Homeowners near a proposed data center in Pennsylvania worry it could bring constant noise to their backyards and a nearby high school.
A 1.5-million-square-foot data center proposal has turned the area into a new battleground over how much of a data center boom the state should accept.
For families close to the site, the dispute goes beyond a standard development fight. Their concerns center on noise, traffic, water, and whether the surrounding community will end up carrying the industry's drawbacks.
Here's what to know
According to The Center Square, opposition in South Whitehall Township includes both local residents and the Parkland School District superintendent. They are objecting to "Project Atlas," a proposed data center campus planned for 410 acres across from Parkland High School.
In a letter to the township, Superintendent Mark Madson said his primary concern is "noise and vibration," warning that "low-frequency data center noise easily penetrates building walls and travels hundreds of feet."
For Anna Clement, a South Whitehall Township mother who homeschools her four 10-year-old children, that issue feels especially immediate. She told the outlet there is "a low humming that you can't measure by decibels," and said she fears the project could interfere with both schooling and quiet at home.
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A sound study paid for by the township appeared to back up those worries. The analysis projected nighttime noise from the planned facility at roughly 30 decibels above existing ambient levels, which the report said is "generally perceived to be eight times louder."
Edged U.S., the project's developer, offers a different picture on its website, saying the site would operate at "less than 54 dB at property lines, as quiet as a conversation." The company also says the facility would use no daily cooling water and create less traffic than a warehouse-style development.
More background
What is happening in South Whitehall is part of a much larger fight in Pennsylvania. As AI pushes demand for more data centers, communities around the state are contesting projects they say could change neighborhoods, school settings, and local infrastructure.
Clement also said she is concerned about a proposal to extend public water service into a neighborhood that currently relies on wells. For nearby residents, that kind of shift adds to a broader worry that a project they never wanted could force them to rearrange daily life.
Greg Sussman, president of the South Whitehall Civic Alliance and a father of two school-aged children, said the proposed site is about 1,000 feet from his backyard.
"Our goal is no data center," he said. "You are doing irreparable harm to the community for a short-term tax break."
What's being done?
Opposition is building locally and drawing support from state officials. About 600 people attended a public meeting on the proposal, and Republican state Sen. Jarrett Coleman said, "It's not the right fit."
The next major step is a September 23 Planning Commission meeting devoted entirely to Project Atlas. The Center Square reported that township commissioners have until Oct. 31 to make a final decision.
Township Manager Tom Petrucci said officials are reviewing the proposal "comprehensive and neutrally," while also saying the township engineer has identified many "issues" with it.
The debate is also widening beyond one township. Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. James Malone has urged the state Senate to return and vote on data center moratorium legislation. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered audits before more projects proceed, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul put a temporary moratorium in place.
Food & Water Watch senior organizer Ginny Marcille-Kerslake said ordinary people are fighting "for their communities and public safety and the environment."
She added, "It is time those people elected to lead should do their job. That goes straight up to the governor."
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