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Data Center

Video: Nearly 80% of Pocono Mountain students could soon attend school near a data center.

Video: Nearly 80% of Pocono Mountain students could soon attend school near a data center.

Nearly 80% of Pocono Mountain students could soon attend school within the impact radius of a hyperscale data center. That is not an exaggeration, and it should stop every parent, taxpayer, and elected official in this region. Based on current district enrollment numbers, roughly 3,520 students on… Read More
Voter Guide for No Data Center Candidates

Voter Guide for No Data Center Candidate List

Independent Democratic Coalition of NEPA posted on FB:We have received A LOT of messages asking us who isn’t backing Data Centers! This is not an endorsement. We’re sharing a post made in a no data center group, vote as you wish, we are just sharing for those who want to know.
zoom meeting

Smithfield Township - SUMMARY OF MAY 6TH SPECIAL MEETING

Thank you so much for attending last night’s meeting. To briefly summarize what happened last night, the Board adopted Resolution No. 621, which invoked the curative amendment process under the Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), Section 609.2, here.  We had at least two solid hours of… Read More
On April 22, the Pocono Township Board of Commissioners unanimously approved adding a data center overlay district to the township’s zoning ordinance.  Half of the properties are occupied by an active business or abandoned resort, and a large warehouse has been approved for another.

Here are the properties where data centers could go in Pocono Township

The following six properties are part of the new data center overlay district, where data centers are permitted by conditional use.On April 22, the Pocono Township Board of Commissioners unanimously approved adding a data center overlay district to the township’s zoning ordinance.Half of the… Read More
sketch map

Here's what sketch plan for Smithfield Township data center shows

What would proposed data center buildings at Smithfield Gateway look like? Renderings submitted by the developer to Smithfield Township give an idea.Plans presented to the Smithfield Township Planning Commission outline two proposed data center buildings, each about 125,000 square feet, along with… Read More
Misconceptions About Data Centers

Misconceptions About Data Centers

Monroe County official wants people to know the facts about data centers.
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Multiple states to see higher electricity bills due to soaring cost of new data center

An enormous transmission project in the mid-Atlantic is stirring up controversy, as ratepayers are expected to shoulder the costs of a proposed transmission line intended to serve new data centers in Northern Virginia.According to the nonprofit Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis… Read More
conditional use

The Developer (DEPG Mosier Associates LP & DEPG of Shawnee II LP) submitted a conditional use application for a data center (two buildings) at Smithfield Gateway, behind St. Luke’s and Wawa.

All the documents for the conditional use are available on this page: https://smithfieldtownship.com/odp/gatewaydc/. To any of you who have been following the sketch plans, please note that the sketch plans are at the bottom of this page, and the old sketch plan link will automatically redirect to… Read More
petition

BRC News 13: Data Center Update in Smithfield Township

A petition is circling to stop a data center from coming to Smithfield Township, but opposition won't matter.We're told it comes down to a municipality's ordinances. News3's Nicole Walters has the details:"The developer behind the Smithfield Gateway project presented the new plans to the East… Read More
angry citizens

Angry Citizen from Pocono Lake re: Data Centers

Angry citizen from Pocono Lake speaks up at a Township Meeting, challenging the legality of the change in ordiance in Tobyhanna TWP,  that changes one property owner's use of land that borders Pinchot Forest and The Thomas Darling preserve, to allow the use from a quarry to multiple data… Read More
What we know about Smithfield Gateway data center proposal

What we know about Smithfield Gateway data center proposal

A proposal that could bring data centers to part of the long-planned Smithfield Gateway development was discussed during a recent Smithfield Township Planning Commission meeting.Plans presented to the commission outline two proposed data center buildings, each about 125,000 square feet, along with… Read More
Legal fight over data center site continues

Legal fight over data center site continues

TOBYHANNA TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A zoning fight is growing in Monroe County: People who live there are pushing back after township supervisors approved a data center overlay district in Tobyhanna Township. Supervisors passed the ordinance in December on 520 acres at the Tarheel… Read More
Stop the massive data center in East Stroudsburg, PA

Stop the massive data center in East Stroudsburg, PA

The IssueBeing developed under the name: SMITHFIELD GATEWAY PROJECT East Stroudsburg, a peaceful and picturesque town in the heart of Pennsylvania, is shocked by plans for a massive data center being proposed right in our backyard. While technology and data centers are crucial for modern… Read More
Sen Brown announces first data center legislative package

Sen. Rosemary Brown announces "Residents First" data center legislative package

"Over the past several months, our region has increasingly been targeted for large-scale data center development.While final approvals of any development lie with local governments under Pennsylvania law, I believe that legislative action at the state level is also appropriate to protect the… Read More
data center and ai workshops

Data Center and AI Workshops at Pike Training Center on March 4

Penn State Extension is hosting two workshops designed to inform and empower county residents and policymakers. Workshops will be held on Wednesday, March 4, at the Pike County Training Center, 135 Pike County Blvd., Hawley. Registration links below.𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀,… Read More

Public Notice: 01/27/2026 [6a6fe6d915c362c9d030142859867442]

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE OF HEARING AND OF INTENTION TO ENACT PROPOSED ORDINANCE Notice is hereby given that the Board of Supervisors of Stroud Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 6:00 P.M., at the Stroud… Read More
Data Centers Are Not Progress for Northeastern Pennsylvania

Data Centers Are Not Progress for Northeastern Pennsylvania

The NEPA Drone Position...Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Pocono Mountains are not empty land waiting to be filled. They are one of the few places left where forests, mountains, and small towns still define the landscape. From the air, that reality is obvious. And it is exactly why NEPA Drone is… Read More
Pennsylvania Survey on Data Centers & Artificial Intelligence

Pennsylvania Survey on Data Centers & Artificial Intelligence

The Pennsylvania survey was sponsored by RealClearPolitics Institute of News & Information (RCPINI).Perception of Artificial Intelligence in PAForty-eight percent of Pennsylvania residents think Artificial Intelligence will have more of a negative impact on the economy, while 25% think it will… Read More
data center

Tobyhanna Township approves second data center zoning overlay

TOBYHANNA TOWNSHIP, MONROE CO. (WOLF) — Data centers could soon become a familiar sight across northeastern Pennsylvania. One Monroe County township is moving forward with a controversial zoning change that residents say threatens the area’s natural identity.Another meeting with a packed room, as… Read More
trump signs ai order

Trump signs executive order blocking states from enforcing their own regulations around AI

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that blocks states from enforcing their own regulations around artificial intelligence and instead aims to create a “single national framework” for AI.“This is an executive order that orders aspects of your administration to take decisive… Read More
sketch plan

Smithfield Twp Gateway Sketch Plan

The sketch plan proposes a future land development (LDP) to develop phases 1B, 2A, & 2B of Smithfield Gateway. Proposed improvements include two data center buildings (each with a 125,000 sq. ft. footprint), a power substation, a 110-room hotel, and two standalone restaurants. The project is… Read More
model ordinance

Monroe County Data Center Model Ordinance

The Monroe County Data Center Model Ordinance is a zoning framework designed to guide municipalities in regulating data centers and their accessory uses across Monroe County, Pennsylvania.🏢 Purpose and ScopeThe ordinance provides a standardized template for local governments to amend their zoning… Read More
pollution

Save the Poconos from Industrial Pollution

Stop Senate Bill 939 and protect Pennsylvania's environment!   Sign petition started by Teressa Marcinek: "I'd like to share an issue happening in Covington Township (near Scranton) that could affect not just locals, but the entire Pocono region.Senate Bill 939 would allow digital… Read More