“We don’t want it,” said Cathy Mager, a lifelong Springdale resident who pointed to homes about 100 feet from the proposed site across Porter Street. She is part of Save Allegheny Valley Environment, a neighborhood group opposing the project.

Springdale Borough Council approved a conditional-use permit for developer Dynamo DC in December by a 5-2 vote. Residents are now asking Allegheny County to halt further land-use plans. The proposed facility would occupy the riverfront site of a power plant that closed in 2022, after operating for 53 years.

Residents say the development could bring persistent noise from cooling equipment and backup generators, and worry that its demand for electricity could affect local power supplies and costs. Vicki Wanamaker, who lives about a tenth of a mile from the site, said the community has already spent decades living near heavy industry.

Dynamo DC says the facility would use acoustic shielding to keep noise below local ordinance limits and a closed-loop system that recycles 500,000 gallons of water for cooling. The project is designed for capacity of up to 240 megawatts, drawing power from the regional grid, company spokesperson Brian Regli said. The company has not named the business that would operate or use the data center and is targeting a 2029 opening.

Regli said the amount of backup power would depend on the facility’s eventual use, and that the company is exploring lower-impact fuels for its diesel generators. Springdale’s communications representative said the borough negotiated additional provisions covering noise, lighting, traffic and landscaping that exceed some existing local requirements.

The dispute reflects a broader political shift. A late-August YouGov and Economist poll found that 63% of U.S. adults did not want a data center built in their community. A CNN poll conducted in September found that nearly two-thirds of registered voters surveyed considered AI and data center development very or extremely important to their midterm vote.

The facilities are essential to internet services and the growing use of artificial intelligence, but the scale of new projects is intensifying scrutiny. Cleanview data cited in October counted 1,394 operating U.S. data centers with a combined capacity of about 64,764 megawatts, and 2,841 additional proposed facilities that could add more than 413,000 megawatts.

In Pennsylvania, the debate has reached state and county government. Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is seeking reelection, has promoted the state as a destination for data center investment. After criticism over the projects’ energy impacts, he signed an executive order in August requiring energy-use and transparency measures for developers.

Allegheny County Council unanimously adopted a separate measure in September barring data centers larger than 25 megawatts from county-owned land. Council member Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling said the measure establishes a legal basis for decisions about development on public property.

The issue is also shaping legislative campaigns. Hadley Haas, a Democrat running for a Pennsylvania House seat in western Allegheny County, said voters most often raise concerns about utility costs, while also asking about water use and noise. She is calling for stronger safeguards. Her Republican opponent, state Rep. Valerie Gaydos, did not respond to a request for comment, according to the campaign outreach described at the time.

Nationally, candidates from both parties are addressing opposition to data center projects, though concerns do not divide neatly along party lines. Brookings Institution senior fellow Darrell West said public opinion has shifted quickly as proposed facilities have grown in size and energy demand. The political dispute is likely to persist as communities weigh promised investment against the costs and impacts borne by residents.