Late Thursday afternoon, I barreled up Rte. 611 through Lower Mount Bethel to meet Ron Angle and his son to attend a town hall meeting at Bangor Middle School for a proposed data center next to the PPL power plant. Whenever I approach Angle country, the skies usually turn dark and forbidding. As I get closer to his estate, hailstones start pounding my car and lightening streaks across the sky. Not this time. The weather was unusually balmy, and I was actually able to see the road. I passed no less than six "NO DATA CENTERS ON OUR FARMS" signs along the way, and one of them was actually on a farm. The rest were located at small residences or along public rights of way. I wondered to myself just how many people could possibly feel that strongly. Would they be willing to give up their Thursday evening to attend a meeting during which the developer would outline the proposal? The answer is Yes. There were well over 300 angry people jammed into the school's auditorium, and it quickly became apparent that they would rather see no development at all. They like things the way they are, and I doubt very much that any developer could do anything about it.
Those developers, by the way, are two of the classiest developers in this area - Mike Perrucci and JG Petrucci. They both have proven records of responsible residential and industrial development, particularly in the Bethlehem area. They brought a team of people from Talen Energy, PPL, to answer questions. They included a former EPA lawyer and even had Slate Belt's very own Lenny Zito, who has represented or sentenced nearly everyone in that area, sitting there as a "legal consultant." Occasionally, when a member of the public would say he or she knew him, Zito would look down from the stage with a knowing smile.
Governor Ed Rendell's former press secretary acted as facilitator. While she did a fairly good job of making sure everyone could be heard, she did commit a rather serious blunder at the onset. She started the meeting without a pledge of allegiance, which really riled Angle. That's no biggie to me, but I see enough American (and Trump) flags throughout that neck of the county to know he was likely one of several people in an already hostile crowd who got even more upset.
There's things you just don't do in the slate belt. You don't say professional wrestling is fake. You don't turn down Little Debbie snack cakes. You don't refer to farmland as "underutilized." And you sure as hell don't skip the pledge. If the developers wanted to get on the good side of these people, they should have brought pork rinds or at least a few rolls of duct tape.
John Callahan, Bethlehem's former Mayor, was the pitchman. And don't let him fool you. He's smart as shit. He and Don Cunningham, another of Bethlehem's former Mayors, miraculously prevented Bethlehem from going tets up when Bethlehem Steel suddenly closed. Cunningham gave Bethlehem hope. Callahan gave Bethlehem a casino. (They both were smart enough to rely on Tony Hanna to completely revitalize the city's south side with one of the only TIFs that even I would support.)
Callahan started off by complimenting his audience for being there, saying that they obviously care. Things got ugly for awhile when the mike stopped working, but it was eventually fixed.
Peter Polt, one of JG Petrucci's top lieutenants, told the audience that they are only in a "very early part of the process," which I'd translate to mean that they're willing to make changes to address public concerns.
He's proposing a 1.2-gigawatt data center "campus" (meaning more than one) that is sustainable. He said there would be no manufacturing, no warehouses, no heavy traffic, no light pollution, buffering against noise and minimal use of water. He said stories about noisy data centers that gobble up water and power are older facilities and that new technology has greatly reduced both water and power needs.
Another speaker from Talen Energy stated that the average golf course uses about 80 million gallons of water a year, but the data center proposed will use only 60% of that, about 50 million gallons.
Importantly, no groundwater will be used, as Lower Mount Bethel residents rely on ground water for their own needs. Instead, the date center will be cooled by leveraging the existing water infrastructure around the power plant, which uses water from the Delaware River for cooling. The data center will also recycle nonpotable and storm water. He added that water b=pulled in from the river is regulated by the Delaware River Basin Comm'n as well as the DEP..
The power would come from the existing power plant and would in no way reduce power available to local consumers.
When Polt showed a map of the data center, it became apparent that there likely will be more than one. This seemed to make people angry. When he referred to those lands as "underutilized," people got even more worked up.
The very first public of several dozen speakers from the audience saud that "two companies and developers cannot be trusted to tell the truth about all these details of their builds, how much power, water, etc., they can use, nor the noise levels nor the environmental violations that the center is capable of accomplishing ... .She referred to "what monstrosities have been built in Tatamy, East Allen, Macungie, Nazareth, I could keep going. They are all ugly, no matter how many arbor vitae you plant. ... You say that our land is underutilized. It's farmland. And you guys are just consuming. The only thing you care about is utilizing our land for your profit and your unnamed end user.
And so it continued.
50 comments:
Remember how your local officials voted, that includes your local state reps both Ann Flood and Joe Emrick voted against the first set of new regulations and restrictions on data centers proposed a few weeks ago, sure would be nice to know why?
Where is land preservation expert Kelly Keegan, Lamont McClure and zirinsky on this matter. Over the years all these local politicians passed or tried to pass several “teeth-less matters” you mean to tell me they can’t speak up on this topic? I guess it’s to close to home and makes to much sense. Well aware there is nothing they can do as it’s up to the township, city, borough but if the people need help the county who prides itself on land preservation should stand behind the people. This is not just one township this is an entire county and even state wide issue. It’s very hard to believe nobody saw any of this coming down the road.
LMBT residents have always been and always will be backward mouth breathing hicks afraid of progress. If they were around when fire was discovered or the wheel was invented, they would have protested.
It must have been quite a sight with everyone in their Sunday best come to meeting overalls and their camouflaged John Deere hats.
Did protesters learn of the meeting, and organize for it, via their data devices? Those who aren't dedicated luddites are hypocrites. That would be just about all of us.
Callahan was always the brains and the mover and shaker behind Cunningham and Hanna. Bethlehem hasn't had a decent mayor since him.
How is the district currently zoned? Is a data center a permitted use by right or is it a conditional use? Has the plan been formally proposed at the municipal level?
If it is a conditional use, let the local zoning board put conditions on it. If its a use by right, all this opposition is pointless.
If the formal plan hasn't been submitted to the municipality yet, then alter the ordinance to be restrictive and make the project legal yet undesirable/costly in this municipality.
Humanity is about to undergo some major changes that will affect and effect everyone and our descendants. IMHO, profound problems require profound solutions. Even now, I am preparing to build my own local AI based on the fictional JARVIS from Iron Man. To that end, my questions on data centers are below:
1. Who is manning the kill switch, in case an AI goes rouge?
2. Will this "Kill Switch Engineer" be pulling a blade switch?
3. Should this Kill Switch Engineer be an electable position?
4. Under what specific set of circumstances should this engineer pull the switch?
5. Environmental concerns are valid, and should be studied carefully.
6. People should guard themselves against disinformation, especially that generated by China, Russia, Iran, ect. as they all have a vested interest against American development of AI while they develop there own.
7. And just exactly how will our new robotic overlords be using all that computational horsepower for?
Buckle up, because mass surveillance is going to become far more invasive and unaccountable unless we speak up effectively now.
I showed up with Ron Angle…
You could have stopped there, as this statement alone reveals all of your bias.
This is the same Ron Angle who on a similar property in Upper Mount Bethel as a County Commissioner advocated for a private ICE prison, then pushed what was advertised to investors as “the largest industrial park on the East Coast”, and now… wait for it… another hyperscale Data Center development.
So, this isn’t journalism, it’s an opinion piece that reads like a hit on my neighborhood. I’ll also reveal my bias… I was there too, and even spoke about how much of a threat these data centers are, not hypothetically, but with examples of other data centers some of these same folks have built inside the state. Yet, I wasn’t wearing Carhartt, stretch pants, a “sports hat” (whatever that is) or eating pork rinds.
I love how enamored you are with all the “classy” big names the developer/energy conglomerate was able to roll out… and you’re right… these guys sought to deliver deep pocketed, politically connected folks to be the friendly faces of this, and to that end, they knocked it out of the park.
Some of these folks may have done great things in urban renewal… but when they come waving “millions of dollars” around up here, the “country bumpkins” you (and your pals) are fond of painting us as, can see through the BS. When Civil Engineers got up an spoke, when professionals, farmers, and citizens of all stripes, throughout LMBT and the Slate Belt region got up and questioned aspects of the presentation... the stammered responses and the glossy promises that you bought hook line and sinker… most the audience saw right through it.
Where you lost the thread, and missed the boat was when you couldn’t stop yourself with the insults about one of the only remaining parts of Northampton County that has yet to become overdeveloped…. This is the same condition that leaves these folks to salivate at the possibility, and drool at the vision of “underutilized land”.
Across this great country calls for a moratorium on this kind of development are growing, with good reason. Even Josh Shapiro has started to walk back his “give us all the data centers you can stuff into PA” approach. The Data Center movement, much like the “Warehouse Boom” is a losing bet on sustainable economic development… just ask the residents and small businesses in the communities that surround them.
You get it right in one spot… we like it up here and unlike your pal, we want it to stay the special place it is. We don’t want it to turn into one of the gentrifying cities like Easton or Bethlehem, we don’t want our homes to become a glorified Warehouse park like Tatamy or Forks, and we don’t want the last pristine rural slice of our area to become a Data Center Wasteland.
This isn’t Angle country anymore.
We’re better than that, and we’re better than your myopic characterization.
Tom Gilmour
Upper Mount Bethel
Wow, you sound like an elitist prick.
Well said!
I think you read a little too much Isaac asimov in your day
If y'a'll don't want data centers, then don't use the internet. Gotta put 'em somewhere. Otherwise, don't complain.
Tom Gilmour, I do like Ron Angle very much and slate belt people are no country bumpkins. But you do like excessive facial hair, sports hats, Carharts and stretch pants. That's the uniform. How long is your beard, anyway? Several of your mob did actually criticize the presenters for not being dressed like them. And yes, I'll agree that you pretty much would oppose anything up your way. You don't mind driving 30-40 minutes one way to a job, eating up fossil fuels. You don't mind popping on Facebook to organize against the data centers, knowing full well that the information is stored in the very data centers you decry. You want to save "our" farms, but they aren't yours. I saw very few actual farmers in your crowd. They are probably working their asses off since Lower Mount Bethel prevents them from developing more than 10% of their land. Most of the people in the slate belt are low income and the area is starving for jobs. But you have yours and fuck everybody else. I get it. And you call yourself a Democrat? I don't think so. A data center like this, IF DONE RIGHT, could be a boon to the entire slate belt and could lift up many low income and struggling families. The developers behind this, Petrucci and Perrucci, are the two most socially conscious developers in this area. They reached out to you for feedback, listened and no doubt will take the concerns expressed in devising a plan.
Ron Angle once told me, "When you buy a piece of property, look around at everything you can see and don't own, and remember, you don't control that."
Why would you build a data center anywhere other than adjacent to a power plant?
I'm assuming the zoning for that ground is commercial or industrial?
For all his brains, he was resoundingly rejected as County Exec when he ran.
As usual, Tom makes sense. Keep fighting warrior!
Most of it is industrial. Some of it is not, so a zoning amendment or use variance will be needed.
And what happens when it goes wrong after the fact Bernie? I understand that state and local officials have some power, but especially with the "no regulations" federal administration in power seeking to spread its tentacles even further into local politics, the babysitters of these projects might not be as diligent as they should be until damage has been done. These folks were right to turn down Pektor for his Amazon data center. Why should they trust for profit entities who have yet to prove themselves with this newer kind of development?
These data centers are not just for current internet usage, they are to support AI. The cart is way before the horse with this technology. Before it is given free reign to feed us slop and worse, IT NEEDS TO BE HIGHLY REGULATED. And please don't respond with, "but what about China?" China's government controls its development. They are smart enough to not want it to be able to destroy the world that it is thriving in, as are the Europeans. The U.S. right now is the country allowing this Pandora's box to be wide open just so we "win" at any cost.
Bernie dude - Data Centers support massive computing required for AI, not ‘the internet’. Did you notice how we haven’t had massive data centers for 30+ years of internet use and now we do ? You were there. WE DONT WANT IT. EVERYONE who spoke was opposed. And here in LMBT (I assume you’re not from here) we respect everyone, whether farmer or landscaper or electrician or nurse, doctor or lawyer.
If y'a'll are using the internet, you're using A.I., and they are becoming one in the same. People like to whine about what's needed to produce the resources they continuously consume and demand to be immediately available and in abundance. "I want data and I want it now and I want it fast! I don't want data centers! I want oil and gasoline! I don't want drilling or refining!" We aint part-tick-u-lar-lee smart, r we?
Everyone who spoke at that meeting were opposed to the data center, and before even hearing any of the facts. I believe I pointed that out in my biased piece. What I did not point out was that many people did not speak, and it's possible some of them support it. In fact I know a few residents who were at that meeting who do support the idea. I also believe that, in the population at large, the opinion is probably mixed, but I'll agree it's very easy to fear monger and whip people up. I could also see, based on the performance in that auditorium, that respect for everyone is a quality you lack. I saw people who were there to describe the project belittled just for how they dressed, so I decided that opened you up. I saw the constant interruptions at catcalling. I saw the demagogues who need to hear themselves speak, sometimes two or three times.
These private developers are in LMBT bc there is a big fat power plant there. You've allowed that for 75 years. There are humongous transmission lines. You've allowed them, too. And believe it or not, it is your and my increased use of the internet, including AI, that is driving this need.
That meeting was for you and it enabled two socially conscious developers to make changes that are responsive to some of the constructive criticism. Unfortunately, that amounted to about 10% of the public comment.
Callahan was an excellent Mayor, but to say he was "behind" Cunningham and Hanna completely misapprehends that situation. He was "behind" Cunningham only in sequence. He did a great job building upon Cunningahm's foundation.
If the project applicants are seeking a variance, it is subject to reasonable conditions put in place by the Zoning board.
The public should give thought to what sort of conditions may help minimize any harm and petition their local zoning board.
If the developer accepts the conditions, harm can be mitigated and development (in some form) can occur. If not, the developer can appeal to Common Pleas, resulting in at least a delay for those who are in opposition.
The right balance of conditions might discourage future similar development without being so tyrannical as to result in a winning appeal.
For what it's worth the County helped buy 200 acres off of Talen energy right next to this site a few years ago. Preservation is voluntary and it Crane and Talen have dollar signs in their eyes.
Lol perhaps you should watch the recording of the meeting. The "mouth breathing hicks" were asking a lot of well informed and pointed technical and legal questions.
"You use the internet, you use AI"...frankly I could have frozen the internet in about 2010 or so and have been perfectly happy. My social media feeds are now swamped with brain-dead AI content. Fake photos, bot posts, etc. I don't use AI. Meta, Google, and all the shysters do, and foist it on us.
Data centers have been around for a long time. A few decades ago they were called server farms.
They are more powerful but they are not new.
Jeff Ward, Bethlehem
Some scumbag posted "LMBT residents have always been and always will be backward mouth breathing hicks afraid of progress. If they were around when fire was discovered or the wheel was invented, they would have protested." To this comment I literally say retire from existing. You are a detriment to the livelihood of others and are unworthy of breathing the same air. I wouldn't be surprised if you are one of the goons who are pushing for this data center. Stop trying to justify the plunder of our land!
Retire from existing. You are unfit to breath the same air. I wouldn't be surprised if you are one of the goons pushing for this because you would profit. Get the fuck off of our land, its not yours to plunder!
This is a brain dead remark. It would be one thing for a people ASKING for the development of AI not to want AI data centers developed on their land, but these are clearly not those people. The people do not want AI nor the development of data centers in their community. get fucked
Build them abroad; that way, there's no need for American labor to build them and no need for Americans to staff them and keep them running.
What do I have to do to live in a rural area? Do I have to move every time a developer sees dollar signs? I’ve lived here ever since I was a kid. Sure, the power plant doesn’t scream rural, but the land is beautiful, despite it. And I’ve learned to accept it, because even though it’s an eye soar, it’s been here long before I was born. But to expect us locals to accept this data center proposal, all because we live near the power plant, is ignorant. Like someone else stated, the power plant has been around for quite some time, so there was plenty of time(decades, in fact) for this area to become an industrial region(which it has not). So I think it’s more than fair for people who moved here, to expect that they’d be living out their lives in a rural community, and not a place that would turn into another ugly looking industrial area.
The main problem here i think is two fold. AI seemed to pop up suddenly for many people. Many missed it coming and what comes with it..the good and the bad. As for data centers. Like warehouses they buy our farmland and change our landscape. I loved living by farmland. Bernie i loved to cycle on all the back farm roads. Now they're filled with tractor trailers. The farms are now warehouses and in many instances warehouses that arent even used. And our beautiful area went from pristine peaceful land to monstrosities that have no beauty and take away the dark night replacimg it with light everywhere. The roads cant handle the trucks and are crumbling already from fed ex. Quiet small streets now have tract trailers daily. Why we moved here is no longer here. We've lost control of our own peace and prices are too high everywhere to move. It's no one's fault. It just is what it is. But when do we say enough is enough? I give people credit for at least speaking their mind.
all this fuss about a building with computers inside, what is wrong with you people? Soon you will drive bye and not even notice the building sitting there and your guests wont even ask what that was that i passed on the way up here
Bernie, Kurt Vonnegut dedicated Slaughter house 5 to your mom, why the fuck then are you so pro war towards the working class? Why are you pro-war against the environment? How the fuck are you this old and still this uneducated. You're a slimeball. Yeah keep blaming the poor and undereducated for the exploitation of their environment by the capitalist class, thats really awesome.
Bernie said everyone came opposed "before hearing any of the facts." Bro give me a fucking break. What facts? You mean the gaslighting and unsubstantiated propaganda the developers had? GTFOH! Just because they have money and a suit doesnt mean what they are saying is "facts." Holy fuck. And then to attempt to equate allowing a power plant vs allowing an unnecessary, unwanted AI data center is a down right brain dead take. You want your cake and to eat it too at the expense of everyone else.
If you're an old slob living in subsidized housing and looking like you slept on a sewer grate, it's fun to pick on actual property owners who contribute to your upkeep.
To reduce the need for cooling, data centers should be located in Greenland.
I did not say that everyone came opposed, I said that everyone who spoke was opposed. What facts? It will be 1.2 gigawatt. It might include more than 1 data center. The developers are conscious of concerns over noise and showed the buffering they are willing to do. They showed that the center(s) will be lighted in a way that avoids light pollution. They said they would not use any groundwater for colling, and would instead rely on the Delaware and the cooling infrastructure already in place at the power plant towers. They said they would also use stormwater and would recycle. They noted that drawing water from the Delaware is heavily regulated. They said they would consume about 50 million gallons of water a year, which is slightly more than an 18-hole golf course. They drew particular attention to a bald eagle nest in the area and are creating a buffer around that nest, I believe 600'. So they revealed quite a few facts, and I am just going off the top of my head without reviewing my notes. You, on the other hand, are cursing and complaining about the way they dressed.
My mom was more liberal than Vonnegut, at least in her time. i believe that a data center, if done right, can be socially responsible. That's why I can try to keep an open mind about this project. Data centers are needed because of our increased use of and dependence on the internet, which grows every day. I also would prefer, as a matter of national security, that we keep some of them here. And the person who is pro war against the working class is actually you. Areas in the slate belt (Bangor, Roseto, Pen Argyl, Wind Gap) are desperately poor. People are unable to find jobs and the youth leaves or resorts to drug use. That is the reality. A project like this brings badly needed jobs. You don't give a shot about the working class bc you have your little slice of heaven. I believe a reasonable condition would be a commitment from the developer to hire from slate belt communities and to pay a wage that exceeds the living wage.
And for those of us who like living in the country? You want us to just turn a blind eye as they industrialize the nature around us? Some people like living in the country, and part of that is not having industrialized eye soars; regardless it it’s a data center or a warehouse.
Bernie, surely we have poor people in Lower Mt Bethel, as does everywhere. But we are not known as a poor community, we are working class for the most part, and we are doing just fine. No one here is begging for a data center to create jobs. How can you point out how no one at the meeting wanted the data center, on one hand, and on the other hand, claim the people need work to be brought here? We are happy living in the country without any more eye soars beyond the power plant. Everyone needs to respect what the people of Lower Mt Bethel want. Just like how I’m not going to go insulting the people of Bethlehem for how they live.
Bernie, you're trying to debate a communist here. Don't waste your time on people like this, having a free and fair exchange of ideas is impossible with these people. Look at the name calling! When you're losing a debate, the name calling starts.
This sounds reasonable Bernie, but they must be held to these standards.
I2:12, you do have poor people in Lower Mt Bethel, and many are farmers or work the farms you claim as yours. You also have poor people in UMBT, Wind Gap, Bangor, East Bangor and Roseto. It is reality. In fact, the income levels there rival Allentown. It is why most young people move out when they grow up. There are no jobs unless you're willing to drive 40 minutes one way and consume fossil fuels you claim you want to save. This data center can be a good thing if it is done right precisely because it will lift up many of the low-income people in the slate belt. You don't care bc you appear to have yours. But there are many who need honest work at a good wage. Think about it. I believe there are many valid concerns but if they are addressed in a responsible way by two of the most socially conscious developers, can you open your mind to the possibility?
My front porch used to overlook farm fields. Now it overlooks warehouses.
To the people in the slate belt…..resist. Resist with everything you have.
lol lighten up there Francis.
Perhaps you should have bought those farm fields, huh?
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