Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro appears to be struggling to gain support among lawmakers for his data center plans, according to recent reports. Shapiro’s pro-data center stance has also caused friction with some of his own voters, who are dissatisfied with how the Pennsylvania governor is handling the issue.
As reported by Spotlight PA, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers appear to be at odds over Shapiro’s approach to data center policy, and two bills illustrate those disagreements.
A recently approved bill, backed by Shapiro, would incentivize developers to be more transparent about how they intend to reduce environmental impacts while allowing them to receive sales tax breaks on equipment. However, another bill, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Greg Vitali, was approved soon afterward to completely repeal those tax breaks, which were expected to cost more than $2 billion by mid-2031. The measure received support from both parties, as only four Republicans and one Democrat in the House opposed it.
While House Majority Leader Matt Bradford told Spotlight PA that this does not mean the Democratic Party is divided, the two bills remain largely at odds.
Pennsylvania Residents Are Skeptical of Shapiro’s Stance on Data Centers
It does not seem that the controversy over Shapiro’s proposal to offer tax incentives to data centers is limited to the government. On Reddit’s r/Pennsylvania, one user said: “He’s been on the wrong side of this issue from the get-go. No constituents want this. Stop pandering to big corp to pad the election coffers.”
Some even believed that it could cost him the election: “Shapiro is deeply misguided on this issue, and I believe it will be a significant factor as to why he’s destined for a flameout in the 2028 primary.” Someone else responded: “His refusal to listen to constituents at all on this issue has fundamentally changed how I feel about him as our governor, let alone any other political position.”
One user even said that the terms of Shapiro’s proposal are “relatively good,” but argued that the issue is how they would be enforced: “If this were tied to them being able to develop at all, then that would be a better start. However, these standards are only to be followed if a developer wishes to receive the sales tax exemption on their equipment.” To others, however, “The only standards we should have are zero data centers.”
Time will tell whether Shapiro’s image will continue to be affected by his stance on data centers and which bill will ultimately gain the support of lawmakers for final approval. For now, data centers remain a highly contentious issue.
