The $170 billion lesson data center developers keep learning the hard way

Maura Healey, the governor of Massachusetts, recently laid down a new rule on the contentious question of whether to build data centers in her state: “Unless a community says yes to a data center, we are saying no.” Pennsylvania’s governor, Josh Shapiro, took it a step further, requiring developers to “[c]ommit to open, transparent engagement with local residents and leaders . . . early enough in the process to allow meaningful public input on major design decisions.” But what...