WNEP: Clinton Township supervisors vote no to 20-building data center campus

No, it is not a done deal and recent developments have strengthened our position.

First, the project must comply with Clinton Township's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) [since this is not a zoned township], which sets enforceable requirements. The applicant doesn't get to skip these. They must demonstrate compliance and the township has a legal obligation to review the application against them.

Second, in August 2026, Governor Shapiro signed an executive order placing the strictest data center guardrails in the nation on projects like this one. Under the order, the state will not even review permit applications unless the developer has first received local approval and made a legally binding commitment to the state's GRID Requirements — strict standards covering environmental protection, energy affordability, transparency and community engagement. The order also removed data centers from the state's fast-track permitting program and banned the use of nondisclosure agreements on these projects.

In plain terms: local approval is now the gate everything else runs through. That means what happens here, in our township, at our hearings, with our voices, matters more than ever. Projects like this have been stopped or scaled back across Pennsylvania when residents organized early and hired experienced counsel. That's exactly what we're doing.

Link to this question

This isn't just a data center. It's a hyperscale facility paired with two natural gas power plants, proposed next to homes, schools and waterways our community depends on. Our concerns include: 24/7 industrial noise and lighting, air emissions from on-site gas power generation, water quality impacts to local streams, traffic and road wear and what happens to the site decades from now if the operator leaves. We're not against progress or jobs. We're against a project of this scale being placed in the wrong location without the protections our township's residents deserve.

Link to this question