‘I call it a bribe’: Pennsylvania residents spurn US$10,000 data centre checks

Local opposition thwarted or delayed approximately 75 data centre projects in the initial three months of 2026, according to industry monitoring service Data Center Watch, reports the AFP. In Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, Ed Negra, a septuagenarian retiree, received letters in the autumn, offering his neighbors US$10,000 each once a data centre is operational.

Negra calls the offer a "bribe," as the township, nestled within a scenic forest, was recently cleared for the server complex's construction. Residents expressed fury over the lack of prior notification and concerns over noise and pollution. Data Center Watch reports at least 75 data centre projects faced local opposition or delays during this period, with opposition spanning across party lines.

Despite these concerns, Republican President Donald Trump supports data centres, attributing their importance to American dominance in artifical intelligence. In Hazle Township, residents secured a court-ordered halt to construction and a municipal moratorium, while developer NorthPoint Development persists, sending letters detailing a US$165 million fund for the township and residents.

A portion of the fund aims to benefit the 4,500 households when the first building opens. The developer and township officials declined to comment on the AFP's inquiries. Over the valley, residents of rural Sugarloaf Township are opposing a high-voltage power line intended to supply the data centre, which they are ineligible to receive the US$10,000 check. One in six residents in the former mining town live below the poverty line.