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Residents raise concerns about data centers and proposed Senate Bill 497's effect on local zoning
Summary
Residents at the Sept. 3 Lackawanna County meeting said they were excluded from earlier panel discussions on data centers, voiced worries about electric and water consumption, and warned that Senate Bill 497 could remove local zoning authority; county staff said zoning is primarily a local municipal authority.
During the public-comment period at the Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners’ Sept. 3 meeting, several residents urged county attention to proposed data-center development and state legislation that they said could limit local zoning control.
Janet Breyer of Dunmore told commissioners she attended a panel on data centers where, she said, affected communities were not represented and residents had limited opportunity to speak. Breyer said the speed of developments and a lack of community input were particularly worrisome in Dunmore, where she noted existing pollution burdens and the presence of a large nearby landfill.
Breyer and other residents expressed two central concerns about large data centers: high electricity consumption, which could raise local utility rates, and high water use depending on cooling systems, which could increase water and sewer costs. She also said a developer’s reported threat to leave a dump on a property if not approved was alarming.
A county representative clarified that local zoning authority rests with municipal governments and that the county’s planning office serves an advisory role; the county does not itself zone municipalities. County staff said commissioners can advocate for communities and support municipal officials, but the county lacks direct zoning authority unless statutory changes were enacted.
The speakers urged residents and municipal officials to slow the permitting process and seek fuller community engagement before large projects proceed. Commissioners said they opposed state preemption of local zoning authority in principle and pledged to support affected municipalities where possible.
