Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania State Treasurer and Republican candidate for governor Stacy Garrity are each accusing the other of being too in favor of data center construction to the detriment of electricity customers.

Shapiro, a Democrat, released an ad calling Garrity “Pennsylvania’s #1 fan of data centers.”

The ad, paid for by the Shapiro campaign, quotes Garrity saying in a series of clips that “48 of 76 of out counties in Pennsylvania are rural, so there are a lot of areas where you can put data centers” as well as “we are going to need at least two times more electricity.”

The Garrity campaign released another ad, saying “Shapiro’s data center scandal keeps growing,” before going on to say that Shapiro signed tax breaks and fast-tracked permits for hyperscaler companies like Amazon so they could build data centers in Pennsylvania.

The ad also said, “Shapiro pocketed over $5 million in political contributions from out-of-state data center developers.”

Shapiro has rolled out a new a framework for new data center regulations. The governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development (GRID) initiative is intended to outline specific steps data center developers must take to demonstrate that proposed projects provide real value to local communities, mitigate or offset any impacts on Pennsylvanians, and are being developed responsibly, according to the governor’s office.

“If companies want the commonwealth’s full support — they must meet strong standards on energy affordability, clean energy generation, transparency, workforce development, community impact, and environmental protection. This is about setting a higher bar for projects and ensuring development happens responsibly and in a way that benefits Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro said.

The measures require data center developers to pay for their own power, among other requirements.

If a project meets the standards set by GRID, it can then be fast-tracked via the Office of Transformation and Opportunity’s PA Permit Fast Track Program, which streamlines permitting for high-impact economic development and infrastructure projects requiring permits from multiple commonwealth agencies.

Shapiro has stopped short of supporting a statewide moratorium on data center construction. Garrity does not have details on her own data center policy, but has said she favors mandatory rules and a pause on data center development, according to Spotlight PA.

A poll of Pennsylvania adults conducted this spring by Muhlenberg College found that 64% view data centers as a problem.