Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed executive order 2026-05 on August 18, 2026, restricting how the state reviews permits tied to data centers, according to The Conversation.
Under the order, state officials cannot issue permits for a data center project until the developer shows it has complied with local plans and obtained every required municipal approval, The Conversation reported. That sequencing hands municipalities the first decision on siting, and the state the second.
The order also strips data centers of access to the PA Permit Fast Track Program, which streamlines permitting for certain high-impact projects, according to The Conversation. No data center project remains eligible.
Review is split into two tiers keyed to whether a developer meets the Governor's Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) standards, The Conversation reported. Those standards require developers to secure all the energy needed to power the facility, including a portion from clean energy, to pay 100% of their project costs, and to meet environmental operating and reporting requirements.
The cost-allocation clause is the sharpest of the three. Requiring a developer to cover the full cost of its project removes the question of who else pays for the connection and the load it brings.
Other states moved first with blunter instruments. New York Governor Kathy Hochul imposed an effective moratorium on data center permitting in July 2026, holding until the state's Department of Public Service produces a generic environmental impact statement on the impacts of data centers, according to The Conversation.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a moratorium in August 2026 that runs until state agencies can audit data on how the facilities affect the electric grid, The Conversation reported. The Texas trigger is a grid audit; the New York trigger is an environmental document.
Pennsylvania did not pause approvals. Instead it conditioned them, leaving projects able to proceed if they clear the municipal gate first and meet the GRID conditions on energy procurement, cost, and reporting.