Two Blair County state representatives held a public informational meeting on data centers Thursday at the Blair County Convention Center, as public concern over electricity prices and environmental impacts grows.
“If you came here this evening hoping to get information about how to stop data center development, I apologize, you’re going to be disappointed," said Rep. Scott Barger, a Republican who represents the 80th District, which includes parts of Blair and Huntingdon counties.
"I just don’t have that information. I don't think there's really much that we can do to stop the weight of society shifting towards a dependency on more and more technology that's more sophisticated and more part of our lives," Barger said.
Barger said state lawmakers are considering ways to regulate development. He pointed to the “Pennsylvania Ratepayer Protection Act,” which, if passed, would force data centers to provide their own power source rather than drawing on the local power grid.
Earlier this year, Gov. Josh Shapiro passed an executive order that establishes guidelines for data center development, called GRID standards.
Rep. Andrea Verobish, a Republican who represents the 79th District, which includes the City of Altoona along with Allegheny and Logan Townships, said those standards add a layer of protection for municipalities.
"Developers that commit to GRID requirements enter into a consent order and agreement," Verobish said. "That is important because a commitment contained in a legally binding agreement is different from something a developer simply says at a public meeting. The GRID framework includes reporting and auditing provisions, and the Commonwealth says stipulated civil penalties can apply to specific failures."
One of those penalties includes a $25,000 to $100,000 fine per megawatt of the data center's rated capacity per day for each violation.
Data center consideration at site of demolished paper mill
There’s at least one data center proposed in Blair County. Terrawatt is considering building a data center at the old Appvion Paper Mill in Roaring Spring.
Speaking after the informational meeting, Troy Wright said he learned a lot and feels like he was misinformed on data centers. Wright lives in Taylor Township, the municipality where developers would have to get approval.
Wright said he’s open to the idea of a data center moving in, but he still wants to learn more about potential environmental impacts.
“I'm going to keep researching and finding out more facts about it and not just what I read on Facebook," Wright said. "I'm going to determine facts and determine (what's) best for our community and our township and our school district.”
Terrawatt hasn’t yet submitted a formal proposal.
Jerome Dodson, who chairs Taylor Township's Board of Supervisors, was at the meeting to learn more about data centers. He spoke to WPSU after the event.
"I learned a lot tonight, and I still got a lot of homework to do," Dodson said. "I'm just not sure of everything yet."
Dodson said Taylor Township supervisors will hold a public hearing on a proposed data center ordinance on October 8 at the Roaring Spring Fire Hall.
Area residents say they still have a lot of questions and concerns
Other attendees who spoke to WPSU said they want to know more about the push behind data center development.
"I would like to hear about who supports them, whether they've talked to any lobbyists," said Steve Lawson, an Altoona resident.
Dave Thomas, another Altoona resident, said he wished the informational meeting addressed AI concerns since data centers could also power that technology.
"AI basically scares the hell out of me," Thomas said. "Even the owners of these, and I don't remember names well, so I can't tell you the owner of whoever, but they're talking about the threat to human existence. I mean, I think we should take these extremely, extremely seriously."
You can watch a recording of Thursday's informational meeting below.
