In the rain-soaked amphitheater of Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square, a small yet vocal group was not deterred. Their message was clear: question the numerous data center proposals sprouting in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Despite the weather, these demonstrators, including local political candidates, gathered on a national day of action against data centers.
“We are the neighbors of all these places. We suffer downstream. We suffer upstream. We all breathe the same air. We all pay the same energy costs,” said Annette Miraglia, the protest organizer from Kingston.
Miraglia’s efforts are part of a larger movement led by HumansFirst, aiming to bring attention to over 20 proposed data center campuses in the region. Residents have expressed concerns about the potential impact on utilities and quality of life, prompting them to attend municipal meetings to voice their opposition.
‘Top to the bottom’
Christine Fazzi from Bear Creek Township is among the concerned residents. Her worries span from environmental impacts to the potential strain on local utilities.
“From the top to the bottom. I mean, the way money is more important than people or lives or animals or nature, how things will be changed and we will not have a say,” she expressed.
Fazzi mentioned the community’s reliance on wells, emphasizing the potential threat a data center poses to their water supply. “And this would be a big problem with our water system and our air, and the sound and animals and everything else,” she added.
Todd Eachus, a former Pennsylvania House majority leader from Butler Township, seeks to leverage his experience living close to the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station to guide his community against data centers. He believes the industry aims to create divisions among neighbors. “These folks are trying to divide us … in some way where one neighbor can’t speak to another neighbor, one borough can’t speak to a township,” he remarked.
Political candidates vs. data centers
Democratic candidates for state legislative seats were present, voicing their opposition to the industry. Fern Leard, vying for the 120th House District, emphasized the importance of safeguarding communities over corporate interests. “We are here because we care deeply about our communities. This is our home. This is not a testing ground,” she said.
Leard warns that the data center industry could drastically alter communities and strain local resources. “While the companies behind them answer to shareholders, not the families who have to spend who have spent generations building their lives here,” she noted.
Jeremy Benscoter, running for the 117th House District, shares similar concerns. He decided to run partly due to the influx of data center proposals. “Data center development does not have our interest at heart,” he stated.
Benscoter criticized the slow legislative response in Harrisburg, pointing out that it took over a year for protective legislation to emerge. His opponent, Rep. Jamie Walsh, has recently introduced several data center bills.
Jackie Baker, contesting for the 20th Senate District, echoed the sentiment for stricter state laws to protect local communities from large tech companies. “We need to make sure that our local government, our state government, our municipalities, and our boroughs are well prepared so that they can have the absolute power to say no to a data center that might interfere with their zoning plans, or it might destroy their neighborhoods,” she said.
Also present was Tony Dastra, the Green Party candidate for governor, sporting a “No Data Center” pin on his suit, reinforcing the protest’s message. Other gatherings in opposition to data centers took place across the region, including in Danville.
“We are not here to make corporations comfortable,” Leard declared. “We are here to make sure our children inherit communities that are still worth calling home, because our future is not for sale, our voices are not for sale, and we are not backing down.”
