Chester County, PA —  Yesterday, Green Fig, the developer behind a contentious East Whiteland data center project withdrew their application for an expanded 1.7 million square foot project after months of sustained opposition from thousands of residents and adjacent community members. 

Food & Water Watch Senior Pennsylvania Organizer Ginny Marcille-Kerslake responded with the following statement: 

“To Governor Shapiro’s chagrin, communities across the Commonwealth have successfully pushed back on shady data center proposals that do not serve the public’s interest. Public opposition is so strong it’s turning would-be data center developers away. The news out of East Whiteland is a testament to the residents who showed up day after day to protect their community, quality of life, and our environment. Now, residents must be vigilant to stop Green Fig’s data center proposal altogether.

“The fight in East Whiteland to fight off this extractive polluting data center industry underscores the truth: Pennsylvania needs a data center moratorium now!”

Senator Katie Muth, whose district includes East Whiteland, has announced intent to file a three-year data center moratorium bill in response to widespread data center opposition across Pennsylvania. ​​According to FracTracker Alliance, developers have submitted proposals for at least 23 hyper-scale data centers in Pennsylvania.