(The Center Square) – Races up and down the ballot around the country for the 2026 midterm elections have something in common: the issue of data center development is taking center stage.

On Aug. 18, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order he said put the “strictest guardrails in the nation” on the industry, arguing that Pennsylvania has become filled with data center speculators.

Originally published on thecentersquare.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.