In Pennsylvania, there are roughly 80 data center projects in various stages, ranging from preliminary to five that are under construction, according to the crowdsourced website Trackdatacenters.com. So, as part of our continuing coverage of data centers across the state, today we’re taking a look at how several central Pennsylvania communities are navigating the push from developers and pushback from residents, with the help of our content partners at the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
Community stewards and public officials in Cumberland, Lycoming, and Montour counties have met data center proposals with varied responses, from unquestioning acceptance to organized community resistance and rejection.
Anthony Township in Montour County turned away a data center project after government officials determined that the plans didn’t meet local requirements.
In Middlesex Township, Cumberland County, officials rezoned land and gave preliminary approvals that cleared the way for construction to start on PAX-1, billed as one of the largest data center hubs in the commonwealth.
And then there’s Muncy Township in Lycoming County, where developers submitted an application for approval to build three data center buildings and associated infrastructure on 100 acres of cornfields.
When the township supervisors learned of the proposal this spring, they scrambled to enact a moratorium on data center applications. Tipped off by the legal notice for the moratorium, the developers rushed to submit their application for a conditional use approval in April.
The developers now claim the township failed to act on the applications as required within 60 days and have filed a motion in county court that the project should be approved automatically.
Sean Tetreault, whose 19th century brick farmhouse is adjacent to the proposed data center site, said he and other Muncy Township residents are researching what others have done to manage data center development as the township officials are working to develop their own updated ordinance.
“We gotta find a way to make this work for everybody,” he said, noting nearby municipalities already have data center ordinances in place. “We’re trying to pull all those resources and find any useful research about these data centers to […] essentially find ways to make sure if this is going to go in, they do it responsibly for the environment and for the neighborhood.”
|
|
|
Earlier this week we took a look at where the gubernatorial candidates stand on Pennsylvania’s property taxes, a majority of which fund Pennsylvania’s public schools. It’s a polarizing issue for many Pennsylvanians, particularly older residents who are frustrated that they’re still responsible for paying school taxes when they no longer have children enrolled in them.
With that in mind, we asked: If you could make one change to Pennsylvania’s property tax system, what would it be?
Here are more of your responses:
“If raising the sales tax will bring in the needed revenue, it’s a no-brainer. The older I get, the more I think about how we are going to afford to pay our property taxes when we are on a fixed income. I am not rich and neither are many Pa. residents. If something unforeseen were to happen and I was unable to pay my taxes, would I lose my home that has been in my family for four generations to a tax sale? That is just ridiculous! Raise the sales tax and stop property and school taxes!” — Karen Balchunas, Luzerne County
“Our school tax has increased over $950 in the last five years. We are on a fixed income, and our SSI increase is much less than the school tax increase. I do think we should pay the tax. However, I believe that once you are 65, a slight discount should be given, between 5% and 10%.” — Maureen Readinger-Hibschman, Bucks County
“I feel it’s my duty to pay taxes but seniors should not have a tax increase to the point of not being able to own their own home. We want to be able to retire and live in our home. Maybe some type of discount for seniors.” — Joanne Horton, Easton
“Mandated reassessment every five years. Some counties are still taxing properties based on values from the 1970s. That makes the system internally unfair to many taxpayers, particularly those of lower incomes and in declining neighborhoods.” — Chuck P., Leechburg
“If the property tax was levied after regular and recent reassessments, thereby increasing its fairness, it could be used, but only for support of municipal government, not education. But politically that is quicksand, and it will never happen in Pennsylvania. So, abolish the property tax and shift the vast amount of revenue to broad-based taxes like the sales tax and the income tax. There is no perfectly fair or perfectly efficient tax. But the property tax is the least fair and least efficient of any.” — Michael L. Young, Derry Twp.
“I would eliminate school (not municipal or county) taxes for Pennsylvanians 65+ by legalizing adult-use cannabis and using the taxes to fund schools. Do it NOW!” — Jason L., Montgomery County
Reply below with one change you would make to Pennsylvania’s property tax system.
|
|
|
|
Most of the dispersed camping available within Clarion River Campsites can be found along the scenic Clarion River, pictured here. (Jon Dawson/Creative Commons)
|
If you’ve been camping before, there’s a good chance it was at an established campground with designated campsites. Your campsite might be one of dozens, each featuring a driveway, tent pad, fire pit, and picnic table, and amenities like bathhouses, toilets, and water stations.
Dispersed camping, on the other hand, removes most of those expectations of drinkable water and comfort. If you’re dispersed camping in Pennsylvania, you’re camping outside a developed campground, usually on public land. That might mean staying at an undeveloped campsite along a state forest road, or it may mean carrying your gear into the backcountry and choosing a (legal) place to camp.
But what you can get in return for camping outside of a developed campground is greater solitude and deeper immersion in nature. Our food and travel writer Kalena Thomhave has put together a guide to dispersed camping sites in Pennsylvania, perfect for beginners looking to make their first dispersed camping trip as well as seasoned campers interested in new scenery.
|
|
|
• More data center coverage: A new ordinance in Smithfield Township, Monroe County, limits data center development to a designated district. Find out more here.
• For the third year in a row, the state budget included additional funding for a handful of school districts that are all represented by Democrats in the state House. Find out what education advocates are saying about it in this story.
• A federal safety agency issued its final report on the 2025 blast at a US Steel plant near Pittsburgh that killed two workers. Get the details here.
|
|
|
Visitors walk through a lighted tunnel at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
|
If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, we’ve got the details on five great events happening across the state, from Philadelphia’s Chinese Lantern Festival, to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire that opens Saturday in Lancaster County, to the CelebrateErie fest.
|
|
|
Would you recommend this newsletter to your friends and family?
|
|
|
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.
Our mailing address is:
The Keystone / COURIER Newsroom
3229 Greenpoint Ave., PMB 532
Long Island City, New York 11101
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or from this list.
|
|
|
|
