Message the Upper Mount Bethel Board of Supervisors today to stand up against data center developers.
Slate Belt Holdings, LLC, is partnership between Talen Energy and River Pointe Logistics to develop a 754-acre data center campus in Upper Mount Bethel, just south of the Delaware Water Gap.
In order to gain legal leverage to advance their project, Slate Belt Holdings filed a legal action to the township’s existing zoning that seems clearly intended to strong arm local government officials into approving the project the companies want.
The companies then forwarded to the Upper Mount Bethel Township Supervisors a lopsided Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) offering to drop their legal challenge (“validity challenge”) and provide what sounds like significant funding in exchange for the township agreeing to zoning changes that are agreeable to the data center and ties the hands of the township on several critical issues.
Township officials are weighing their decision, with a meeting set for Monday, August 17th.
Our organization believes signing this MOU is a bad idea and will undermine the ability of the township to ensure essential protections for the community and environment.
If you agree, please consider joining with others to submit a letter to the Upper Mount Bethel Township Supervisors to
- Reject the MOU,
- Obtain an independent legal assessment on the “Validity Challenge” used to pressure the township, and
- Pass a comprehensive data center ordinance
Township Supervisors have an obligation to serve the interests of the community and to safeguard the environmental resources for the benefit of the people. Send your message below: