Action on the bills follows a hearing held by the Committee on the legislation February 2.
Click Here for written testimony. Click Here for the video.
The Committee is expected to consider amendments to the bills--
-- House Bill 2150 (Mullins-D- Lackawanna): Draft Amendment
-- House Bill 2151 (Donahue-D-Lackawanna): Draft Amendment #1 Draft Amendment #2
Reaction To Bills
On February 26, 24 organizations and small businesses submitted a position statement to the House Energy Committee to express continued opposition to House Bill 2151, the bill that would establish community standards for data centers.
The position statement reads, “The case has never been made to our satisfaction that legislation is needed in order for the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to draft a model ordinance and share it as it chooses.
"The current language states more clearly that municipalities can opt out of using the specific language of the model ordinance, but that further begs the question of the need for a law in the first place.
"In fact, we are concerned that a statute will have the opposite effect – that municipalities will feel the need to use the ordinance as written and that the industry could cite it in legal challenges to more strongly worded ordinances.”
Join the Meeting
The meeting will be held in Room G-50 of the Irvis Building starting at 10:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online.
More Committee Meetings
The House Energy Committee has scheduled these other hearings--
-- March 2-- Agenda Posted.. House Energy Committee informational meeting on net metering policies. Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:30 a.m. to Noon. Copies Of Testimony. Click Here to watch online.
-- March 16-- House Energy Committee hearing on House Bill 2223 (Fiedler-D- Philadelphia) advanced transmission technologies [Draft Bill], House Bill 2225 (Davidson) virtual power plants [Draft Bill] Room G-50 Irvis Building. Noon to 2:30 p.m. Click Here to watch online.
-- March 23-- House Energy Committee informational meeting on the PA Energy Development Authority. Room G-50 Irvis Building. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Click Here to watch online.
-- March 24-- House Energy Committee hearing on House Bill 2076 (Venkat-D-Allegheny) establishing a regulatory framework for geothermal energy for residential, commercial and industrial uses. Room B-31 Main Capital. 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Click Here to watch online.
Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia) serves as Majority Chair of the House Energy Committee and can be contacted by calling 215-271-9190 or click here to contact. Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-5075 or by sending email to: mcauser@pahousegop.com.
Related Articles This Week:
-- Senate DEP Budget Hearing: Kudos To DEP For Improving Permit Review Times; A.I. Data Centers; Due Process For ICE Warehouse Detention Centers; How Energy Storage Can Add Capacity To The Grid; Chesapeake Bay Cleanup [PaEN]
-- DEP Budget Testimony: Our Mission Is To Protect Our Air, Land And Water, It Takes Capacity And Resources, And This Budget Proposal Supports That Mission [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For CDE Acquisitions, LLC 412 Acre, 6 Building, 5 Million Square Foot A.I. Data Center Campus In South Whitehall Twp., Lehigh County [PaEN]
-- Quinnipiac University Poll: 68% Of Pennsylvanians Oppose Building An A.I. Data Center In Their Community
-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports 2025 PA Natural Gas Production Up 5.1% Over 2024; Average Natural Gas Prices Up 70.9% From 2024 [PaEN]
-- TribLive - Jack Troy: 71% Natural Gas Price Increase In PA Could Mean Higher Utility Bills
-- PA Shale Gas & Public Health Conference: Supervisor Cindy Fisher - How Cecil Township Adopted 2,500 Foot Setbacks From Shale Gas Well Pads With Extensive Public Involvement Facing Threats And Intimidation [PaEN]
-- PA Shale Gas & Public Health Conference: Dr. Lauren Minsky - People’s Cancer Incidence Screening Tool Reports Cancer Rates In Washington County Up To 16 Times Higher Than PA Averages [PaEN]
-- Ohio Senate Committee Hearing I: Penn State Professor Testifies In Support Of A Ban On The Disposal Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater By Road Dumping [PaEN]
-- Ohio Senate Committee Hearing II: Studies By Ohio State Agencies Document Environmental, Health Hazards Of Disposing Of Oil & Gas Wastewater By Road Dumping [PaEN]
-- Ohio Senate Committee Hearing III: Ohio Farmers Union Supports Ban On Disposal Of Oil & Gas Wastewater By Road Dumping To Protect Soil, Livestock, Farm Products From Contamination [PaEN]
-- DEP: S R Star O&G LLC Violates Order To Plug 11 Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Butler County [PaEN]
-- DEP Accepting Bids On Plugging 11 Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Howe Twp., Forest County
-- Sen. Santarsiero Introduces Bill To Define Obligations Of Pipeline Owners, Anyone Discharging Hazardous Substances To Clean Up Spills, Releases [PaEN]
-- The Derrick: Aqua Pennsylvania Boil Water Advisory Remains In Effect For Venango Water Company Customers In Reno, Venango County Since Feb. 14 [Water System Impacted By 2023 Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill] [PaEN]
NewsClips - Data Centers:
Grid
-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: $2 Million Grant To Help Business Nonprofit Team PA Study Electric Grid Updates As A.I. Data Center Demand Grows
-- Utility Dive: PPL Spending Plan Jumps 15% To $23 Billion On Transmission, Grid Hardening To Supply Data Centers With 25.2 GW Of Electricity In PA, KY
-- Utility Dive: PJM Proposes Behind-The-Meter Reforms To Facilitate Colocating Power Generation For A.I. Data Centers [For Machines, Not People]
Energy Prices
-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: PECO’s Profits Skyrocket Almost 50% After 2025 Rate Hikes
-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports 2025 PA Natural Gas Production Up 5.1% Over 2024; Average Natural Gas Prices Up 70.9% From 2024 [PaEN]
-- TribLive - Jack Troy: 71% Natural Gas Price Increase In PA Could Mean Higher Utility Bills
-- PennLive Guest Essay: An A.I. Data Center Isn’t Just Another Factory - It Is A City That Never Sleeps Drawing Power 24/7 Impacting Grid Operations, Imposing Costs- By Rod Williamson, Industrial Energy Consumers Of PA
-- E&E News/Politico: Why The Cost For Powering A.I. Data Centers Will Keep Rising, Despite President’s Pledge
-- Reuters: Constellation Energy Tops Profit Estimates On Robust A.I. Data Center-Driven Power Demand [For Machines, Not People]
-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Governors Are Promising Lower Power Bills, Here’s The Only Credible Path To Deliver - By Jigar Shah and Arnab Pal
-- Wall Street Journal Editorial: A.I. And The Data Center Backlash; Requiring ‘Direct’ Energy Sources To Avoid Driving Up The Cost Of Electricity
Generation
-- Canary Media: Pittsburgh Region Form Energy To Power Google A.I. Data Center In Minnesota [Why Don’t We Do This In PA?]
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Form Energy To Supply Batteries For World’s Largest Energy Storage Project
-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: President Said A.I. Data Centers Should Build Their Owner Power Source, But Offers No Details
-- WTAE: President Says Tech Companies Pledge To Supply Their Own Power Supply For A.I. Data Centers
Public Participation
-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For CDE Acquisitions, LLC 412 Acre, 6 Building, 5 Million Square Foot A.I. Data Center Campus In South Whitehall Twp., Lehigh County [PaEN]
Land Use
-- Scranton Times: NE PA Lawmakers Target A.I. Data Centers, Back Moratoriums [PDF of Article]
-- Scranton Times: Archbald Schedules 2nd March 10 Hearing On Proposed 14 Building A.I. Data Center Campus [PDF of Article]
-- Scranton Times: Moosic Boro Seeks Community Input On A.I. Data Center Regulations At March 2 Meeting In Lackawanna County [PDF of Article]
-- Scranton Times: Data Center Developers Join Archbald Boro To Defend Zoning Ordinance Against Residents’ Court Appeal [PDF of Article]
-- Scranton Times: Scranton Materials Appeals Ransom Twp. Denial Of A.I. Data Center Zoning Change [PDF of Article]
-- Morning Call: Developers Propose ‘Responsible’ A.I. Data Center In Lower Mount Bethel Twp., Northampton County; Neighbors Are Skeptical
-- Morning Call: Upper Saucon Twp., Lehigh County Adopts Ordinance Setting Limits On A.I. Data Centers
-- Morning Call: Zoning Hearing Delayed As Air Products Continues Upper Macungie A.I. Data Center Plan Review
-- Republican Herald: Community Meeting March 2 In Kline Township On Proposed Amazon Data Center In Schuylkill County PDF of Article]
-- Investor Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against CoreWeave, Inc. Lancaster Data Center Developer Seeking Recovery For Overstating Demand For Its Services
-- LancasterOnline: BusinessInsider Reports Lenders Passed On Financing Lancaster City A.I. Data Centers; Developer Says Project Is Fully Funded And Under Construction
-- PA Capital-Star: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Hears Worries, But Mostly Support For Restarting Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant To Feed Microsoft A.I. Data Centers
-- TribLive: Murrysville Takes First Steps Toward Regulating A.I. Data Centers, Solar Array Development In Allegheny County
-- Observer-Reporter: A.I. Data Center Ordinance Draws Crowd In South Strabane Twp. Public Meeting In Washington County [PDF of Article]
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Shippingport Data Centers Will Be Financial, Health Burdens On Beaver County Residents - By Elan Justice Pavlinich, Environmental Health Project
-- TribLive: Alcoa Plans To Sell Off 10 Former Facilities For Use As A.I. Data Centers; None In PA
-- TribLive Editorial: Alcoa Sale Of 10 Sites For A.I. Data Centers Signals New Industrial Revolution - From Making Aluminum To Managing Data
A.I. Policy
-- Gov. Shapiro: Launching New A.I. Literacy Toolkit, A.I. Enforcement Task Force On Safe Use Of A.I., Protect Pennsylvanians From Bad Actors
-- Attorney General Sunday Embraces Collaboration In Combatting Harmful Tech, A.I. Use
-- PA Capital-Star: Warnings That Guardrails Are Needed In PA For A.I. Counseling, Health Care
-- PA Capital-Star: Legislation Seeks To Reform Right-To-Know Requests In Pennsylvania During The Age Of A.I.
-- Investor Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against CoreWeave, Inc. Lancaster Data Center Developer Seeking Recovery For Overstating Demand For Its Services
-- LancasterOnline: BusinessInsider Reports Lenders Passed On Financing Lancaster City A.I. Data Centers; Developer Says Project Is Fully Funded And Under Construction
-- Wall Street Journal: Viral Doomsday Report Lays Bare Wall Street’s Deep Anxiety About A.I. Future [PDF of Article]
[Posted: February 28, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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