How Pennsylvania towns are protecting themselves from the noise, heat and utility costs of massive data centers

Communities across the state are demanding to know how proposed data centers would affect their electric and water bills, landscapes and quality of life.

By: Michael Helbing, Penn State, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 11, 2026

Words: 1,180

Last Updated: 8 hours, 52 minutes ago

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By Michael Helbing, Penn State

Pennsylvania has become a hot spot for data center proposals and public backlash about where to build them.

I’m a law professor and executive director of Penn State’s Center for Energy Law and Policy. I’m also a native of Archbald, a borough of 7,500 residents in the Lackawanna Valley in northeastern Pennsylvania. My hometown has drawn national attention because of proposals for multiple data centers that would …

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