(The Center Square) – Residents continue to organize against a proposed data center campus in Lower Mount Bethel Township despite developers scaling back the project. 

This week, Upper Mount Bethel Township officials will hear much of the same regarding a second project that’s stirred discontent in both Northampton County communities.

More than 200 people packed the Aug. 17 public hearing for a proposed Ordinance 2026-01, which would establish zoning and performance standards for data centers. While a handful of speakers supported allowing the facilities under strict regulations, most urged supervisors to reject or strengthen the measure.

The ordinance would amend Chapter 27 of the township zoning code to establish definitions, conditional-use requirements, and performance standards for digital and hyper-digital infrastructure facilities. 

Township Solicitor Mark Fisher reminded residents that the hearing concerned only whether supervisors should adopt the ordinance and, if so, whether to approve it as drafted or revised. 

The board of supervisors is scheduled to vote on the ordinance on Sept. 14.

About two dozen people spoke, with most raising concerns about the township’s rural character, water supplies, environmental impacts, noise, health, and property values.

Community opposition has also been organized by No Data Center in the LMBT, which uses a Facebook page and a website to provide updates on the proposal. 

A smaller group urged supervisors to regulate data centers rather than block them outright, arguing that strict local standards, technological advances, and negotiated conditions could address community concerns while preserving potential tax and economic benefits. 

John Callahan of Peron Development, speaking on behalf of the partners behind the proposed Lower Mount Bethel Technology Center, said the project was revised in response to concerns from residents and township officials. The new plan removes approximately 350 acres of agricultural land near Gravel Hill Road from the project footprint. It also keeps the campus south of Martins Creek Belvidere Highway and consolidates development near the existing power plants around Depues Ferry Road.

According to the project’s website, the revised proposal seeks to rezone approximately 239 acres: 

  • Approximately 100 currently farmed acres on land that is already envisioned for future electric utility use
  • Approximately 102 acres comprising the existing quarry property
  • The remaining acreage consisting of currently undeveloped land

Callahan stated that the project would use closed-loop cooling without drawing groundwater or Delaware River water, and that developers would fully fund the necessary power infrastructure upgrades. 

He said they remain committed to “getting this right” and working with officials and residents to preserve currently farmed acreage while delivering community benefits.

Longtime township resident and former official Ken Brewer reminded supervisors that they represent all the people, not just vocal opponents, and framed AI-driven infrastructure as part of the technological future that will matter most for younger generations. 

Ron Engle disputed claims about depressed property values, citing recent home sales near the proposed site in Upper Mount Bethel Township. He also pointed to the township’s negotiations to truck in water as an example of how local officials can condition projects to address residents’ concerns. 

Residents, and those in surrounding communities, raised concerns about water security, environmental impacts, noise, and health.

Colleen Carroll carried several posters containing the phrases, “Protect our Land,” “Reject the Rezoning,” and “Say NO to Power Plant Expansion,” along with photos of wildlife. Carroll told The Center Square she lives on the river near the power plant in a home that has been in her family for generations. “We have enough noise from the power plant – we don’t need more in our backyard,” she added.

Denise Wester, an attorney representing several residents whose homes sit across from the entrance to the power plant, said her family has two homes at that location as well. She stressed that the ordinance is not restrictive enough and needs refinement to prevent loopholes that Talen Energy and the developers could jump through. 

Wester suggested the ordinance require a joint study on the potential power plant expansion due to the proposed data center 12 miles away in Upper Mount Bethel Township. She urged supervisors to consider Iceotope precision liquid cooling, which she said would offer greater water protection and noise reduction than conventional closed-loop cooling systems. 

Wester provided The Center Square with a copy of a memo she sent to township officials that contains 21 pages of recommended changes, including additional environmental and health studies. 

Dominic Buscemi framed the issue as going against the Pennsylvania Constitution’s Green Amendment that states “the environment comes above everything else, including private property rights” – and he argued that allowing a data center that harms air, water, or other natural resources would violate that constitutional mandate. 

Buscemi warned that supervisors, as trustees of those natural resources, could face liability for approving a project that violates the amendment. He also advocates for a statewide moratorium on new data centers. 

Supervisor Chair David Ascani thanked everyone who spoke and closed the hearing by emphasizing his commitment not to change zoning that takes away “any of the ag land from the township, and I’m going to stick to that,” he said. 

Meanwhile, since 2024, Gov. Josh Shapiro has gone from fast tracking data center projects to having the “strictest guard rails in the nation.” 

On Tuesday, he signed an executive order implementing the Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development Principles, or GRID, requiring large data center projects to provide or pay for the additional power they need and meet other environmental, transparency and community standards as part of the state permitting process. 

Additionally, state and federal lawmakers are seeking to preserve farmland or have introduced legislation that would place a moratorium on AI data centers until strong safeguards are in place.