AI data centre regulation just got a template that needs no new law
ainews ·
Pennsylvania has introduced a template for regulating AI data centres without passing a new law, using an executive order signed by Governor Josh Shapiro. The order requires developers to sign the Governor's Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) Requirements and secure local approval before their permit applications are reviewed. It also removes data centre projects from the state's permit fast-track programme and applies the same conditions to a sales and use tax exemption. Under GRID, developers must pay for grid infrastructure costs, consult communities, hire locally, and meet water conservation standards. The order bans nondisclosure agreements for Commonwealth agencies and requires public reporting of energy, water, and pollution data, along with a live project map. The administration also asked regulators to make data centres bear PJM reliability costs and to curtail their power before households during grid strain. The article notes other states have enacted their own measures and that many projects have faced local opposition, but Pennsylvania's approach works through existing permitting powers and a publicly available consent order template.
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