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If data centers are the new warehouses, maybe the old warehouses weren’t so bad!
I don’t really mean that, of course. What I do mean is that data centers bring most of the problems of warehouses, plus more. Here’s information to help you protect yourself, your community and the birds:
What are data centers?
Data centers are buildings that house computers and other infrastructure to process, store and share data. You know that “cloud” where some of your bird photos might live? It’s not really in the sky; it’s in buildings like these.
Data centers aren’t new; Pennsylvania already has 52, according to Spotlight PA. But there’s recently been an onslaught of proposals to build more and much bigger – aka “hyperscale” -- centers. The main reason? The proliferation of artificial intelligence, or AI. PA Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has encouraged data centers to come to the state, is now trying to use promises of an expedited permitting process to persuade data centers to be better, more environmentally responsible neighbors.
What’s the problem?
Data centers pose numerous threats to environmental quality / quality of life. Examples include:
- Off-the-charts energy consumption, often involving climate-disrupting fossil fuels. One large AI-focused data center can consume as much electricity as 100,000 homes. To meet the demand, utilities typically have to build new power-generation facilities, with the costs often footed by all of us. Utilities may use eminent domain to take property from landowners for transmission lines.
- Consumption of massive amounts of water for cooling. One large facility can use as much water as 4,000 homes.
- Habitat and open-space loss.
- Constant noise and vibration from cooling fans and mechanical equipment.
- Light pollution.
- Stormwater runoff.
- Air pollution from diesel backup generators and the release of waste heat, plus the potential for leaks of toxic chemicals.
For birds, some of the worst effects are habitat loss; noise / vibration, which reduce reproduction rates and disrupt navigation; light pollution, which disorients migrating birds and increases the risk of collisions with buildings; and potential depletion of water sources such as streams and wetlands.
Can my municipality prohibit data centers?
No, according to PennFuture. The PA Supreme Court has ruled that every municipality must provide for every legitimate land use. Municipalities can, however, regulate the where and the how via zoning ordinances. Data centers are relatively new, so many zoning ordinances do not explicitly mention them. If a data center developer submits a proposal to a municipality that has not enacted data center regulations, that municipality has virtually no ability to regulate how the center is built and operated. If a municipality does have data center regulations and an applicant meets all of the requirements, stopping even a very unpopular project would be difficult.
Where have data centers been proposed?
Centers have been proposed in or near the coverage areas of multiple state Audubon chapters, including but not limited to Appalachian, Lehigh Valley and Lycoming. More are sure to come, given tax incentives that Pennsylvania is offering to data center developers. While some centers have been proposed for industrial sites, others would infringe on prime bird habitat. In Appalachian’s territory, for example, a Texas-based company hopes to turn Harrisburg’s Dauphin Highlands Golf Course, a prime Christmas Bird Count site, into a data center. In the Lehigh Valley, two of three data centers proposed so far would be built on large tracts of farmland / open space / bird and wildlife habitat. One of these, opposed by more than 6,500 people via a Change.org petition, is a stone’s throw from a nature trail system running along the Delaware River.
What can I and/or my chapter do?
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Contact your state senator and representative in support of a 3-year moratorium on development of hyperscale data centers in Pennsylvania. You can use this form, or you can call your state senator and ask her/him to become a co-sponsor of Sen. Katie Muth’s bill. A moratorium would give municipalities time to enact adequate regulations.
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Urge your own township, borough or city to pass an ordinance regulating data centers ASAP if one isn’t already in place. You can use this form, call your local official(s) or make a request at a municipal meeting. PennFuture offers a model ordinance as well as background information on zoning and advocacy on its Data Center Resources Google drive.
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Call your state lawmakers and request that they support two bills designed to help municipalities and the state adequately regulate data centers. The link will guide you through the process.
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Send your state senator a message asking that she/he support data center regulations passed by the House, designed to protect ratepayers from costs associated with the massive energy requirements of data centers.
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