RESEARCH LIBRARY

Resources

Explore the official records, project documents, studies, ordinances, and agency sources behind the developments we track across the Poconos.

BROWSE LOCAL DOCUMENTS → OFFICIAL SOURCES →

PRIMARY SOURCES

Featured Local Documents

Official records grouped by project, so you can move from a claim on this site directly to the document behind it.

MONROE COUNTY

Smithfield Gateway

CONFIRMED PROPOSAL
Official township project hub ↗ Revised August 2026 application response ↗ Conditional-use application ↗ August 2026 acoustical study ↗ September 2026 hearing notice ↗
VIEW ALL SMITHFIELD DOCUMENTS →
TOBYHANNA · MONROE COUNTY

Pennsylvania Glacial Till

CONFIRMED PROPOSAL
Township zoning code ↗ 2026 Board meeting notices and records ↗ April 16, 2026 public notice and validity challenge ↗ May 19, 2025 Board of Supervisors minutes ↗ Planning Commission records ↗
VIEW ALL TOBYHANNA DOCUMENTS →
MONROE & PIKE COUNTIES

Shawnee–Walker Transmission

RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE
FirstEnergy official project page ↗ Shawnee–Bushkill Falls permit notice ↗ PJM 2019 local planning document ↗ Township and county records ↗ Public hearing / comment materials ↗
VIEW TRANSMISSION DOCUMENTS →
PIKE COUNTY

Lehman Township

LOCAL RULES
Ordinance 155 adoption — November 20, 2025 minutes ↗ Zoning ordinance ↗ Zoning map ↗ Comprehensive plan ↗ Board of Supervisors records ↗
VIEW LEHMAN DOCUMENTS →

Looking for the full story on each of these developments?

EXPLORE LOCAL PROJECTS →

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Local Ordinances & Planning Records

Data-center development is governed locally through zoning, land-use rules, and public review. These are the records behind those decisions.

Lehman Township Ordinance 155 adoption — November 20, 2025 minutes ↗ Zoning ordinance ↗ Zoning map ↗ Comprehensive plan ↗ Board of Supervisors records ↗
Smithfield Township Data-center curative amendment and H-1 district materials ↗ Board of Supervisors materials ↗ Gateway conditional-use documents ↗
Tobyhanna Township April 16, 2026 public notice and validity challenge ↗ May 19, 2025 Board of Supervisors minutes ↗ Planning Commission records ↗

GLOSSARY

Terms You'll See

Following a zoning fight for the first time? These terms come up a lot.

Conditional use
A land use allowed only if specific zoning standards are met and approval is granted through the required public process.
Land-development approval
The detailed engineering and site-plan review generally required before construction can begin.
Hyperscale data center
A very large computing facility designed to support major cloud, AI, and digital workloads.
MW / megawatt
A measure of electrical power. Large data centers are often described by their proposed MW load.
Transmission line
High-voltage infrastructure that carries electricity between substations and major loads.
Party status
Formal participation status in certain land-use proceedings, providing additional procedural rights and responsibilities.
Overlay district
A zoning layer that adds or changes rules for specific properties or areas.
Curative amendment
A process used to correct or challenge a zoning ordinance that may be legally defective or exclusionary.

MONITOR IT YOURSELF

Official Sources

Want to follow these issues directly? Start with the agencies, municipalities, and utilities that hold the primary records.

FOR HOMEOWNERS

Practical Energy & Backup Power Resources

Concerns about electricity demand often raise practical questions closer to home: What am I paying for electricity? Where am I wasting energy? What should I keep powered during an outage? These resources help you understand your energy use, cut unnecessary consumption, compare electricity options, and prepare for outages safely.

These are general household resources. Their inclusion does not imply that any particular data-center project will cause higher electric bills or power outages.
UNDERSTAND YOUR BILL & COMPARE RATES

PA Power Switch

The Pennsylvania PUC's official consumer site. Compare supplier offers at your address, see how different rate structures work, and understand the charges on your bill — including fixed-rate and renewable options.

COMPARE PA ELECTRIC RATES ↗
FIND WAYS TO USE LESS ENERGY

ENERGY STAR — Savings at Home

A good starting point for household efficiency: insulation and air sealing, heating and cooling, efficient appliances, home upgrades, rebates, and other ways to cut energy use and costs.

EXPLORE HOME ENERGY SAVINGS ↗
SEE WHERE YOUR HOME USES ENERGY

DOE — Home Energy Assessments

A home energy assessment can pinpoint air leaks, insulation problems, and inefficient equipment. The Department of Energy offers guidance for both DIY assessments and professional evaluations.

ASSESS YOUR HOME'S ENERGY USE (PDF) ↗
PREPARE SAFELY FOR OUTAGES

Ready.gov — Power Outages

Federal guidance for preparing before an outage and staying safe while power is off — including carbon-monoxide precautions: run portable generators outdoors, away from doors, windows, and other openings.

PREPARE FOR AN OUTAGE ↗
PLAN YOUR OWN BACKUP POWER

Home Power Matrix

Practical guides and calculators for homeowners weighing generators, portable power stations, home batteries, or solar — turning wattage, capacity, and runtime into real household decisions.

Generator size Battery runtime Fuel runtime Sump pump backup Essential circuits
EXPLORE HOME BACKUP POWER ↗ Free power-planning calculators ↗
REBATES & INCENTIVES

DOE — Home Upgrades & Incentives

Information on energy-efficiency upgrades, home energy assessments, available incentives, weatherization assistance, and other programs meant to lower household energy costs.

FIND ENERGY SAVINGS & INCENTIVES ↗

HELP US KEEP THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Found a Document We Should Include?

Help us expand this library with original public documents relevant to development in the Poconos.

Have an official filing, permit notice, study, or hearing record relevant to data-center development in the Poconos? Tip submissions are not open yet. Keep the original document link for when submissions become available.

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