HARRISBURG, PA — Four Chester County lawmakers are backing legislation that would require large Pennsylvania data centers to secure additional electricity capacity, disclose water consumption and commit to substantial local economic benefits, introducing new statewide oversight as communities confront the infrastructure demands of large-scale computing facilities.
House Bill 2888, introduced Nov. 4 and referred to the House Energy Committee, would establish energy, environmental, employment and public-reporting requirements for hyperscale data centers. Chester County Democratic Reps. Chris Pielli, Kristine Howard, Melissa Shusterman and Danielle Friel Otten are among its co-sponsors.
The legislation would create state-level obligations for qualifying facilities while preserving municipal authority over zoning and land use, a distinction relevant to ongoing data-center development disputes in East Whiteland, East Brandywine and other Chester County municipalities.
Under the proposal, operators of new hyperscale data centers would be required to develop plans for obtaining sufficient additional electricity capacity to meet their facilities’ full demand.
The legislation also establishes escalating requirements for clean, reliable electricity generation, with alternative compliance payments available under specified circumstances.
Operators would have to certify that changes to their energy plans would not impose additional costs on other electricity customers, addressing concerns about how major new power demands could affect the broader electric system.
The bill generally defines hyperscale data centers by electricity demand, including facilities requiring at least 20 megawatts of power when served by utilities with peak loads of 2,500 megawatts or more. Affiliated or colocated facilities could be considered together when determining whether the threshold applies.
Water consumption would face additional scrutiny.
Qualifying operators would have to submit water-management and sustainability plans to state agencies and disclose annual electricity and water consumption.
Depending on a project’s location and potential environmental effects, water plans could require hydrogeological studies, baseline monitoring and corrective measures to protect high-quality waterways, public drinking-water sources and nearby tributaries.
The legislation would also establish minimum economic commitments for new or expanding facilities.
Covered projects would be required to submit community-benefit plans providing for at least $250 million in investment, 200 construction jobs paying prevailing wages and 50 permanent positions paying at least 125% of Pennsylvania’s average statewide wage.
Those requirements would apply to qualifying facilities beginning operations, expanding or making new investments after the legislation took effect.
Developers would also be required to negotiate in good faith with host municipalities over community impacts, including noise, traffic, lighting, emergency-response demands and visual screening.
Negotiations would additionally address local financial contributions and annual reporting, creating a formal process for municipalities to seek commitments from developers beyond existing zoning procedures.
The proposed law would not eliminate local zoning authority or independently authorize or prohibit individual data-center projects. Municipal governments would retain their existing responsibilities for land-use decisions.
State oversight would instead supplement those local processes through separate operating, environmental and economic-development requirements.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Community and Economic Development would administer portions of the proposed framework.
After a 60-day period to correct violations, regulators could assess civil penalties reaching $25,000 per day for continuing noncompliance.
Unresolved false or materially misleading submissions could trigger penalties of up to $50,000 per day.
The bill’s reporting requirements would extend to qualifying data centers already operating in Pennsylvania, while its community-benefit obligations would focus on new operations, expansions and investments following enactment.
For Chester County, the proposal would add a potential statewide regulatory framework to a development issue already generating local debate over land use, infrastructure capacity and municipal oversight.
Its legislative prospects remain uncertain.
House Bill 2888 was referred to the House Energy Committee on Nov. 4 and has not received a committee or floor vote. Pennsylvania’s 2025-26 legislative session ends Nov. 30, leaving less than a month for lawmakers to advance the measure.
If the bill does not pass before the session concludes, it would need to be reintroduced in the next legislative session to receive further consideration.
For now, the proposed energy, water and community-benefit requirements remain legislative proposals rather than enforceable obligations on Pennsylvania data-center operators.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.