Roundtable examines race to build data centers in Pennsylvania
Lawmakers hear from energy providers, union, conservation & rural voices
Rep. Robert F. Matzie September 3, 2025 | 11:41 AM
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 3 – The future of Pennsylvania will include building more data centers across the landscape. State lawmakers invited members from across the community to talk about the benefits and concerns of the influx of facilities that will house corporations’ IT infrastructure.
“We know data centers will continue being built in Pennsylvania, so we gathered numerous voices to hear about the benefits, concerns, questions and economic incentives,” said state Rep. Emily Kinkead, who co-hosted the event and represents portions of Allegheny County. “Data centers create jobs and economic benefits, but we also heard from energy providers, organized labor, conservationists and the Farm Bureau about the need to be aware of specific issues.”
The House Majority Policy Committee hosted the event at Boilermakers Local 154.
“Pennsylvania is already in the nationwide race to build data centers,” said state Rep. Mandy Steele, who co-hosted the event and represents portions of Allegheny County. “We have the infrastructure and skilled labor to make this happen, but we are the only major energy provider state without a central siting authority to streamline large-scale projects.”
Union voices acknowledged permitting has improved but it has been an issue in the past. Steele’s H.B. 502 would help deliver a more streamlined process.
“We heard from workers and organized labor about the desire for data centers because of its job creation and the thirst for work across Pennsylvania,” said state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, who is the House Majority Policy chairman and represents portions of Erie County. “We need to take advantage of this opportunity, but we need to do so in a smart manner with an eye on the future. We all want these projects to be done right.”
Energy providers discussed concerns about how they can lessen the impact to consumers, specifically during peak demand. Conservationists acknowledged the question of how rates would be affected for consumers and the protections for water that would be used in the data center cooling process. Union officials noted Pennsylvania is also in competition with other states for data centers and, consequently, job creation.
“I’ve met with almost every company that is looking at building a data center in Pennsylvania, and they are not looking for dollars and cents – they are looking for reliability,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Rob Matzie, who represents portions of Beaver County. “From the state’s standpoint, we need to be ready, because we want that energy consumption. Since data centers are large users of energy, they need to be treated as such – similar to any plant.”
Wednesday’s House Majority Policy roundtable featured Lael Campbell from Constellation; Jamie Davis from Duquesne Light Co.; Barron Shaw from the Farm Bureau; Tom McIntyre from IBEW; Katie Blue from Conservation Voters; Angela Valvano from BETTER PA; and members from other local unions.
Information about this and other House Majority Policy Committee events can be found at pahouse.com/policy. Photos to be used for publication can be found on the day of the hearing at Facebook.com/PADemPolicy.