BOOM. STACY GARRITY CALLING FOR A PAUSE ON ALL DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT, SAYING THE LOCAL LEADERS ARE NOT BEING GIVEN A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND OFFERING UP HER CRITICISM OF PROPOSED LEGISLATION KNOWN AS GRID STANDARDS. IN A LISTENING SESSION TODAY WITH LOCAL BUTLER COUNTY AND OTHER STATE LEADERS, STATE TREASURER AND REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE STACY GARRITY CALLED FOR A PAUSE ON DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT TO GIVE LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES A CHANCE TO UPDATE THEIR ZONING AND ESTABLISH PROTECTIONS FOR RATEPAYERS. THE PAUSES, HOWEVER LONG IT TAKES, I MEAN, TO ME. YOU GET EVERYBODY, YOU GET ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS AROUND THE TABLE AND YOU SAY, OKAY, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO PROTECT OUR RATEPAYERS, PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES, AND SO A PAUSE IS AS LONG AS WE NEED. AND OFFERING HER CRITIQUE OF PROPOSED LEGISLATION RECENTLY PASSED IN THE HOUSE AND NOW IN THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE. THE LEGISLATION, ALSO KNOWN AS THE GRID STANDARDS OR THE GOVERNOR’S RESPONSIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS, BASED ON INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE. IN SHORT, GRID STANDARDS WOULD REQUIRE DEVELOPERS TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO THE STATE OUTLINING HOW IT WOULD PROTECT ENERGY AFFORDABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, AND SUPPORT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AMONG OTHER CRITERIA. IF GRANTED GRID CERTIFICATION, THE DEVELOPER WOULD BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR TAX BENEFITS ON THE SALE OF THE DATA CENTER EQUIPMENT. AND DESPITE CLAIMING TO FIGHT FOR COMMUNITY INPUT AND TRANSPARENCY, HIS NEW STANDARDS. I THINK IT’S CALLED GRID. THEY DO NOTHING TO ADDRESS CONCERNS RAISED BY DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT OR THE SWEETHEART TAX DEALS THEY’VE ALREADY RECEIVED. IN RESPONSE TO GARRITY’S WORDS IN THE SESSION, SHAPIRO FOR PENNSYLVANIA SPOKESPERSON MANUEL BONDER SAID, QUOTE. STACY GARRITY IS A DESPERATE POLITICIAN, AND HER LONG RECORD OF SUPPORTING COMPLETELY UNREGULATED DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT MAKES IT CLEAR THAT SHE JUST CAN’T BE TRUSTED. GOVERNOR SHAPIRO HAS WORKED DIRECTLY WITH COMMUNITY, LABOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS TO DEVELOP AND PROPOSE SOME OF THE STRONGEST DATA CENTER REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS OF ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, STATE REP AARON BERNSTEIN, WHO REPRESENTS BUTLER COUNTY, JOINED GARRITY TODAY IN EXPRESSING CONCERN FOR WHAT THEY SAY IS A LACK OF LOCAL CONTROL. STACY, WE HAVE AN ISSUE IN HARRISBURG WHERE THE DEMOCRATS AND JOSH SHAPIRO THINK THAT EVERYTHING IS A ONE SIZE FITS ALL AND THINK THAT BIG GOVERNMENT IS THE ANSWER. AND THAT’S WHAT WE HAVE TO GET AWAY FROM. WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO GET GOVERNMENT OUT OF THE WAY, AND THE CONTROL SHOULD ABSOLUTELY REMAIN LOCAL.
Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity calls for pause on data center development
Republican nominee candidate calls for pause on data centers
Republican gubernatorial candidate and Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity called for a pause on data center development during a listening session with local, county and state leaders in Butler County on Tuesday, citing concerns about local input and protections for ratepayers.”A pause is however long it takes,” Garrity said. “To me, you get everybody, you get all the stakeholders around the table, and you say, OK, what do we need to do to protect our ratepayers, protect our communities? And so, a pause is as long as we need.”Garrity also criticized legislation recently passed in the Pennsylvania House, known as GRID standards, which is now under review in the Senate Finance Committee.The GRID standards, or Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development Standards, would require developers to submit applications outlining how their projects would protect energy affordability and the environment, and support economic development. Developers who meet the criteria and receive GRID certification would qualify for tax benefits on the sale of data center equipment.“Despite claiming to fight for community input and transparency, his new standards, I think it’s called GRID, they do nothing to address concerns raised by data center development or the sweetheart tax deals they’ve already received,” Garrity said.In response, Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro for Pennsylvania, said, “Stacy Garrity is a desperate politician – and her long record of supporting completely unregulated data center development makes it clear that she just can’t be trusted. Governor Shapiro has worked directly with community, labor, and environmental leaders to develop and propose some of the strongest data center regulations and standards of accountability in the entire country.”State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, who represents Butler County, joined Garrity in expressing concerns about what they described as a lack of local control in the development process.“Stacy, we have an issue in Harrisburg where the Democrats and Josh Shapiro think that everything is a ‘one size fits all,’ and think that big government is the answer, and that’s what we have to get away from,” Bernstine said.Garrity agreed, saying, “We absolutely have to get government out of the way, and the control should absolutely remain local.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate and Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity called for a pause on data center development during a listening session with local, county and state leaders in Butler County on Tuesday, citing concerns about local input and protections for ratepayers.
“A pause is however long it takes,” Garrity said. “To me, you get everybody, you get all the stakeholders around the table, and you say, OK, what do we need to do to protect our ratepayers, protect our communities? And so, a pause is as long as we need.”
Garrity also criticized legislation recently passed in the Pennsylvania House, known as GRID standards, which is now under review in the Senate Finance Committee.
The GRID standards, or Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development Standards, would require developers to submit applications outlining how their projects would protect energy affordability and the environment, and support economic development. Developers who meet the criteria and receive GRID certification would qualify for tax benefits on the sale of data center equipment.
“Despite claiming to fight for community input and transparency, his new standards, I think it’s called GRID, they do nothing to address concerns raised by data center development or the sweetheart tax deals they’ve already received,” Garrity said.
In response, Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro for Pennsylvania, said, “Stacy Garrity is a desperate politician – and her long record of supporting completely unregulated data center development makes it clear that she just can’t be trusted. Governor Shapiro has worked directly with community, labor, and environmental leaders to develop and propose some of the strongest data center regulations and standards of accountability in the entire country.”
State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, who represents Butler County, joined Garrity in expressing concerns about what they described as a lack of local control in the development process.
“Stacy, we have an issue in Harrisburg where the Democrats and Josh Shapiro think that everything is a ‘one size fits all,’ and think that big government is the answer, and that’s what we have to get away from,” Bernstine said.
Garrity agreed, saying, “We absolutely have to get government out of the way, and the control should absolutely remain local.”