Pennsylvania governor signs order imposing new rules to set up AI data centers in state

Aug 18 : Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on Tuesday signed an executive order that would require companies setting up AI data centers in the state to meet environmental and transparency safeguards and secure local community approval for the projects.The state has become a sought-after location for data centers due to its abundant natural gas from the Marcellus shale basin, existing power infrastructure and proximity to major population centers on the East Coast.But opposition to the rapid build-out of data centers has steadily grown across the U.S. this year. A June Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only a third of Americans approved of the pace of data center construction, while just 14 per cent supported a data center being built in their community.The order, effective immediately, remove