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WELLSBORO, PA – The Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board of Directors and staff are convening the first hearing in a multi-part public hearing series examining the growth of data centers in Pennsylvania. This initial hearing will map the current landscape across state, local, industry, and environmental perspectives. Testimony will focus on citing considerations, infrastructure and energy demands, regulatory frameworks, and the range of issues shaping data center development in rural communities to inform policymakers. The hearing will also feature perspectives from local elected officials representing communities directly impacted by current and proposed development. Future hearings in this series will examine additional dimensions of data center development in greater depth.
The first hearing has been set for Friday, April 17 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Coolidge Theatre in the Deane Center, located at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro, PA.
Testimony will focus on citing considerations, infrastructure and energy demands, regulatory frameworks, as well as the range of issues shaping data center development in rural communities to inform policymakers.
The hearing will even feature perspectives from local elected officials representing communities directly impacted by current and proposed data center development, including Tioga County Commissioner Shane Nickerson of Blossburg, PA. Indiana County Commissioner Sherene Hess, past president of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania and current CCAP board chair. Hess will join Tioga County Commissioner Nickerson during a portion of the hearing in Wellsboro, PA.
Hess seems excited about a data center being built in Indiana County where a former coal power plant is being turned into a 3,200-acre natural gas powered data center campus by Homer City Redevelopment LLC. She will provide details of the data center being built in her county.
Future hearings in this series will examine additional dimensions of data center development in greater depth.
During the hearing in Wellsboro will be divided into three panels.
The first panel will deal with the Commonwealth’s work with data centers. It is scheduled to feature James R. Ladlee, state program leader for emerging and advanced technology at Penn State Extension, and a representative from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Hess will be speaking during the second panel, it is believed Tioga County Commissioner Shane Nickerson will also be speaking.
The third panel will talk about Industry, Energy, and Conservation Perspectives on Data Centers,, and is planned to feature Stephen E. Bennett, senior manager, PJM Interconnection; Andrew D. Denhoff, P.E., executive director, Susquehanna River Basin Commission; and Dan Diorio, vice president, Data Center Coalition.
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board of Directors is chaired by state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming County; with Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Luzerne County, as vice chair; Dr. Nancy Falvo of Pennsylvania Western University-Clarion as secretary; and Stephen M. Brame, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s representative, as treasurer.
A livestream will be provided by www.SenatorGeneYaw.com and https://www.facebook.com/SenatorGeneYaw .
