South Strabane tables vote on generator ordinance
The South Strabane Board of Supervisors tabled a scheduled vote Tuesday night to adopt an ordinance governing fossil fuel energy generation, delaying the final piece of a trio of related ordinances and ordinance updates regarding data center development.
Township Solicitor Dennis Makel recommended tabling the Use of Fossil Fuel for Power Generation Ordinance after several residents suggested edits to the draft text.
The ordinance will return to the board’s agenda for its next meeting on Aug. 25.
South Strabane officials have pushed for updated regulations surrounding data centers since fall 2025 when a large tract of land in the township was listed for sale as a prime location for an enterprise-scale data campus.
The board adopted a comprehensive zoning ordinance regarding data centers and updated an existing noise ordinance in June, with the fossil fuel ordinance the only remaining part.
Makel said that it has been “a lot of work” to research, draft and revise all three ordinances, but the effort has been worthwhile in order to protect township residents.
He said that other Washington County municipalities, including rural Amwell Township, are using the recently-adopted data center ordinance as a template for their own regulatory efforts.
Supervisor Vice Chairman Jeff Bull hailed the idea, saying that neighboring townships should look to the example set by South Strabane in order to provide residents in the region comprehensive protection from potential impacts from data centers.
The proposed ordinance will govern the use of fossil fuel generators on data center sites, which have become increasingly common across the high-tech industry.
“The goal is to provide information to the township, and to limit adverse effects of power generation in the township,” Makel said.
This includes providing updated annual estimates of decommissioning costs to the township.
“Data centers make a lot of money, they make billions of dollars … and we don’t want the township or our residents to foot the bill for this situation,” he said.
Resident Rebecca MacTaggart said that the draft ordinance should be revised to include stricter requirements regarding water and soil pollution testing for project applicants that plan to use on-site power generators.
Cynthia Rossi, a longtime resident advocate for data center regulation, said that the ordinance should include explicit protections for livestock and other farm animals in addition to human residents. Rossi said that if a data center had to come to South Strabane, she would prefer if it used an underground small nuclear reactor for power, instead of a surface-mounted fossil fuel generator. This would be the cleanest option, she said.
Makel said that he noted the residents’ comments, and that he would incorporate them into an updated draft ordinance.
Also during the meeting, five residents came to the lectern to offer their appreciation for outgoing South Strabane fire Chief Jordan Cramer. Cramer tendered his resignation from the South Strabane Fire Department in early July following more than four years in the role after securing a new position in Ross Township just north of Pittsburgh.
Township resident Lainey Zipka thanked Cramer for his support when a car accident damaged part of her property, saying she was proud of having him as her fire chief.
Cramer addressed the room, saying that it had been a privilege to meet members of the community that he described as “some of the kindest people I’ve ever known.”
South Strabane residents should be proud of their fire department, Cramer said, as the public’s continued support and generosity has enabled a transformation of the department into one of the best in the county. Cramer asked the board to consider promoting an internal candidate rather than pursuing an external hire to replace him as chief, saying that there is an abundance of talent and leadership within the department already.
Cramer’s last day will be Sept. 11.