Correspondent Robert Costa with Kayleigh Cornell and Sarah Gabriel, of the Archbald Neighborhood Association, at the site of proposed data centers in their small Pennsylvania community.
CBS News

Archbald is a little corner of northeastern Pennsylvania where coal used to be big business. But now, there is a new boom: data centers.

Kayleigh Cornell, a teacher, and Sarah Gabriel, an ICU nurse, run a neighborhood association in this community of 7,000, where a half-dozen data centers have been proposed. "It is a really nice small town," said Gabriel. "It feels like home."

Cornell said, "I just really love it, and I can't imagine being anywhere else."

But they, and others, are alarmed about the possible impact of data centers on the environment, their electric bills, and the town's character.

Gabriel said, "It's gonna just completely change the landscape. Anywhere there's trees, there's probably not going to be any any longer."

Cornell says they are determined: "We'll stop it if we could help it."

Stopping it won't be easy. Demand is huge: tech companies say they need these massive structures, full of computing power, to fuel the AI revolution. So, developers are rushing to build them in places like Archbald – rich in land, water and power. But there is an intensifying debate over the scope of jobs and revenue they bring. And many communities are on edge over rising electric utility bills.

In Archbald, the push to slow things down has upended local politics. At a March 10 borough meeting, where many held up signs reading "No data centers," residents yelled at representatives of the proposed centers to "get out of here."

"We made up our minds: go home!" One woman shouted.

One project, an application for a campus of 18 data centers, has hit a roadblock.

Sarah Gabriel says fighting AI superpowers wasn't part of her plan: "We're not against AI data centers. But because the industry is so new and unregulated, it is concerning that if we just keep moving forward, we're gonna get to, like, a point of no return."

Elsewhere, data centers are already a way of life, with more than 4,000 (and counting) in operation across the country, and many more going up around the world.

In Loudoun County, Virginia, known as "Data Center Alley," anonymous, sci-fi-looking buildings seem to be everywhere. One is slightly more than one-million square feet – big enough to park two aircraft carriers.

Andy Power, president and CEO of Digital Realty, which owns and operates hundreds of data centers globally, says the data center sector is valued at hundreds of billions of dollars, and represents "the breakthroughs that cure new diseases, that'll, say, essentially improve quality of life."

Asked to respond to those who don't want data centers in their communities, Power replied, "I would say, 'I completely understand it. Let me tell you why this location makes the most sense for the data centers. And this infrastructure's gonna help change the world you're living in today and for years to come.'"

In Washington, there are fierce critics calling for a moratorium on data center construction until tougher AI regulations are enacted by Congress. Last month, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent, and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Center Moratorium Act.

"I fear that Congress is totally unprepared for the magnitude of the changes that are already taking place," Sanders said.

But President Trump and many Republicans say data centers are vital for our future economy.

Senator Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania Republican, has worked to bring data-center investments to his home state. He calls American leadership in AI "the most important question facing our country.

"I think the net benefit for Pennsylvania is enormous," he said.

McCormick adds that data centers need to work with – not against – communities, but wants companies building in his state. "There's got to be a covenant," he said. "There's got to be a promise that goes from the community to those that are developing in the community of what kind of job creation; how they're going to protect the environment; how they're going to protect water supply; how they're going to protect energy costs. When a community looks at the totality of the jobs, the tax revenue, the new roads, the libraries, the schools, the opportunity of jobs for their kids, I think these are pretty compelling."

Back in Archbald, the data centers continue to move forward, and for Kayleigh Cornell and Sarah Gabriel, it's a reality they're grappling with every day

"People live here 'cause of the quality of life," Cornell said. "Yes, obviously you need jobs. But, again, this would be intrinsically changing the character of Archbald Borough."

Asked if they feel they have a fighting chance to stop it, Gabriel replied, "Yeah, absolutely."

"We have no other alternative," Cornell said. "I mean, it's our home. We have to fight."

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