The early 2000s and 2010s saw a revolution in Pennsylvania’s energy industry with the use of unconventional well drilling to tap into the massive gas reserves of the Marcellus Shale formation. This development has helped to power Pennsylvania, the country and beyond, and brought jobs and billions of dollars of investment to the Commonwealth. However, unconventional well drilling also brought with it serious concerns about impacts on our communities and environment, including the potential for water contamination. Given these concerns and others, the General Assembly passed Act 13 of 2012, creating requirements to make sure the natural gas industry operated responsibly in this Commonwealth. Among those requirements was for well operators to replace or restore water supplies affected by pollution or diminution from their operations.

Pennsylvania is now at the doorstep of another technological revolution that, like the Marcellus Shale boom, has the potential to bring jobs and investment across the Commonwealth, but which has also created concerns for our residents: the proliferation of data centers. Data centers pose many challenges for the communities they are constructed in. Local government officials are tasked with updating ordinances to keep up with technological advancements and residents see giant construction projects near their homes. Like the natural gas boom, the rise of data centers has left the residents of impacted communities with numerous concerns, including the potential for the construction and operation of these facilities to pollute or drain water supplies.

I will soon be introducing legislation to help ensure the responsibility of data center operations in Pennsylvania by requiring them to replace or restore water supplies affected by pollution or diminution from their operations. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation.