Data center protests go national
Organizers say households face higher power bills, while local campaigns have blocked or delayed tens of billions of dollars in projects.
- On Saturday, opponents of rapid data center expansion held 142 rallies across 42 states, marking the first nationwide day of action organized by HumansFirst against AI infrastructure buildout.
- Rising power bills and water depletion drive opposition; PJM grid capacity auction costs leaped from $2.2bn to $14.7bn, while Texas data centers consumed 49 billion gallons last year.
- Josh Levi, president of the Data Center Coalition, said the industry works to "mitigate any negative impacts," yet residents report non-disclosure agreements shroud roughly 80% of Virginia localities weighing proposals.
- New York froze new construction statewide this month, while HumansFirst co-founder Amy Kremer predicted data centers will define November's midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race.
- Opposition unites Americans across ideological lines, with a June Reuters/Ipsos poll finding only 14% of respondents would support a data center in their community.
17 Articles
17 Articles
In the USA, broad alliances have formed against AI data centers. Meanwhile, resistance is also moving elsewhere.
Texas, protesters seek 18-month data center freeze, warn over water, power, and land
A growing fight over data centers reached a Lubbock, Texas, park over the weekend, where local residents gathered to demand a pause on new development they fear could strain water supplies, farmland, and the electric grid. The protest also reflected a broader debate playing out across Texas and beyond: how communities should weigh the economic promise of AI infrastructure against its environmental and household costs. What happened? On Saturday …
Data center opponents stage 142 protests across 42 US states
142 Anti-Data Center Protests Sweep 42 States in One Day, Led By Former Tea Party Leader
Opponents of the buildout of data centers held 142 protests across 42 states on Saturday, coordinated by a former leader of the modern-day Tea Party movement. The protests were coordinated by HumansFirst, which was co-founded by Amy Kremer, who is also the co-founder of Women-for-Trump, though Kremer has described the movement as nonpartisan and has criticized Republicans for giving Big Tech a “free pass” on data centers. “They just woke up one …
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