Residents Reject $10,000 Each to Let a Data Center Set Up in Their Town
"If that's not a bribe, I don't know what is." The post Residents Reject $10,000 Each to Let a Data Center Set Up in Their Town appeared first on Futurism .
In the American perception, data centers are so detested that even substantial financial incentives cannot entice locals to allow them to establish facilities in their neighborhoods. This is not hyperbole: citizens of Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, a former coal-mining town, are rallying against a massive Amazon Web Services (AWS) site that would include a $10,000 cash bonus for every resident.
According to coverage by PennLive, roughly 17% of the township’s inhabitants earn below the federal poverty line. Despite the potential $10,000 windfall, residents are uniting to oppose both the data center complex, dubbed "Project Hazelnut" by builder NorthPoint Development, and a series of power lines required to energize the site.
As highlighted by PennLive, the $10,000 proposal represents an unorthodox tactic by a data center developer to appease opposition within a region where such facilities are largely despised. "We find it innovative. We haven’t seen anything like this," remarked Mary Fox, executive director of the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission, regarding the strategy.
However, Hazle Township residents are unmoved by the promise of quick cash, perceiving it as a bribe and a paltry one at that. "It's akin to bribery," stated local resident Brian Malloy to PennLive. "Our property values will plummet. Significantly," echoed Ed Negra, a homeowner and entrepreneur, who described the $10,000 as a 'drop in the bucket' compared to the expense of permitting Project Hazelnut to proceed.
The situation remains unresolved, further complicated by the fact that both state and local authorities appear shifty. For instance, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has previously referred to the project as a "technology campus," utilizing an executive order to expedite the permitting process for data center construction across the state.
Additionally, Hazle Township supervisor Anthony Griguoli has been unable to present a cohesive front with NorthPoint Development, as his office endeavors to pass a zoning ordinance that would allow Project Hazelnut to move forward. When confronted by residents at a town hall meeting in August about the $10,000 purported bribes, Griguoli shrugged, "that’s what they’re saying they want to do," and admitted, "I'm not even sure if that's real, that it will happen."
Written by urgent.news from Futurism's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
