Mark Pinsley, the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania Senate District 16, says there should be a statewide moratorium on new data centers. Corporations are building massive facilities across Pennsylvania that raise energy costs, strain the grid and threaten the communities around them. (Bucks County Beacon, September 2026)
What the governor’s order does, and doesn’t
On August 18, 2026, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Pennsylvania’s first statewide data center rules. (Executive Order 2026-05) For large data centers, it requires local zoning approval before state permits, pushes for data centers to pay their own grid hookup costs, requires yearly water-use reports, and ties the data center sales tax break to following the rules.
Pinsley calls it “one step closer to a statewide moratorium.” (Facebook) But an executive order isn’t a law. Developers can skip its conditions and still build, and the next governor can undo it.
Pinsley’s plan
- Put a statewide moratorium on new data centers, including hyperscale data centers, the biggest users of power and water. Pinsley explains why in this video.
- Keep it in place until the legislature writes real rules into law, including making data centers pay for the grid upgrades they need and requiring a public hearing before any electricity rate increase is approved.
- End the data center sales tax break. Since 2017, data centers have skipped sales tax on servers, cooling systems and generators.
Under the rules he wants in law, data centers would need:
1. Their own clean power. New renewable power added to the grid, at least as much as they use. Buying certificates on paper doesn’t count. The House passed a first step, House Bill 1834, in March 2026. (House Roll Call 878 · City & State Pennsylvania) Pinsley explains why in this video. 2. Water rules, not just water reports. No cooling with drinking water when alternatives exist, and no dumping chemical wastewater on local sewage plants. Pinsley explains why in this video. 3. Noise and vibration limits with outside enforcement, checked by someone not on the data center’s payroll. 4. Prevailing wages and real community benefits, written into enforceable agreements. 5. A cleanup bond of 125% of the cost of tearing the building down, so taxpayers never pay to remove an abandoned data center. 6. Proof the developer can pay its full power bill, shown before construction starts. 7. No special exemptions from zoning, taxes or inspections.
What this means for your town
Communities are already winning. In Upper Macungie Township, the zoning board rejected Air Products’ 2.6 million-square-foot data center, and the company dropped it in August 2026. Allentown toughened its rules the same month. Pinsley talks about these wins in this video. In South Whitehall Township, the planning commission is still weighing Project Atlas. (LVP News, October 2026)
Pinsley wants the hardest questions — power, water, noise, cleanup — settled in state law, so every town starts from the same strong rules.
Jarrett Coleman’s bill would let each town pause data centers on its own, for no more than 18 months, and exempts some of the biggest projects. Pinsley’s pause would cover the whole state and last until real rules are law. See: How do Mark Pinsley and Jarrett Coleman compare on data centers?
