Hold the Line Against Data Centers!

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 "welcome data centers" or "sewage sludge is good for our land!" Many of us sit at home and wonder, "What can I do?" The answer is "A lot!" Here's a brief list of actions that each of us must take:

• Show up at Township, Borough, Planning Commission, and Municipal Water Authority meetings. There are several Water Authorities responsible for our water supply, including the Lehighton Water Authority, the Lansford-Coaldale Joint Water Authority, and Municipal Water Authorities in Jim Thorpe, Palmerton, and Weatherly.

• Contact your PA State Representative, Doyle Heffley, and your PA State Senator, Dave Argall, and ask them directly: “What are you doing to ensure the Municipal Planning Code allows municipalities to make zoning decisions based on their community needs and defend those decisions in court?”

• Contact Governor Josh Shapiro's office and ask him the same question, along with "What are you doing to safeguard watersheds, wells, and the water supply in rural areas threatened by massive water extraction from data centers?"

The time to start is now! Recently, the Lehighton Water Authority (opens as a PDF download) was contacted by an engineer with Bohler Engineering inquiring about the need for one to two million gallons of water per day in Penn Forest - a vast amount of water! Bohler Engineering is a land development company that helps developers accelerate their projects, specializing in data centers. If you’re concerned with the potential impact of data centers, not just on our wells, streams, and rivers, but on our way of life and our wildlife, please share this blog and attend the public meeting regarding the Penn Forest Draft Data Center Overlay District and related ordinances this Monday, January 12 at 6 PM at Penn's Peak. Also, please plan to attend the Penn Forest Zoning Hearing on January 29 at 6 PM at Penn's Peak. Let’s hold the line against data centers!