Six weeks after Parker's data center order, Council has no data center bill on file

Philadelphia has a task force studying large data centers, not a moratorium on them. The Northeast Times laid out that contrast Oct. 23, as Gov. Josh Shapiro took a separate fight over data centers' grid costs to state regulators. For residents, the question is who decides where these energy- and water-hungry buildings can go, and when.

What the city has done

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker signed Executive Order 2026-06 on Sept. 16, creating the Philadelphia Data Center Task Force, PhillyVoice reported. According to that report:

• The task force has 10 members, co-led by the Office of Sustainability and the Office of Clean and Green, with representatives from at least eight other departments.
• It must study energy, water, health, safety, environmental and fiscal impacts, and recommend locations, building placement and size limits.
• Its findings are due June 30, 2027, and it must offer chances for public input along the way.

Parker said the order "does not mean that a hyperscale data center is being built now," Billy Penn reported. The city has smaller data centers but no hyperscale ones. City officials told Billy Penn two sites could host one: a city-owned site near Northeast Philadelphia Airport and the Bellwether District on the former refinery land in Southwest Philadelphia. They said neither site has a proposal.

What advocates are asking for

A coalition called No Data Centers in Philly has asked Council to pass a moratorium, KYW Newsradio reported in September. A petition asking Council for a pause had more than 2,600 signatures, Billy Penn reported. The coalition said in a statement that a task force alone does not protect residents now, PhillyVoice reported.

A spokesperson for Council President Kenyatta Johnson told KYW that members and the administration "continue discussions on the future of data centers in the city." The Bellwether site is in Johnson's 2nd District, KYW noted. KYW also pointed out that the mayor could veto a moratorium passed by Council.

What our records add

• No bill on file. We checked the titles of every bill and resolution in our records introduced since Council returned on Sept. 17, through the Oct. 22 session. None mentions data centers. That matches what Johnson's office told KYW in mid-September.
• How Council could act. Billy Penn reported the city has no zoning rules written for data centers. Council's usual tool for limiting a type of building is a zoning bill. One example is on Tuesday's Rules Committee agenda: 6th District Councilmember Mike Driscoll's Bill 260703 would define "self-service storage facilities" and bar them in certain places. A data center zoning bill would likely take the same route: the Committee on Rules and a Planning Commission review, as our guide to Tuesday's hearing explains.

The state piece

Shapiro signed his own executive order on data centers in August. On Oct. 15 he asked the Public Utility Commission to let his administration join a consumer advocate's complaint against PPL Electric Utilities. The complaint asks that large data centers be put in their own rate class and pay for the grid upgrades they require, according to the governor's office. "Pennsylvanians should not be left paying higher electric bills because of data center developers," Shapiro said in the release.

What's next

The task force's deadline is June 30, 2027. Council's next sessions are Oct. 29, Nov. 12 and Nov. 19. Any data center bill would appear on our legislation pages the day it is introduced.