After receiving four letters promising $10,000 per household if a nearby data center starts operating, Ed Negra, a retiree in a gated resort community in eastern Pennsylvania, called the offer "a bribe," AFP reported.
The potential payout has become a flashpoint in a growing fight over a project residents say could reshape the forested valley below their homes.
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Residents of Eagle Rock Resort say they had no warning about the project until chainsaw noise erupted in late 2024.
They later learned that more than 1,200 acres below the community in Hazle Township had been cleared for a planned server complex, prompting them to organize opposition that eventually won both a court order stopping construction and a municipal moratorium.
AFP said developer NorthPoint Development is still making its case by mail. In those letters, the company wrote, "There is a lot of misinformation and fear that has circulated about data centers and our project," and outlined a $165 million fund for the township and residents, including $45 million to be distributed directly to 4,500 households.
As AFP noted, resistance is not limited to this one proposal. Data Center Watch, which tracks opposition to the industry, says local campaigns stalled or derailed at least 75 data center projects in the first quarter of 2026.
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That AI push is closely tied to the power grid. Data centers that train and run AI systems require enormous amounts of electricity. At the same time, AI can help utilities optimize clean energy systems and grid operations, even as critics warn about power demand, water use, security concerns, and the risk of higher household bills.
More background
Negra told AFP he and his wife chose Eagle Rock Resort as the place they wanted to retire, expecting its mountain setting to remain largely untouched. The wooded development includes homes spread through the trees as well as two golf courses, swimming pools, an equestrian center, and ski slopes.
Retired high school teacher Jeff Fasnacht claimed to the outlet that any payment offered to residents would be "a drop in the bucket" compared with the potential loss in home values.
Fasnacht also noted to AFP that for "a young, struggling couple ... living from paycheck to paycheck, $10,000 is a lot of money," and official data show about one in six residents are living below the poverty line.
In nearby rural Sugarloaf Township, resident Erika Cook said part of her family's land is being targeted in an eminent domain proceeding for a transmission tower, per AFP. On that property, they keep chickens, grow vegetables, and tap maple trees for syrup, and Cook pointed out to the publication that the fight is "bringing people together ... across party lines."
What's being done?
Because of the court-ordered halt and the local moratorium, AFP reported heavy equipment remains idle on the cleared property.
In Sugarloaf Township, resident Annie Vinatieri said she has been fighting the proposed high-voltage line for almost two years, and residents there are especially frustrated because they would bear the impacts without being eligible for the possible $10,000 checks.
Vinatieri explained to AFP the dispute cannot be reduced to a payout: "There's no amount of money that can replace or take away the beauty, the tranquility that we live in."
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