Fight Against Data Centers in Penn Forest!

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 water every year. The Data Center will also consume massive amounts of power - PPL is aggressively building out infrastructure to meet the demand, and the resulting high-tension power lines will negatively impact our property values. The proposed Data Center's energy consumption will strain our local grid, increase electricity costs, and potentially cause blackouts. The proposed Data Center will contribute significantly to air pollution and carbon emissions, and generate substantial e-waste from computer chips and processors due to the rapid turnover of computing technology. Unfulfilled economic promises will not offset the constant noise and light pollution from the proposed Data Center, and there are multiple examples of tax breaks that don't deliver promised jobs and burden local budgets. Budgets that will need increased property taxes to sustain the Township. The proposed ordinance (downloads as a PDF) placates the Data Center developer by requiring a minimum buffer yard width of 100 feet along all property lines, or, in the case of an assemblage of parcels, along all exterior property lines of the assemblage. Living 30 yards from a 24/7 Data Center is toxic - for people, wildlife, and plants (video here). When we turn off lights to reduce our electricity usage and work multiple jobs to pay our bills, why are residents of Penn Forest and Carbon County paying to subsidize the power demands of Data Centers built by wealthy corporations? This is our chance to make a difference - please join us at Penns Peak!