Earlier this year, an 8 building data center was proposed to be located on a 450 acre parcel of land in Lower Mt. Bethel Township, Pennsylvania. A community and area full of sprawling farmlands and beautiful nature was set to be overtaken by this data center proposing the use of 220 generator tanks for emergency power, along with a significant overall project footprint. At present, this application has been pulled back and has not yet been reproposed. However, there are stirrings a new application will soon be forthcoming.
Community action, joined by Green Amendments For The Generations and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, has convinced municipal government that a strong data center ordinance is needed.
As a result, Lower Mt. Bethel Township currently has a data center ordinance that has been proposed and is set to be heard at a public hearing by the Board of Supervisors on August 17th , after which a final version can be approved. The proposed ordinance however is missing key language necessary to ensure the Board of Supervisors undertake their constitutional obligations under Article 1, Section 27, to conduct a full and fair review of the environmental consequences of a proposed data center and to ensure the constitutional rights and duties articulated in Article I, Section 27 are recognized as both a guide for the application of ordinance terms and obligations.
Please sign and share the letter below so the Lower Mt. Bethel Board of Supervisors know they MUST add language upholding their constitutional obligations.
