Schuylkill County EcoWatch

06/01/2026

05/28/2026

Last week, US Rep. Dan Meuser said the proposed ICE detention center in Schuylkill County is "not definite" and the head of SCMA said if ICE were to bring the plans it's made public for the facility, the authority would "have to deny it." DETAILS IN COMMENTS 👇

05/28/2026

Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation-FYI: A.I. Data Center Accountability ToolKit https://tinyurl.com/mr2fxsmv

05/28/2026

05/23/2026

05/23/2026

Across the United States, communities are evaluating whether to host a new generation of infrastructure: hyperscale data centers. These projects are often framed as low-impact, high-value opportunities: quiet neighbors that promise reliable tax revenue, infrastructure upgrades, and a foothold in the digital future. They are being sold as clean, quiet, and high-tech.

But a critical blind spot remains in how potential host communities evaluate these facilities: what happens at the end of their lives?

The experience of communities that host nuclear power plants—documented in Socioeconomic Impacts from Nuclear Power Plant Closure and Decommissioning—offers a valuable framework for those who may consider hosting new digital infrastructure.

While data centers differ significantly from nuclear power plants in workforce intensity and operational footprint, they share key structural characteristics: They are large, capital-intensive, tax-generating, place-based assets, and they eventually close.

And when they do, closure has the potential to debilitate local economies in ways that are rarely (if ever) planned for.

🔗: https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-after-the-servers-go-dark/2026/05/20/
📷: AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File.

05/23/2026

Attention Tamaqua and surrounding communities:

TAMAQUA AREA
Mark this one down.

Eastern Schuylkill Regional Planning — Data Center Ordinance Session
June 9, 2026 · 6:30 PM
Tamaqua Borough Building
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

There is still time for residents to engage before anything is finalized.

Here is what the community should be doing now:

First — locate the draft ordinance.

Check the Tamaqua Borough website and Schuylkill County Planning Commission materials for any posted draft language. If you find a PDF copy, send it to this page. We will review it and provide a plain-language breakdown identifying what is strong, what is missing, and what questions residents should be asking before any vote occurs.

Second — file a Right-to-Know request now, not after the meeting.

Go to openrecords.pa.gov and request communications between borough officials and any data center developer, consultant, attorney, or representative related to data center development within the past 24 months.

A request filed this week should produce a response before the June 9 session. The response — or refusal — may clarify how long discussions have already been underway.

Third — determine which municipalities are covered under Eastern Schuylkill Regional Planning.

Regional ordinances do not affect only one town. Residents should identify every participating municipality and determine whether any active proposals, land acquisitions, or zoning discussions are already occurring within those communities.

Fourth — document environmental baseline conditions now.

If development is being considered near your area, establish independent baseline water testing before any construction activity begins. Penn State Extension provides water testing resources through extension.psu.edu/water-testing.

Baseline documentation matters because once conditions change, proving causation becomes significantly harder.

Finally — show up.

A room filled with informed residents asking specific documented questions changes the discussion. Communities that engage only after approvals are issued have far fewer options available.

The important part is not panic. It is timing.

The window to shape an ordinance exists before the language is finalized — not after.



— PA Data Center Accountability
Carbon County, PA · Independent · Sourced

05/23/2026

05/23/2026