Pennsylvania data center $10,000 checks draw backlash

A planned data center in eastern Pennsylvania is facing resident opposition after developer NorthPoint Development offered payments that include $10,000 checks for households once the project’s first building starts operating.

Residents in Hazle Township say the offer does not answer concerns about noise, pollution and the effect on property values after more than 1,200 acres of land below Eagle Rock Resort were cleared for the future server complex. Some residents described the proposed payments as a bribe.

The developer’s letters describe a $165 million fund for the township and residents. The money would support projects including a new police station and lower trash fees, with $45 million set aside for direct payments to 4,500 households after the first data center building goes into service.

Residents have already won a court-ordered halt to construction and a municipal moratorium. Heavy equipment remains idle on the cleared land.

In nearby Sugarloaf Township, residents are also fighting a high-voltage power line that is likely intended to supply the data center. Those residents are not eligible for the proposed $10,000 payment.

The dispute reflects wider opposition to data centers in the United States as demand grows for computing power linked to artificial intelligence. Data Center Watch, which tracks resistance to the industry, said local opposition blocked or delayed at least 75 data center projects in the first three months of 2026.

Republican President Donald Trump supports such projects as part of US artificial intelligence ambitions, while residents in the Pennsylvania communities say the issue is crossing party lines ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

NorthPoint Development and township officials did not respond to AFP requests for comment.