Opposition to Local Data Centers Rises Sharply, Annenberg Survey Finds
Officials are citing water, power and pollution concerns as at least 100 U.S. communities approve moratoriums or bans on large data centers.
- On Tuesday, a new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania revealed that 61% of Americans oppose new data centers in their communities, a 12-point increase since spring.
- Local governments are responding to growing public backlash, with the US Data Center Moratorium Tracker identifying over 100 cities, towns, and counties that have enacted construction freezes to address community concerns.
- Data centers consume significant resources: Virginia facilities use roughly 25% of the state's electricity, according to The Roosevelt Institute, while backup diesel generators emit 200 to 600 times more nitrogen oxides than natural plants.
- Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on July 14 barring large-scale data center permitting in New York for one year. Federal lawmakers including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act.
- Developers can no longer assume frictionless permitting as the AI industry's rapid growth conflicts with community concerns over energy demand, water usage, and quality of life. Local opposition now frequently disrupts project timelines.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Tech Report: Hundreds of U.S. communities push back against data center construction
(LILAMAX)- More than 500 jurisdictions across the United States are putting the brakes on construction of massive data centers, raising concerns about the country’s ability to remain competitive in the global artificial intelligence race. More than 150 localities passed bans last month alone. Opponents of the projects have cited concerns including high energy consumption and environmental impacts. Experts warn the growing opposition could hamper…
Americans are increasingly opposed to data centers, Penn polling finds
About 3 in 5 Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their area, according to polling from Penn's Annenberg Public Policy Center. Respondents also think AI will negatively impact privacy, kids' safety and jobs.
Digging Into the Pushback Against Data Centers
The Information reports that resistance to new data centers by local governments—pushback driven by strong public opposition— “has accelerated this summer, a warning sign for big AI companies such as Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI that are pinning their compute ambitions on data center expansion.” There are now “more than 500 active data center bans” in place around the country, according to the the tech publication, which then illustrates the p…
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