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Few decisions shape a community more than how it chooses to use its land.
The proposed hyperscale data center in Granville Township is one of the most significant economic development proposals ever considered in Mifflin County. It promises billions of dollars in investment and has generated excitement among those who see it as an opportunity to place our county at the forefront of America's growing technology economy.
I understand that enthusiasm.
The United States is in a global race to develop artificial intelligence and advanced computing technologies. Data centers are becoming essential infrastructure, much like railroads, highways, and power plants were for previous generations. Our nation must continue investing in technology if we are going to remain competitive with countries such as China.
But supporting America's technological future does not mean every proposed location is the right location.
That's the question facing Granville Township today.
This discussion should never become a choice between being "pro-business" or "anti-business." Nor should it become a debate over whether technology is good or bad. Technology has transformed our lives in remarkable ways, and economic development is critical to the future of every rural community.
The real question is much simpler:
Is this the right project in the right place?
I believe that's a question every resident deserves to ask.
For generations, Mifflin County has built its identity around productive farmland, strong neighborhoods, successful local industries, and a quality of life that attracts families to live here. Those assets are not obstacles to progress -- they are the very foundation of our community.
The proposed site is not abandoned land waiting for new life. It is productive farmland that has been a key part of our county's agricultural history. Once hundreds of acres are converted into an industrial campus, they are almost certainly lost to agriculture forever.
That decision cannot be undone.
Although the project would expand an existing industrial area, it would also place one of the largest industrial facilities our county has ever seen immediately adjacent to neighborhoods like West Hills and Colonial Hills. Families who chose those neighborhoods expected to live beside open fields and rural landscapes--not a technology campus operating 24 hours a day.
Residents deserve honest answers about how such a facility could affect traffic, lighting, noise, property values, and the peaceful character of the area they call home.
Another issue deserves equal attention: water.
Modern data centers require enormous quantities of water to cool sophisticated computer equipment. Water is one of Mifflin County's most valuable natural resources, and before approving a project of this scale, we should fully understand what its long-term demands could mean for homeowners with private wells and for the reliability of our public drinking water supply.
These are not questions driven by fear. They are questions driven by responsibility.
Perhaps my greatest concern involves one of the companies that has already invested in Mifflin County.
For nearly 200 years, Standard Steel has been an economic cornerstone of our community. Today, it provides approximately 600 family-sustaining jobs and contributes more than $100 million annually to the regional economy.
Recently, Standard Steel expressed concerns that the extraordinary electrical demand of a hyperscale data center could create voltage instability affecting its electric furnace operations. According to the company, even relatively small fluctuations could increase operating costs and make it more difficult to compete in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
The company has also raised concerns about electrical infrastructure upgrades and the possibility of more frequent power curtailments.
These are not hypothetical concerns raised by outside critics. They come from one of Mifflin County's oldest employers -- a company that has weathered wars, recessions, changing technologies, and nearly two centuries of economic change while continuing to employ local residents.
That deserves our attention.
Economic development should strengthen the businesses that have stood beside our community for generations -- not unintentionally place them at greater risk.
We should also be honest about another aspect of projects like these.
While construction would create temporary employment and the investment figures are undeniably impressive, hyperscale data centers typically require relatively few permanent employees once operational. Communities must carefully consider whether the long-term tradeoffs -- permanent loss of farmland, increased demands on utilities, and potential impacts on existing industries -- justify those limited employment gains.
None of this means Mifflin County should reject economic development.
Far from it.
We should continue recruiting employers that create lasting careers, support our agricultural economy, expand manufacturing, encourage entrepreneurship, and strengthen our downtowns and business parks. We should welcome industries that complement the character of our community while preserving the natural resources that future generations will depend upon.
Progress and preservation are not opposing ideas.
The people of Mifflin County have demonstrated that throughout our history.
When Hurricane Agnes devastated our community in 1972, neighbors came together to rebuild. Businesses, churches, volunteers, and local leaders worked side by side because they understood that protecting a community requires looking beyond today's challenges and investing in tomorrow's future. Those efforts earned Lewistown recognition as an All-America City.
That same spirit should guide us now.
The decisions made about this project will outlive every elected official, every planning board member, and every company executive currently involved. Long after today's debates have ended, future generations will live with the consequences of what we decide.
If this project is ultimately approved, it should be because it has undergone the highest level of independent scrutiny, the public has had every opportunity to be heard, and the long-term benefits clearly outweigh the long-term costs.
Mifflin County and its municipalities do not have to choose between economic opportunity and preserving what makes this community special. We can support innovation while insisting that projects of this magnitude be located where the infrastructure, natural resources, and surrounding land uses make the most sense.
Growth is important -- but where and how we grow matters just as much.
There is a better way forward.
Rather than forcing local communities to shoulder the burden of evaluating complex, billion-dollar industrial projects with limited resources and compressed timelines, Pennsylvania should establish a uniform, statewide review process for hyperscale data centers.
Before any approvals or votes are taken, these projects should be required by law to undergo comprehensive, independent reviews by multiple state agencies and qualified experts. Those reviews should examine potential impacts on groundwater and public water supplies, electrical grid capacity, farmland preservation, transportation infrastructure, emergency services, public health, environmental quality, compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods, and the cumulative impacts on existing employers and local economies. Just as importantly, the findings should be made available to the public well in advance of any final decision.
Communities deserve facts -- not assumptions. They deserve transparency -- not uncertainty. And they deserve confidence that every reasonable question has been answered before irreversible decisions are made.
Our state and federal elected officials should immediately enact legislation requiring thorough, transparent, multi-agency reviews before any hyperscale data center can move forward. Responsible economic development depends upon informed decision-making, and informed decision-making requires a complete understanding of the long-term consequences before irreversible commitments are made.
The proposed Granville Township data center is about far more than one project. It is about the standard Pennsylvania will set for every future hyperscale data center proposed in our rural communities. If we establish a process built on transparency, scientific analysis, meaningful public participation, and accountability, we can welcome responsible development while protecting the places that generations of Pennsylvanians have worked so hard to build.
That is a legacy worth leaving.
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Kevin P. Kodish is a longtime Mifflin County Commissioner.