Those who have concerns about the Homer City Generation project and A.I. data centers will have a place to share their opinions to the county commissioners.
In response to many people speaking out at Commissioners meetings against the project in Center Township, the County has set up an online portal for comment submission. That portal is open now through July 20th. In a statement, Byron Stauffer with the county Office of Planning and Development said that while land use decisions are handled at the municipal level, the county administers the Indiana County Subdivision And Land Development Ordinance, or SALDO, through his office. Therefore, the county commissioners “act within their authority to establish safeguards, provide guidance, and support all municipalities in making informed decisions.” In a prior interview, the Commissioners said that a town hall meeting will be held in the future to discuss the matter further.
Members of the group Concerned Residents of Western PA, or CROW, have been asking the commissioners to hold a town hall meeting on the issue and to pass robust ordinances against A.I. data centers. In a statement on the group’s Facebook page, the group said the online portal is a step in the right direction. They also call on the commissioners to urge state leaders to enact a moratorium on A.I. data center projects, following the bill introduced by Senator Katie Muth.
The online portal can be found in the Community Outreach section of the County Office of Planning and Development website.
