On May 12 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection held a public hearing on a proposed AI data center in Homer City. Prior to the hearing, Concerned Residents of Western PA held a protest on Philadelphia Street in Indiana, PA. The concerns of those at the hearing include:
- The center would have large electricity demands on the power grid
- Large water usage by the centers to cool the large mainframe computers
- Connections to fracking wells
- Noise pollution
- Increased greenhouse gas emissions
The hearing lasted almost 2 hours in the Indiana Theater.
PennLive from Harrisburg, WTAE from Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review and the Indiana Gazette were there to cover the event. Governor Josh Shapiro and Senators Dave McCormick and John Fetterman are on the record as supporting these data centers. Fetterman called Democratic opposition to these centers “lunacy.” Does he also