Anthony Township, Montour County
Talen Energy asked Montour County to rezone about 870 acres of Anthony Township farmland next to its Montour power plant from agricultural to industrial for a data center it planned to turn over to Amazon, and the county commissioners unanimously denied it on February 10, 2026.
Talen applied in August 2025 to rezone the land from agricultural to industrial. Concerned Citizens of Montour County formed that month with four members, and its first town hall drew about 120 people. Right-to-Know requests by the group's founders turned up emails between Amazon Web Services and the Shapiro administration. In November 2025 the county planning commission voted 6-1 not to recommend the rezoning at a meeting moved to a gymnasium to fit the crowd. After a public hearing in January 2026, Commissioners Dressler, Finn and Lynn voted 3-0 on February 10 to deny it, with Chair Rebecca Dressler saying Talen hadn't met its burden of proof. The county adopted a data center ordinance in April 2026. On June 10, 2026 Talen affiliate Montour CT Project LLC applied to DEP to build two gas-fired combined-cycle units at the Montour plant, which the Capital-Star reported would nearly double the plant's output.
Talen affiliate Montour CT Project LLC has applied to build two new natural gas combined-cycle units of about 655 MW each at the Montour Steam Electric Station, with emissions controlled by oxidation catalysts and selective catalytic reduction. The Capital-Star reported the expansion would nearly double the plant's output.
Pennsylvania Bulletin, Vol. 56, No. 34The rezoning would have turned about 870 acres of Anthony Township farmland, including part of the Montour Preserve that the plant's builder established, into industrial land.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star (via News From The States)DEP's notice says the proposed new Montour units would use air-cooled condensers to reduce the project's projected water demand.
Pennsylvania Bulletin, Vol. 56, No. 34Leaders: (per Burleigh organizing)
Tactics: Right-to-Know requests (uncovered AWS-Shapiro and O'Neill-Kirshner emails), rezoning-hearing turnout, environmental-impact advocacy re: Montour Preserve
Opposed Talen/AWS 800+ acre rezoning (P023), denied 3-0 Feb 10 2026. Right-to-know requests turned up correspondence between state officials and the developer.
Leaders: Ginny Kerslake (eastern Pennsylvania organizer); Mitch Jones
Tactics: Public advocacy against the rezoning; calls for a national moratorium on data centers
Kerslake called the denial a 'David and Goliath' moment.
Right-to-Know requests uncovered AWS-Shapiro and O'Neill-Kirshner emails.
Concerned Citizens of Montour County · DisclosedIn Pennsylvania, the local zoning ordinance sets the route. A conditional use is decided by the elected governing body (supervisors, commissioners or council). A special exception or variance, and an appeal of a zoning officer’s decision, go to the Zoning Hearing Board. Each is a public hearing on a record: affected neighbors can ask for party status, cross-examine witnesses, and appeal. Municipalities can also adopt data center ordinances with enforceable standards.
Know your rights →Organized community opposition is the single most effective check on these projects in Pennsylvania. Show up to hearings, submit comment when it is taken, support legal and expert-witness costs, and press your municipality for a real ordinance. Pennsylvania municipalities cannot simply freeze applications, but a curative amendment under the Planning Code gives them a defined window to fix a defective ordinance.
How communities push back →