Committee bars data centers from public-utility status, citing local control and rate concerns
House Bill 26 74, sponsored by Representative Piali, clarifies that commercial data centers are not public utilities; the sponsor argued data-center growth has driven energy costs and could preempt local zoning, and the committee adopted an amendment and passed the bill unanimously.
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Representative Piali urged the committee to support House Bill 26 74, saying the measure would protect ratepayers and preserve local control over land-use decisions by explicitly prohibiting commercial data centers from qualifying as public utilities. "Since 2020, as data center construction has accelerated across our commonwealth, Pennsylvania's energy costs have surged by more than 70%," Piali said, and he told members the state has about 130 data centers with another 55 proposed or planned.
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