After a public hearing last week, the Nesquehoning Borough Council passed a Data Center Ordinance that is a far cry from the Penn Forest Township model ordinance. There is still an opportunity to put in the guide rails that are needed to protect our water and air. During the hearing, representatives from Keel Infrastructure (was Bitfarms for a brief period, and before that the company was Stronghold Digital) mentioned their data center project dependence on PPL's 69kV Hauto p

With many thanks to Beth Hurley for her amazing analysis, here is a sample letter for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) calling for appropriate protections and a public hearing regarding the planned disruption to Dennison Run, an Exceptional Value (EV-rated) stream in Nesquehoning (more information is available here ). Currently, PPL plans to run high-tension and fiber-optic lines to support Bitfarms/Keel Infrastructure's request for additional

Our municipal governments are inundated by data center proposals and our communities have little time to prepare or respond. Penn State Extension is offering a FREE webinar this Tuesday, April 7th at 1:00 PM. The webinar will examine the proliferation of data center development across the Commonwealth, and state and local policymakers who are weighing how best to respond. Decisions by legislators, regulators, and local governments will shape how energy costs and other potenti

Our municipal governments are developing the guardrails for data center development. Most recently, Nesquehoning posted its proposed Data Center Ordinance (downloads as a PDF). In the proposed ordinance, we see that key protections such as impervious surface and setbacks (Section 3. B, items 4 and 6) are greatly reduced compared to similar ordinances from other municipalities like Penn Forest Township. While drafting an ordinance is a step in the right direction, unless it p

From one end of Carbon County to the other, data centers are taking center stage. The Monday meeting at Penn’s Peak is CANCELLED. The Penn Forest Township Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB) meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, March 23rd is continued and will be rescheduled. The ZHB meeting was to address a Substantive Validity Challenge to the Zoning Ordinance that was filed by the property owners who plan to develop a data center in Penn Forest. We'll keep you posted when the Z

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) represents residents of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware. The DRBC was formed in response to major water resource challenges requiring regional solutions, and to this day is a successful model for federal-state collaboration. DRBC programs focus on water quality protection; water supply allocation, water conservation initiatives, and watershed planning; regulatory review (permitting); flow and drought management; flo

Save Carbon County is a civic nonprofit (501c4) organization here in Carbon County whose focus is on saving what we love about our communities: the clean air, water, and soil. We are committed to making sure that Carbon County is not filled with warehouses, polluted by chemicals, or ruined by development that replaces forests and threatens waterways. We achieve our goals through tireless advocacy and education. We field requests for representation from across the county. The

This week has been a landmark in public participation against data center development in Carbon County. A popular entertainment venue, Penn's Peak, was the only facility large enough to host the crowd of residents who came out for the meeting on Tuesday. We are showing up and speaking up in larger numbers than ever before - united in a common cause to save our water, soil, air, wildlife - the rural beauty that makes our county so special! Residents across northeastern PA are

Given the worsening drought, how can residents and data centers co-exist? We must show up at the Penn Forest Zoning Ordinance hearing at Penn's Peak this Tuesday, February 24th, at 5:30 PM (the hearing begins at 6 PM, and we are expecting a full house). “Our state legislators have expressed concern that we need to do something to protect people and the environment, and I would wholeheartedly agree. But the best thing, the thing that needs to be done right now is call for a mo

In early 2025, the current Administration allowed coal-fired and petrochemical facilities to request exemption from clean air rules . One of the plants that applied for and received that exemption was the Panther Creek Power Plant under the new owner and Bitcoin mining operator, Bitfarms . Bitcoin mining is unregulated in Pennsylvania, and in 2023, PA House Bill 1476 was introduced to establish guardrails for qualifying crypto-asset mining operations and impose duties on the

Members of Save Carbon County shared their concerns about Data Centers at the Carbon County Commissioners meeting on Thursday. They highlighted how our County is currently facing three data center proposals with a fourth under discussion. The speakers highlighted how data centers use too much land, water, and electricity, and our municipalities have limited control over their impacts. Importantly, these data centers threaten an essential resource—drinking water. Pennsylvania

The Borough of Palmerton has a proud place in our nation's history. In the 1900's, the New Jersey Zinc Company dominated the local economy and was pivotal in U.S. efforts to win two World Wars. Decades later, we are faced with the residual effects of unregulated zinc smelting and the abandoned plant on the municipal water supply. Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a public meeting to address the toxins left behind after the borough followed the E

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