Pennsylvania has rapidly emerged as a national hub for data center and AI infrastructure development. In alignment with federal initiatives such as the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan, state lawmakers have advanced legislation aimed at accelerating AI infrastructure and energy investments and development. Together, these proposals reflect a broader effort — in states beyond Pennsylvania, as well as nationally — to reduce regulatory friction in order to accelerate large-scale infrastructure projects.

While lawmakers and industry leaders say these measures are necessary for economic development, innovation, and job creation, they contribute to the erosion of municipal authority, meaningful community participation, and public oversight. In this brief, Cella Sum and Maia Woluchem analyze the implications of proposed state preemption laws and argue that bypassing local governance and accountability harms communities. They offer an alternative framework that better aligns state-wide infrastructure goals with community needs, and that would enable community members and municipal leaders to meaningfully engage in the transformation of their localities. 

Suggested citation: Cella Sum and Maia Woluchem, Pennsylvania’s Power: Why Local Authority is the Key to AI Infrastructure Decisions, Data & Society, April 2026.