Tensions are rising over a planned data center near Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, with Plymouth Township officials accusing the developer of using pressure tactics to try to move the project forward.
According to WHYY News, the plan calls for a 2 million-square-foot complex at the recently closed Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill site, a proposal that underscores the broader strain communities are facing as AI infrastructure rapidly expands.
What happened?
After township officials pushed back on the proposal, council members said this week that developer Brian O'Neill responded by challenging the township's zoning ordinance, as WHYY News reported.
Officials said they viewed the filing as an effort to clear away barriers to approval, though its full details had not yet been made public.
The project would use 10 existing buildings across 66 acres along the Schuylkill River, about a mile from downtown Conshohocken. O'Neill has said it could produce $21 million in yearly tax revenue, though it is still not known who would run the facility.
During a livestreamed announcement, Council Chair Lynne Viscio sharply criticized the move.
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"This is a blatant attempt by the applicant to demand approval by throwing a tantrum," Viscio said. "The township is not interested in entertaining such theatrics."
O'Neill is tied to eight proposed data center projects in Montgomery County, including this one. His initial application for the site was withdrawn last year because of a legal technicality, then resubmitted in May. A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 6.
Why does it matter?
Data centers are becoming a flashpoint across the country because they sit at the intersection of economic development, artificial intelligence, and environmental pressure.
AI tools can help improve weather forecasting, optimize power systems, and support cleaner energy management. At the same time, the server facilities that power those tools require massive amounts of electricity and water.
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PJM Interconnection, which manages the regional power grid, has identified growing demand from data centers as one factor contributing to higher electricity bills.
People living near the proposed site have pointed to a range of possible harms, including noise, pollution, declining property values, and the use of backup diesel generators. Experts say those generators can worsen respiratory and other health problems.
Cooling demand is another major concern. As WHYY News reported, hyperscale data centers can use as much as 5 million gallons of drinking water each day, and residents worry that even with recycling systems, that level of industrial use could still strain local supplies.
Opponents have argued that the promise of new tax revenue should not come at the expense of public health, utility affordability, or environmental quality.
What's being done?
Township officials say they are not opposed to development itself but instead are trying to put firm safeguards in place.
They have developed more than 40 conditions intended to reduce impacts on nearby residents and natural resources.
The proposed safeguards include plantings to help cut noise, a prohibition on taking water from or releasing it into the Schuylkill, and requests for solar-preferred renewable technology and on-site power generation, according to WHYY News. Council members said O'Neill has previously rejected the township's mitigation criteria.
Public opposition has also taken organized form. A petition against the project has collected more than 3,600 signatures, and the township planning agency unanimously declined to recommend it last year.
"Our responsibility is not to oppose development," Viscio said. "It is to ensure that if development is proposed, it occurs in a manner that protects our residents, our neighborhoods and the community we are all very proud to serve."
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