Echoes of the Past in Pennsylvania Coal Towns’ Fight Against Data Centers
As the data center buildout escalates, rural Pennsylvanians urge lawmakers not to repeat past mistakes.
HAZLETON, Pa.—The Hazle Township Supervisors faced a packed room. Hanging on the wall behind them, black lettering spelled out ‘We the People’. In front of them sat and stood about a hundred community members, some wearing yellow T-shirts that read ‘Project Hazelnot’, with a red circle and backslash for the ‘o’.
The meeting was called to discuss a proposal to build a data center in an old coal mine in the region. The residents of the area are opposed to the idea, citing environmental impacts and a lack of quality jobs.
The coal towns of Pennsylvania are experiencing an economic transformation, with the decline of the coal industry and the arrival of new technologies. Data centers are one of the main options for the region, but residents are concerned about the environmental and social impacts.
The Supervisors of Hazle Township are divided on the proposal, with some supporting the construction and others opposing. The final decision lies with the Hazle Township Council, which will make a decision soon.
Meanwhile, residents of the area continue to fight against the proposal, arguing that the construction of a data center is not the solution to the region’s economic problems.
‘The construction of a data center will not create quality jobs and will bring negative environmental impacts’, said one resident. ‘We, the people, do not want our region to become a technological wasteland’.
Residents of the area are supported by local environmental groups, which argue that the construction of a data center will violate the environmental rights of the region.
‘The construction of a data center will cause irreversible damage to the environment of the region’, said one of the leaders of the environmental group. ‘We, the people, will not allow this to happen’.
The Hazle Township Council will make a decision soon on the proposal to build a data center in the coal towns of Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, residents of the area continue to fight against the proposal, arguing that the construction of a data center is not the solution to the region’s economic problems.