Governor Shapiro's plan to fast-track the permit process for Data Centers may soon get a dose of reality as Pennsylvania Legislators are starting to stand up for their communities and introduce bills to regulate Data Centers. Representative Jamie Walsh in Luzerne County and Senator Lisa Boscola in Lehigh and Northampton Counties are two brave officials who are intent on ensuring that data center development does not raise electric bills or overwhelm local communities. Seve

As we face the invasion of data centers across Carbon County, we must take the opportunity to learn from other communities facing the same threat to their water supply. Recently, the Susquehanna River Basin Committee received a proposal from the Amazon Data Center that would increase water withdrawals from the Susquehanna River from 60,000 gallons per day to 277,000 gallons per day ! Data center proposals often greatly underestimate actual water demand to appear more sustain

From the active residents to the engaged Township officials, Penn Forest is a model for any municipality fighting data centers. Recently, the TimesNews published an open letter from Township Supervisor Christian Bartulovich, calling for Pennsylvania to restore local zoning decisions to municipal leaders. After reading Christian's informative letter, I realized that we've all had enough of state and federal overreach into our communities and are tired of being told to "welcom

Data Centers will be the big battle for 2026, and we must prepare to stand up for the natural resources and rural character that make Carbon County our forever home - the same charm that also powers our economic engine based on eco-tourism. I've heard that chance favors the prepared mind ... Louis Pasteur may have been onto something. As we find ourselves in the fight of our lives (and our children and grandchildren's lives), the more we know, the better we can equip ourselve

Join us tomorrow night, Monday, December 29th, at 6PM at Penn's Peak for the Penn Forest Board of Supervisors meeting. The Township has posted the agenda (downloads as a PDF) for this Special Meeting, where we can speak out about the planned Data Center. The Data Center proposal at State Route 903 and Maury Road is a threat to Penn Forest and to Carbon County. The proposed Data Center threatens our Lehigh River and our wells, requiring hundreds of thousands of gallons of wat

As we near the end of 2025, thank everyone for your tireless efforts to Save Carbon County. It's exciting to see our growth and impact in the community! Our Members Welcomed new members 188 subscribers to our email updates Fundraising events Pop-up online store for branded merchandise Weekly updates right here (we didn’t blog in 2025) Increased Year-over-year participation in our Facebook group and on our Facebook page. In the Community White Haven Trout Fest Watershed Congre

Like many Pennsylvanians, you’ve likely had higher energy bills in recent months. PPL, the electric utility company, is now trying to raise residential customer rates even more while lowering bills for data centers. If you are a PPL customer, you have important opportunities in the coming weeks to make your voice heard. In late September, PPL requested a rate increase of $356.3 million from the PUC. If this rate case goes through, the average residential PPL customer currentl

Pennsylvania State Zoning Laws favor all types of development and require every community to allow every possible land use proposal in its zoning ordinance. Furthermore, PA Law provides no protection against the over-saturation of Data Center development. Carbon County already has Data Center proposals in Nesquehoning, Penn Forest, and Summit Hill. Our land prices are not as high as those in other areas of the state, and our population skews to the elderly and lower middle cl

As I sat in the woods today dusted by a light snow and accompanied by a solitary woodpecker, a stately doe and her two yearling fawns, and a spike buck, the world seemed almost dead. Winter is upon us, and although the earth might seem a lifeless brown, spring will come, and with it the lush greenery, brightly colored birds on their summer migration, and vibrant life the likes of which many people on earth never see. We live in a magical place full of amazing transformations,

We are fighting for the future of our children and grandchildren! The unregulated growth of Data Center and AI expansion "with little to no guardrails and breaks," lacks adequate regulations and safety measures. Without addressing the significant environmental impact of data centers, especially regarding water usage, light and noise pollution, we put ourselves and future generations at risk. Here’s a sample for a letter or email to Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro to share your

Like David fighting Goliath, Save Carbon County is taking on the Data Centers. We are fortunate that groups like Save Penn Forest Township From Data Centers are well-organized and have experience defending their property from wrong-headed and destructive development. At the recent Penn Forest Township Zoning Hearing Board meeting (picture is below), it was standing-room-only! Although the meeting was continued to Thursday, January 29th at 6PM, the room was electrified with c

The 1948 Donora smog, also called the Donora death fog, was an air pollution disaster that occurred in Donora, Pennsylvania, beginning on October 27 and lasted several days. It was caused by hydrogen fluoride and sulfur dioxide emissions from U.S. Steel's Donora Zinc Works and its American Steel & Wire plant during an atmospheric temperature inversion. It killed 20 people and caused respiratory problems for 6,000 of the 14,000 people living in Donora, a mill town on the Monon

Save Carbon County is committed to our community. Good air quality is essential for the health of everyone in Carbon County. After smelling noxious odors and burning tires, we decided to do something about our air quality. We first needed a way to measure whether there was any pollution in the air. In 2024, we installed 14 PurpleAir air quality monitors that report on air quality 24/7. Everyone can see the air quality in Carbon County by visiting the www.purpleair.com websit

Toxic Sewage Sludge is green-washed as biosolid fertilizer and provided to landowners for FREE by Synagro . When something sounds too good to be true - it is. In Carbon County, landowners in East Penn, Franklin, and Towamensing use the toxic spread that poisons the land, creates a malodorous stench that drives neighbors indoors, and threatens pristine waterways like Lizard Creek and Sawmill Run that flow into our Lehigh River. Who ensures that the application of Sewage Sludg

We are battling Data Centers from one end of Carbon County to the other. The meeting regarding the proposed Data Center in Penn Forest is rescheduled to November 6th at 6PM at the Penn Forest Volunteer Fire Dept. on 1387 State Route 903. This is a meeting of the Zoning Hearing Board to consider providing approval for the siting of a Data Center at the intersection of Maury Road and Route 903. The Township of Penn Forest has declared a curative amendment process, giving the To

As an organization, we are busy addressing Data Center proposals and other challenges, including the continued use of Sewage Sludge as...

Data Center water usage is a tightly held secret. The numbers of gallons consumed each day varies from thousands to hundreds of thousands...

Pennsylvania taxpayers are paying for the Data Centers that drive up energy costs and waste our water! The PA Computer Data Center...

As you know, Save Carbon County has been asking for testing of sewage sludge (like the stuff shown in the picture below) because we...

Recently, Data Center developers have been meeting with local municipalities in Carbon County to smooth the way for construction. Some of...