Dear Governor Shapiro

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 concerns. Please use any portion or add your own comments.

To: Governor Josh Shapiro

Governor’s Office

501 North 3rd Street

508 Main Capitol Building

Harrisburg, PA 17120

Cc (optional): PA-DEP, PUC, Department of Agriculture (Farmland Preservation), DCNR, Senator Dave Argall, Representative Doyle Heffley, County Commissioners, Borough Council Members, Township Supervisors

Governor Shapiro,

I’m a Pennsylvania resident from [your municipality/county] writing to urge you to pause approvals for large-scale data centers and issue strong statewide siting and environmental standards. Unchecked data-center development is already threatening our water, forests, farmland, air quality, and grid reliability—especially in the Poconos and across Carbon/Monroe counties. Locally, the proposed data centers at State Route 903 & Maury Road in Albrightsville (Penn Forest Township) and similar projects near Kidder Township would convert forested and agricultural lands into 24/7 industrial power users with massive impervious cover and heavy diesel or other type of backup power generation. The proposed Data Center in Nesquehoning is sited in the same location as the power plant that threatens residents with lethal smog from burning tires and tire-derived fuel. Few permanent jobs are created and the price of electricity will skyrocket. Our soils have poor infiltration; stormwater basins here routinely fail to infiltrate, risking downstream flooding and pollution of HQ/EV streams. Residents are also facing round-the-clock noise, light pollution, and traffic impacts that local zoning never anticipated. Pennsylvanians should not have to choose between Big Tech’s server farms and clean water, safe neighborhoods, and preserved farmland. We need the Commonwealth to set guardrails now. I respectfully request that your administration:

1. Issue a temporary pause on state permits, incentives, and approvals for new data centers until the standards below are enacted.

2. Adopt statewide siting rules that prohibit construction on prime farmland, wetlands, floodplains, and forest cores; require wide vegetated buffers to streams; and respect wildlife corridors.

3. Require full environmental review and cumulative-impact analysis (not project-by-project), including storm water feasibility where infiltration is unlikely and downstream flooding risk is high.

4. Set strict storm water controls: third-party hydrologic review; no unlined infiltration basins where soils fail; real maintenance bonds; and compliance with Act 167-MS4, anti-degradation, and HQ/EV protections.

5. Protect air quality and public health: limit diesel backup generator fleets; require Tier 4 final or better, restricted testing hours, and continuous emissions monitoring; enforce low nighttime noise (≤45 dBA at property line).

6. Safeguard water supplies: cap withdrawals; ban use of pristine groundwater without offset; require recycling/reuse where any process water is used; prohibit thermal discharges.

7. Align with climate and grid goals: require verified additional renewable supply (not just RECs), on-site storage to reduce peak stress, and transparent PJM interconnection studies available to host communities.

8. Transparency & community rights: a public registry of proposed data centers; early notice to municipalities; enforceable community benefits agreements; and no tax incentives without strong environmental and fiscal safeguards.

Data centers can be sited responsibly on already-disturbed land, near existing substations and transmission lines, with strict limits on water, diesel, stormwater discharge, and noise. Without statewide standards, rural townships—and our rivers and forests—bear outsized risks while corporations capture the profits. Please act now to protect Pennsylvania’s environment and communities. I would welcome a meeting with your staff and the PA-DEP to discuss the specific risks in [your township/borough] and the reforms above.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

[Street Address/PO Box]

[Municipality]