The residents of a small town in Pennsylvania are currently amid a fight for their community, as data center developers have applied for permits to build six campuses within the area. The proposed data centers will be built in the town of Archbald, which has a population of just 7,000 people, and will include 51 data warehouses. The Washington Post reports that each of these data warehouses will be about the size of a Walmart Supercenter, all of which would encompass about 14% of the town’s 17-square-mile area. The Archbald town council approved zoning changes that allowed data centers back in 2023, but some of the people in the town of 7,000 have started pushing back on these developments when they started applying for permits in 2025.
Archbald used to be at the epicenter of coal mining and transportation in the area. However, it has since turned into a quiet town with the decline of the coal industry in the early 1900s, which is why many were surprised by the developers’ interest in putting up data centers in the area.
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But because a main power line cuts directly through the town, data centers would have easier access to the power they need without needing to invest significantly in grid infrastructure. The 500-kV Susquehanna-Roseland power line connects the 2.5-gigawatt Susquehanna nuclear power plant to New Jersey and goes directly over Archbald. When paired with the abundant land and fresh water available in the area, it just made sense for AI hyperscalers to build their infrastructure where the resources they need are readily available.
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The community is passionately pushing back against these developments, though. Many are concerned about the effects of these sites on local utilities, as well as their potential for noise and light pollution. Communities neighboring data centers have started complaining of higher electricity rates and reduced power quality, and it has gotten to the point that President Donald Trump personally asked hyperscalers to promise that they’ll take steps to address the issue via the “ratepayer protection pledge.” Nevertheless, it seems that these commitments aren’t enough, as many local governments have started pushing back on these projects, resulting in delays costing billions of dollars.
The community’s fight against data centers in Archbald has gotten so heated to the point that four out of the seven town council members have resigned from their positions, alongside several planning board members. Some of the former councilors said that they resigned because the attacks have started going personal, especially on social media, and also cited the shooting of an Indiana politician’s home over another data center fight.
While the developers and the town government are grappling over permits, one project took advantage of a loophole and started cutting trees on their property. While this was a legal move, newly elected Archbald town council member Larry West stated that it revealed the town’s dirty past, which, according to The Washington Post, took decades for the coal dust to clear. “Now, it’s happening again, but this time, it’s data centers,” West said.
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