how states handle the real-world demands of the AI boom, from electricity use and water consumption to who benefits from tax incentives and how m…

Pennsylvania advanced only one data center regulation in 2026 budget

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Lawmakers Up Transparency for Data Centers, Leave $2B Tax Exemption Untouched in Pa. Budget

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Despite a flurry of proposals to regulate data centers in the months leading up to this year’s state budget deadline, Pennsylvania lawmakers passed only one related measure as part of this month’s $50.8 billio…

PA added just one regulation for data centers in budget

HARRISBURG — Despite a flurry of proposals to regulate data centers in the months leading up to this year’s state budget deadline, Pennsylvania lawmakers passed only one related measure as part of the $50.8 billion deal. It mandates that data centers using more than 10 MW of electricity annually disclose their energy and water usage. Environmental advocates said the change, which covers most of the new data centers planned for the state, is posi…