Sawt Falasteen - 'I call it a bribe': Pennsylvania residents spurn $10,000 data center checks

"I call it a bribe," says the American retiree.

The scene is picture-perfect. Autumn leaves are turning russet, and there is a stunning mountain view in this corner of Pennsylvania, a key state in America's upcoming midterm elections.

"We thought it was a beautiful place to retire," says the septuagenarian, who used to manage a large building-supply store in neighboring New Jersey.

He and his wife settled in a sprawling gated community with round-the-clock security.

Eagle Rock Resort, in Hazle Township, has hundreds of comfortable homes scattered through the woods, two golf courses, swimming pools, an equestrian center and even a few ski slopes for the winter.

"We didn't know until we heard all the noise" of chainsaws in late 2024, Negra recalls.

More than 1,200 acres (500 hectares) of land below the resort were cleared to build the future server complex.

Residents quickly mobilized. They were furious that no one had warned them, and they worried about noise and pollution.

Their fight echoes many conflicts across the United States over data centers, which have become an issue in the November 3 vote.

Local opposition blocked or delayed at least 75 data center projects in the first three months of 2026, according to Data Center Watch, which tracks resistance to the industry.

And polls show that the hostility crosses party lines.

But Republican President Donald Trump fervently backs these projects in the name of US dominance in artificial intelligence, and he chastises those who oppose them.

- 'Drop in the bucket' -

In Hazle Township, residents won a court-ordered halt to construction as well as a municipal moratorium.

A few pieces of heavy equipment sit idle on the vast cleared tract. The logs have already been hauled away.

But developer NorthPoint Development has not given up.

Its letters now flood local mailboxes, saying "there is a lot of misinformation and fear that has circulated about data centers and our project."

The letters also lay out a $165 million fund for the township and its residents.

The money would pay for a new police station, lower trash fees and more.

Part of it, $45 million, is to be paid directly to the 4,500 households once the data center's first building goes into service.

In the former mining town, one in six residents lives below the poverty line, according to official data.

"For a young, struggling couple... living from paycheck to paycheck, $10,000 is a lot of money," says Jeff Fasnacht, a retired high school teacher who lives in the gated community.

Like Negra, he sees the offer as a bribe. He also calls it "a drop in the bucket" compared with how much value his home could lose if the project goes ahead.

"This was supposed to be pristine forest forever," sighs the golf enthusiast.

Neither the developer nor township officials responded to AFP's requests for comment.

- 'David and Goliath' -

Across the valley, residents of rural Sugarloaf Township are fighting a high-voltage power line that is likely intended to supply the data center.

They are not eligible for the possible $10,000 check.

"There's no amount of money that can replace or take away the beauty, the tranquility that we live in," says Annie Vinatieri. She shares a house with her in-laws, her husband and their young son.

She has been fighting the power line for almost two years.

"This fight feels akin to a David and Goliath fight," she says. She takes heart in how many residents have rallied against tech interests: "The empowerment is unbelievable."

Erika Cook, 42, lives nearby and works remotely for an insurance company.

She and her husband raise a few chickens and keep a vegetable garden. They also tap maple trees for syrup in the woods on their property.

Part of that land is now the target of an eminent domain proceeding to make room for a huge transmission tower.

Republicans dominate at the ballot box in this region. Cook says opposition to data centers has one virtue here: "It's bringing people together... across party lines."

P.Tamimi--SF-PST