Last March, I helped pass HB1834, the bill that helped start the conversation about data center protections, through the State House. Unfortunately, it died in the Senate.
As State Policy Manager for an environmental advocacy group, I spearheaded an advocacy movement to inform legislators in Harrisburg just how vital these protections were for Pennsylvanians. While the bill earned support on both sides of the aisle, my opponent Shelby Labs sided with data center developers and utility companies over her constituents. She voted against these guardrails, continuing her support for data centers after voting to give them millions in tax breaks.
I’m grateful for the Shapiro administration’s latest executive order (EO2026-05) establishing some of the protections we fought for with HB1834, but I’m running for State House because our community needs a Representative in Harrisburg who will codify those protections, not do the bidding of AI companies.
One of the most important data center guardrails I’ve fought for is protecting ratepayers from utility cost increases by requiring data centers to supply their own energy. Ratepayer protections act as a road block for utility companies: they can’t raise your bill just because a data center has added to demands on the grid. Energy supply requirements ease that demand. They require data centers to bring energy from outside or fund the infrastructure development necessary to pull their weight. These measures work to prevent everyday working families from shouldering the intense demands of power hungry data centers, but they won’t stop costs from going up on their own.
The PJM grid supports the energy usage of thirteen states, and already we’re seeing the edges of what the framework can handle. Part of the reason behind electricity rates climbing year after year is the constant upgrades necessary to keep our infrastructure up and running. Regardless of the protections we attempt to place around data centers, their existence will further strain our energy supply and eventually raise our rates.
We must invest in improvements to our existing grid while looking toward renewable, clean energy supplies as a solution. Our grid is sagging under its responsibility, and it’s time to work on offloading that pressure. Legislators are looking into best practices in distributing energy demand during non-peak hours, but this only lessens the issue. Increasing our clean energy capacity and fixing our power grid’s infrastructure can divert pressure from our grid entirely and lower our utility costs while creating good union jobs.
HB1834 required data centers to partially power themselves with clean energy, but EO2026-05 only encourages it. Mega corporations, big tech, and the billionaires behind data centers need Pennsylvania. They need our land, our space, our developed infrastructure, but it’s time they pay for it. Our community should see the benefits, not simply the downsides, of data centers if they want to call our state home. Far from a tax break, I support requirements to ensure data centers bolster our renewable energy availability. Let’s ensure the costs of data centers are paid for by the billionaires who insist on building them, while Pennsylvanians reap the benefits of an unburdened energy grid and the advantages afforded by investments in our clean energy capabilities.
In my role as State Policy Manager, I worked on solutions to bring labor, affordability, and the environment together, like when I wrote the VETSS Act connecting veterans with jobs in the sustainability sector. I saw firsthand what Pennsylvanians needed to keep their open spaces beautiful and green while helping the state’s hard workers, and I also saw which representatives weren’t willing to let go of a campaign donation to protect their constituents. I have extensive experience working on the most pressing issues in the state. I’ll take that same approach to data centers and energy policy as your next State Representative. When I get to Harrisburg I promise to pursue the solutions that will not only keep costs down in the near future, but benefit Pennsylvania for generations to come.
