Pennsylvania's gubernatorial candidates are showcasing their differences in approach to data centers as Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order on regulating the behemoth tech facilities while his opponent, Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, called it gaslighting.
The Governor's Responsible Infrastructure Development initiative makes standards for data center developers who want the state's support, according to a statement from Shapiro's office.
These include the centers bringing their own electricity and paying for costs associated with it, being transparent with local governments and residents about their plans and protecting the environment.
More: How Garrity calculates data center donations to Shapiro campaign
Garrity has drawn a hard line on data centers, calling for a pause in building them in Pennsylvania, a rare Republican-backed impediment to free-market capitalism. She blamed her opponent for creating what she said is chaos in communities around the state.
"Last summer, Josh Shapiro was the biggest data center cheerleader in the nation," Garrity remarked in her campaign's one-paragraph statement sent in response to Shapiro's order. Now, she said, Shapiro is playing "CYA."
His regulation-based executive order came a year after he courted two projects â one in Salem Township, Luzerne County, another in Falls Township, Bucks County â to the state. They were said to bring thousands of new jobs and $20 billion in new investments.
"Since then, we've seen an unacceptable number of speculative proposals for data centers swamp our Commonwealth â many of them led by developers who have no regard for local communities," Shapiro said when he signed the order Aug. 18.
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Garrity alleged in her statement Aug. 18 that Shapiro brought in at least $5 million in campaign donations from out-of-state data center interests. In July, she told USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania that Shapiro had received more than twice that amount from data center developers.
Her campaign maintains both figures are correct since the lower amount is for donations Shapiro has received during the current campaign cycle. The higher amount includes Shapiro's first run for governor, according to Garrity campaign spokesman Matt Beynon.
However, a bulk of the donations the Garrity campaign cited do not come from data center developers, but instead from people with ties to the tech industry and artificial intelligence.
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The candidates' differing approaches to a polarizing topic animating public meetings in townships and boroughs across Pennsylvania underscores the dueling public sentiment toward the behemoth supercomputer warehouses needed to power artificial intelligence, or AI.
Technology has been expanding to meet increasing demands for telehealth, remote learning, social media, online banking, shopping and other digital services that are only growing.
