Published • loading... • Updated
Study: Data Center Backlash Blocked $130B in US Projects During Q1 2026
Opposition and new state proposals pushed the total to a record 75 delayed or blocked projects worth about $130 billion, researchers said.
- Data Center Watch, a project of 10a Labs, reported that opponents blocked or delayed at least 75 projects nationwide worth about $130 billion from January through March, marking the most in any three-month period since tracking began in 2023.
- Active grassroots opposition groups more than doubled from 396 at the end of 2025 to 833 by March, as communities internalized an effective opposition playbook amid formal regulatory uncertainty introduced by legislative sessions.
- A Gallup poll found 70 percent of Americans oppose local data-center construction, while lawmakers introduced more than 300 bills in state legislatures during the first six weeks of 2026, fueling legislative momentum nationwide.
- New York state lawmakers approved a moratorium on large data-center construction, establishing a three-month waiting period before the Department of Environmental Conservation will issue permits, certificates, registrations, or licenses.
- Sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom noted that data-center resistance is crossing political divides, as regulatory uncertainty could extend developers' timelines well into 2028, fundamentally reshaping the industry's deployment strategy.
Insights by Ground AI
25 Articles
25 Articles
Special session needed to address data centers
On May 19, Barnes County placed a six-month moratorium on AI data centers. All over North Dakota, local governments are blocking the construction of AI data centers in their communities. However, local governments can only do so much. At some…
·Georgia, United States
Read Full Article
With the rapid growth of AI, the water and electricity consumption of data centers has become a concern. They use vast amounts of water to keep them cool, leading to water shortages in many locations. This has also led to protests around the world.
Ars TechnicaReposted by 
technewstube.com
technewstube.com$130 billion in data center projects blocked by protests so far this year
Winning fight against AI data centers gives people a "taste of political power."
·New York, United States
Read Full Article
The Data-Center Panic Is Overblown
Critics are inflating the costs.
·Washington, United States
Read Full ArticleCoverage Details
Total News Sources25
Leaning Left4Leaning Right4Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Center
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources are Center
43% Center
L 29%
C 43%
R 28%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
