(The Center Square) – A bill that would provide Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection oversight of water withdrawal for data centers was approved by a state House committee on Monday morning.
“I think, personally, data centers are going to be an important part of our economy,” said state Rep. Joe Webster, D-Montgomery, who authored House Bill 2246. “And I also believe that some guardrails are required to make sure that we’re doing it for the best purposes in Pennsylvania and the residents of Pennsylvania who are already here and nearby those properties.”
According to a co-sponsorship memo for the bill, Webster’s proposal would require covered data center projects with substantial water needs to proactively inform the state before construction.
This step, according to Webster, “will ensure that state agencies, in collaboration with local governments and river basin commissions, can assess potential impacts and ensure adequate considerations are in place to protect our water supplies.”
There are 52 active data centers in Pennsylvania, according to Spotlight PA.
State Rep. Nikki Rivera, D-Lancaster, who voted in favor of advancing this proposal, said that she has two data centers planned for her district.
One of the major concerns with her constituents, she said, is how much water will be used to cool the machinery.
“And what we’ve learned is that in Lancaster, we’re going to have closed loop systems installed in our data centers, which a report that would show exactly how much water it’s using would actually favor the data centers and make it really transparent for our residents as to how much water is being used,” she said on Monday. “Apparently, it’s going to be using a lot less water than the previous warehouse occupant was.”
An Emerson College Poll released in December showed Pennsylvanians split on data centers being built in the state: 38% supported them, 35% opposed them, and 27% were neutral or had no opinion.
In another question, 42% polled said they opposed data centers being built in or near their community, while 34% said they support it, and 24% said they were neutral or have no opinion.
About 7 in 10 in the Emerson College poll said they were concerned about the amount of water data centers use, while 30% were not.
State Rep. Jack Rader, R-Monroe, who voted in opposition to the bill, said he’s for “local control on these issues.”
“I think if local governments do their jobs, these issues should be taken care of,” Rader said.
He added that he believes that the state is not set up to handle this matter.
“I think we already have agencies that can handle this type of situation,” he said, after referencing the Delaware River Water Basin near his community.
State Rep. Dallas Gephart, R-Clearfield, who also voted against this proposal, said he opposed a provision in the bill that gives the Environmental Quality Board the power to set a fee for data centers, saying “unelected bureaucrats” shouldn’t be given such authority.
Webster describes himself as a “staunch environmentalist,” but said the proposal is a “moderate bill that creates some agency oversight and some reporting requirements.”
The state House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee passed House Bill 2246 by a 16-10 vote.
Every Democrat, plus state Reps. Tom Mehaffie, R-Dauphin, and Brenda Pugh, R-Luzerne, voted in favor of the bill.
