On March 24, Pennsylvania House Bill 1834, which would develop statewide regulations for data centers, passed the House floor with a vote of 104-95. The bill is expected to move to a Senate vote shortly. In response, Ohio River Valley Institute Senior Researcher Sean O’Leary issued the following statement:
The version of House Bill 1834 that passed the Pennsylvania House does a good job of protecting customers against costs for energy, transmission, and infrastructure that are directly attributable to data centers. It also promotes clean energy and grid flexibility, which, over time, will reduce costs and be better for our health and the environment. But, the bill doesn’t fully insulate existing customers against indirect costs from data centers that may become substantial, including capacity market costs, fuel cost inflation, and system costs that utilities recover through volumetric charges. Legislators must take further action to mitigate against the full impact of these projects on everyday Pennsylvanians.
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