Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro cracks down on data centers, says speculators are 'scaring our communities'

Pennsylvania Gov.

Josh Shapiro said that some data center developers have been "scaring" and "bullying" communities.

Tom Brenner/Bloomberg via Getty Images Pennsylvania Gov.

Josh Shapiro announced a crackdown on data centers.

Shapiro said that incomplete and lackluster proposals are overwhelming local officials.

He said the speculators are "scaring our communities." Pennsylvania Gov.

Josh Shapiro is cracking down on data centers, becoming the latest state leader to scale back support for the massive facilities critical to the future of AI.

Shapiro painted a stark picture of communities being overrun by half-baked data center proposals, even as he stressed that only five such facilities have the permits they need to begin operating.

"These speculators are nevertheless scaring our communities — being aggressive with township officials, bullying our neighbors, and refusing to listen to the people of Pennsylvania," Shapiro said during an announcement Tuesday in Harrisburg.

"And they're threatening to fundamentally change the character of our communities." It's unclear what the announcement means for Amazon's planned $20 billion investment for data center campuses in Bucks and Luzerne counties.

A spokesperson for Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

In Pennsylvania and across the country, that AI future has run into a buzzsaw of public dissent.

Now, governors in both parties are pushing their states to rein in incentives for data center development.

Last month, New York Gov.