State Officials Move to Restrict Data Center Development Amid Community Backlash

In separate developments across two states, elected officials and candidates responded to growing concerns about data center development. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued an executive order addressing data center development in the state and publicly criticized developers, saying he did not want them 'running roughshod' over communities and accusing some 'speculators' of bullying township officials. Shapiro cited a lack of legislative progress on new development regulations as justification for the executive action, noting that Pennsylvania's legislature remains under split control, which has complicated comprehensive policy efforts. In Ohio, all three candidates in the state's gubernatorial race—Democrat Amy Acton, Libertarian Don Kissick, and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy—proposed some form of restriction or moratorium on data center development unless specific guidelines are met. Ramaswamy's position marked a shift, as he had previously opposed a total ban on data centers, arguing it would harm the economy, before unveiling a more extensive regulatory plan. The developments reflect broader friction between the rapid expansion of data centers tied to artificial intelligence growth and concerns from state officials and communities about environmental and local impacts. The timing of Shapiro's executive order and public comments, along with the Ohio candidates' policy proposals, indicates that data center regulation has become an active issue in state-level politics in both Pennsylvania and Ohio as of August 2026. It remains unresolved what specific provisions Shapiro's executive order contains beyond general restrictions on developer conduct, and the exact guidelines proposed by each Ohio candidate were not fully detailed in available reporting. The broader national context connecting these state-level actions, including specific environmental or economic impacts driving the backlash, was referenced but not independently corroborated across multiple sources.