PUC Seeking Your Comments on Data Center Impacts

PUC Seeking Your Comments on Data Center ImpactsAs Pennsylvanian’s energy bills, continue to rise – data centers are playing a big role in driving up prices. I worry about their impacts on energy bills, our environment, and the strength and reliability of our energy grid. Pennsylvania families should not be left footing the bill and bearing the public costs of big tech’s latest bubble.

Now the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is giving the public a chance to weigh in on how data centers and other “large load” energy customers should be handled.

Through December 22, the PUC will accept public comments on its proposed model tariff. (A “tariff” is an official document that spells out how the electric utilities will structure their rates, charges, and terms of service for large, high-energy-use customers.)

I plan to take this opportunity to submit a public comment on behalf of constituents and ratepayers. If you are concerned about the financial, environment, and community impacts of data center development, I encourage you to contact the PUC and make your voice heard, too!

Here are some points that I will ask the PUC to include in its model tariff:

  • Ensure that data centers are responsible for all their own infrastructure costs and local, union labor is used to build and service them.
  • Prevent utilities from shifting expenditures across the general rate base, so residential households are not forced to absorb costs created by data centers.
  • Ensure that data centers are liable for any stranded costs if a facility closes or ends up needing less energy than it asked the utility to supply.
  • Require that data centers contribute to all utility universal service programs, not just hardship funds, to help residents keep up with rising energy costs.
  • Require data centers enter into Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) to specify up front how the local community will benefit and be protected.
  • Ensure transparency, public accountability, and stakeholder participation in the final adoption of this model tariff by having a public hearing.

Submit your own comment electronically via the PUC’s e-File System: https://efiling.puc.pa.gov/

For help setting up an e-File account, follow these instructions: How to submit public comment on the PUC model tariff for Large Load Customers