Energy (Local Government)

This bill amends Pennsylvania's Municipalities Planning Code to allow local governments to temporarily halt the submission of new data center development applications. Under the new provision, a municipality can adopt a resolution at a public meeting to pause these submissions for up to 180 days, a period that begins retroactively from the date of public notice. During this pause, local authorities may update their zoning laws regarding data centers, and any applications received while the pause is in effect will be evaluated under the new rules. The legislation defines a data center as a facility primarily used for housing servers or data storage systems with specific backup power and cooling infrastructure.

SB 311 prohibits Pennsylvania municipalities from adopting policies that restrict or block utility connections based on the energy source (e.g., electric, natural gas, renewable). It directly affects local governments, residents, and businesses by ensuring they can choose any authorized utility provider without discrimination. Key provisions ban municipal rules that prevent connection to specific energy sources or favor certain providers, while allowing municipalities to manage their own utilities or pursue renewable energy for public operations. The law takes effect 60 days after passage and clarifies that zoning or land-use decisions do not override consumer choice in utility services.