HARRISBURG – PA Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman reacted to Gov. Josh Shapiro signing an Executive Order impacting data centers in PA. The lawmaker said a year ago, Shapiro proudly announced his administration was “already all in on AI” and the future of AI is going to run right here through the Commonwealth. Now his comments seem aimed at erasing his remarks from last year and underscore how afraid he’s become over his previous record of embracing data centers, only to find out how politically intense the proposals have become. He’s not seriously engaged on this issue, other than what we have seen on his data center-driven social media. Pittman added that data center transparency is of chief importance, which is why action was taken as part of the 2026-27 state budget passed by the PA Senate. While the Senate also passed legislation to revoke the data center sales tax exemption, the House amended the measure into something unrecognizable. In addition, work is also being undertaken to position pieces of legislation for further action this fall including measures to allow for moratorium decisions to be made at the local level. The issue of data center development has taken a center stage in PA and we want all residents to have their voices heard when it comes to this important issue.
SEN. JOE PITTMAN