Pennsylvania joined eight other states with proposed moratorium legislation for data centers. On February 12, 2026, 06:07 PM, Senator Katie Muth cosponsored a bill,
Protecting Pennsylvania Communities: Statewide Moratorium on Data Center Development. This bill seeks a 3-year moratorium to implement fiscal, environmental, safety, and health impact studies for data centers in Pennsylvania. This will provide an opportunity to update policies and regulations to protect our Commonwealth.
Georgia, Maryland, Vermont, Virginia, Oklahoma, and New York, and at least 19 different communities in Michigan have passed or proposed moratoriums on data center development. Concerns over massive energy consumption, water usage, and rising electricity costs associated with the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.