Exposing Data Centers

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 ourselves to overcome the threat from Data Centers that faces Carbon County. The recent video from Business Insider exposes the toxic reality about data centers and is well worth the time to watch. Seemingly oblivious to the harm caused by Data Centers, our governments pander to their business. For example, the PA Computer Data Center Equipment Program is designed to attract new investment from businesses that own or operate within a computer Data Center. Under the original legislation, the program was designed to provide a tax refund for sales and use tax paid on qualified computer Data Center equipment utilized within a facility certified by the Department of Revenue. Beginning January 1, 2022, computer Data Center equipment is exempt from Pennsylvania sales and use tax resulting in tens of millions of dollars in savings for Data Center companies and the equivalent loss of tax revenue for a state that is struggling to make ends meet. If you'd like to learn more, please join us at our next meeting on Sunday, January 11 from 2-4PM. For details, please call Save Carbon County at 570-676-2644.