East Vincent Township supervisors have delayed the adoption of a new ordinance regulating data centers. Township solicitor Joe Clemente explained that so much feedback had been provided on the draft from consultants, local group East Vincent Advocacy and the office of state Sen. Katie Muth (D-44), that they chose to continue refining the proposed ordinance rather than adopt an imperfect one and immediately begin making amendments. Also key to the decision was the news that passage of House Bill 502 was not as imminent as supervisors had initially believed. That bill, among other things, had the potential to regulate data centers, taking it out of the hands of local townships, unless they already had an ordinance on the books. There have been discussions on the subject starting in May, but at a special town hall meeting on Sept. 10, the supervisors outlined the possibilities under consideration for the former Pennhurst site, including a data center and tire-burning plant. Township Manager Robert A. Zienkowski said the tire burning portion of the proposal “is an absolute no-go. It’s not going to happen.” Spring City Mayor Adam Alberico told the East Vincent supervisors that a data center developer should pay for any new equipment and training first responders would need to deal with any emergency at the site.
Source: The Mercury; 9/24/2025