To the Somerset County Board of Commissioners and Somerset County Planning Commission:

We, the undersigned residents and concerned members of the public, petition Somerset County to establish stronger protections governing hyperscale data center development before adopting its proposed Data Center Facilities Planning Ordinance.

1. Moratorium and land-use protections

We request that Somerset County enact a prohibition on hyperscale data center development on county-owned public property, modeled on Allegheny County Council Bill 14044-26.

We further request a temporary moratorium on new hyperscale data center development applications, to the extent authorized by Pennsylvania law, while the County reviews environmental impacts, infrastructure capacity, emergency preparedness and appropriate land-use restrictions.

We request consideration of the following minimum exclusion distances:

• One mile from schools, hospitals and public-use facilities
• Five miles from public lands, including state game lands and protected conservation areas
• Five miles from agricultural land, including active farmland and preserved agricultural properties

2. Environmental protections and public safety

We request that the proposed ordinance establish enforceable protections addressing water consumption, air pollution, noise pollution, wildlife habitat, agricultural land and the long-term environmental consequences of data center development.

We further request that data center operators be required to demonstrate that their facilities will not compromise essential public services during natural disasters, electrical emergencies or other public safety incidents.

Such requirements should include emergency power and fuel management plans, safeguards against excessive diesel generator emissions, emergency response coordination and measures protecting residential electrical service, drinking water supplies and county emergency resources.

3. Accountability and enforcement

We request clear legal and financial responsibility for environmental contamination, infrastructure damage and other violations caused by data center operations.

The ordinance should establish enforceable penalties for violations, mandatory remediation requirements, independent environmental monitoring and adequate financial assurances to ensure that taxpayers are not left responsible for cleanup or restoration costs.

4. Public consideration

We request that the Somerset County Board of Commissioners formally receive this petition, enter it into the public record and consider these proposals before taking final action on the Data Center Facilities Planning Ordinance.

We further request a written explanation of how these concerns have been addressed and whether additional public hearings or revisions will be undertaken.

Our request is that Somerset County establish a legally supportable moratorium and comprehensive safeguards before authorizing hyperscale data center development that could have lasting consequences for our communities, public resources and environment.