The state of the backlash
Data centers have become one of the fastest-moving land-use and energy fights in the country. The figures below come from published polling, industry trackers, and government research — sources are linked on each tile.
Note: Data Center Watch, a frequently cited tracker of blocked and delayed projects, has been described in press reports as having AI-industry-adjacent funding; its figures are widely quoted by both sides. Polling of hypothetical local projects may differ from views on specific proposals.
Where data centers are being fought
Major contested proposals and policy fights across the U.S., compiled from local and national reporting. Status reflects the most recent reporting we have reviewed (as of September 29, 2026) and can change quickly — follow the linked sources for the latest.
Project Blue
In litigationTucson's city council unanimously rejected the campus in August 2025 amid concerns over water and energy use in a Colorado River–dependent desert region, and over NDAs shielding the end user's identity. The project moved to nearby Marana, which approved rezoning; opponents gathered roughly double the signatures needed to force a referendum, but the town rejected the petitions in February 2026. Litigation over the petitions was pending as of mid-2026. Update (Sept 2026): construction is underway; Pima County released a data center health impact study, and Attorney General Kris Mayes’ suit seeking a rehearing of the project’s energy agreement was argued September 24 with no ruling yet (KJZZ).
xAI Colossus & Colossus 2
In litigationxAI's supercomputer facilities have been powered in part by on-site methane gas turbines, many of which operated without air permits, according to litigation brought by the NAACP and Earthjustice under the Clean Air Act. Residents of the predominantly Black Boxtown neighborhood cite health concerns. The Shelby County Health Department granted permits in July 2025, which opponents appealed; in June 2026 the U.S. Justice Department intervened on xAI's side, citing national security. The facilities have kept operating. Update (Sept 2026): the federal injunction hearing was postponed; xAI agreed with Mississippi regulators to remove its temporary turbines by July 2027; and new suits arrived — a federal noise-nuisance class action and a $30M wrongful-death claim over a worker’s fall (Lieff Cabraser · Action News 5).
PW Digital Gateway
Effectively deadOnce slated to be among the world's largest data center corridors (up to 23 million sq ft), the project unraveled after a circuit court voided its 2023 rezoning on procedural grounds. Compass abandoned its appeal, the county withdrew from defending the lawsuit in April 2026, and QTS dropped its state supreme court appeal that July. More than 100 landowners with purchase contracts were left in limbo, some suing to exit.
Cloverleaf campus (OpenAI / Oracle "Stargate")
Under constructionThe $15 billion megaproject proceeded, but in April 2026 Port Washington voters passed what was widely described as the nation's first anti-data-center referendum — requiring voter approval for future tax-incentive districts over $10 million, by roughly a two-to-one margin. The measure doesn't affect the existing project; business groups have filed a legal challenge to strike it down. Update (Sept 2026): a county judge dismissed residents’ challenge to the project’s $175M infrastructure subsidy; a ruling on the business groups’ challenge to the referendum ordinance is expected in October (Urban Milwaukee).
OpenAI–Oracle Stargate campus
Under constructionThe township initially voted the project down; the developer sued, and the township settled and approved it rather than face mounting legal costs — a sequence critics describe as a small town being litigated into acceptance. Construction began in spring 2026. In July 2026 the township approved a tax break roughly nine times smaller than the developer requested.
Meta "Hyperion"
Under constructionState and parish leaders champion the project; the fight is at the Louisiana Public Service Commission over who pays for billions of dollars in new gas generation and whether Meta's commitments are enforceable. An administrative law judge ordered Meta to disclose jobs and power data, which the company contested, and Earthjustice asked regulators to investigate the project's financing structure. Advocates warn of rate impacts on households; supporters point to jobs and investment. Update (Aug 2026): regulators voted to let Meta keep its jobs, investment, and electricity-use records secret, overriding a judge’s disclosure order; a decision on seven additional gas turbines is expected in December (Louisiana Illuminator).
Imperial Data Center
In litigationCounty supervisors approved the project in April 2026 without full environmental review, drawing a CEQA lawsuit from the City of Imperial. Facing backlash over Colorado River water (an estimated 260 million gallons/year) and air quality in a region with high childhood asthma rates, the county reversed course in June with a 45-day data center moratorium — prompting the developer to sue. A countywide referendum effort is underway. Update (Sept 2026): both sides lost in court — a judge overturned the project’s approval and ordered full environmental review (Sept 9), then struck down the county’s moratorium for lack of evidence of an immediate threat; the county is drafting a revised version and recall campaigns continue (KPBS).
Hood County cluster (Project Patriot, Comanche Circle & others)
ContestedEight data center projects have targeted this county of about 62,000 people. After Granbury approved a 2,100-acre rezoning in April 2026, residents sued the city alleging open-meetings violations. Two county moratorium attempts failed 3–2, and the county faces developer lawsuits. Concerns center on aquifer strain, the Brazos watershed, noise, and the county's limited zoning power. In July 2026 Gov. Greg Abbott called for a ban on data center development in rural residential areas. Update (Sept 2026): residents sued to revive a recall of the mayor and four council members; the city heard all five recall petitions at a special September 28 meeting after an appeals-court fight — legal delays mean the earliest possible recall election is now 2027 (KERA).
First-in-nation statewide ban (vetoed)
Statewide policy fightMaine's legislature passed the country's first statewide ban on large data centers in April 2026, citing electricity rates and grid capacity. Gov. Janet Mills vetoed it days later, and a House override attempt failed by a single vote.
Mountain Road Tech Park
RejectedThe county board of supervisors denied the project 4–3 in May 2026. Opponents said its projected 600,000 gallons/day of water use could consume up to 90% of the zone's supply; the developer had offered $15 million for water infrastructure. Noise, rural character, and skepticism about jobs and revenue also featured.
Pennhurst site data center
RejectedTownship supervisors unanimously rejected the proposal in May 2026 over scale, water, traffic, and proximity to homes; a court battle is expected. Across Pennsylvania, municipalities have been adopting 180-day moratoriums, and the state House passed a data center "pause" bill alongside Gov. Josh Shapiro's "responsible development" plan. Update: the developer appealed the denial to the Chester County Court of Common Pleas in late June; the township has vowed an aggressive defense, with no ruling yet (VISTA Today).
Metro Atlanta moratoriums
MoratoriumDeKalb County commissioners extended their data center moratorium through March 30, 2027 while writing setback, noise, water, and energy rules (Decaturish). Athens-Clarke County denied a project and weighed its own pause; Glynn County rejected a moratorium despite pushback. Community groups voiced anger after the 2026 legislative session ended without action on data center bills.
Data center + gas plant proposal
ApprovedThe county planning commission sided with residents in late July 2026, recommending against rezoning ("No rezoning, no data center"), and the county council chair called for a temporary moratorium. Multiple South Carolina counties enacted moratoriums in June 2026 as a statewide siting bill stalled in the legislature. Update (Sept 2026): the county council approved the rezoning anyway on September 11, overriding the planning commission’s recommendation at a contentious meeting (WRDW).
Ohio township pushback
MoratoriumsTrumbull County leaders issued a moratorium halting a data center plan, and several central Ohio communities around Columbus and New Albany have adopted their own pauses. Statewide, fights continue over electricity costs — including AEP Ohio's data center tariff — and Gov. Mike DeWine paused new data center tax exemption requests in May 2026. Update (Sept 2026): Ohio now has more than 125 active local data center moratoriums — the most of any state — and Columbus council members have proposed water- and energy-cost measures in lieu of a ban (Ohio Capital Journal).
East-side Indianapolis project & county wave
MoratoriumAn east-side Indianapolis data center won approval in July 2026 despite community opposition, as the city advanced a data center regulation ordinance. Nearly a third of Indiana counties have adopted moratoriums, bans, or restrictions, according to July 2026 reporting. Update (Aug 2026): the City-County Council voted 23–1 for a moratorium on new data centers through the end of 2027 — exempting the three already-approved projects — while stricter zoning standards are written (Mirror Indy).
Moratorium petition & tax-break rollback
Statewide policy fightOregon Rural Action launched a petition campaign — "secrecy, extraction and exploitation" — seeking a moratorium on new eastern Oregon data centers. The state enacted a law affecting data center tax breaks in June 2026, after 2025's POWER Act created a separate rate class so large users pay their share; Gov. Tina Kotek has said Oregon has been a "cheap date" for the industry. An industry group is running pro-data-center ads in Oregon and six other states. Update (Sept 2026): Democratic lawmakers proposed a three-year statewide moratorium for the 2027 session, Gov. Kotek’s advisers declined to endorse one, and hundreds rallied in Salem to deliver a statewide petition (Oregon Capital Chronicle).
Citywide one-year moratorium
MoratoriumDenver's city council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on new data center construction in May 2026 while the city develops regulations.
County moratorium
MoratoriumDeSoto County approved a data center moratorium on July 29, 2026 — though the controversial project that prompted it can still advance under the terms adopted.
The fight spreads beyond Data Center Alley
ContestedVirginia's disputes are spreading past Loudoun and Prince William: Warren County residents near Shenandoah National Park have crowded planning meetings over a Rockland Road industrial/data center proposal, and Fairfax County residents are organizing against infill projects. Update (Sept 2026): the Warren County developer withdrew its applications in August — the project is dead for now — while the Fairfax hearing on the Plaza 500 substation was pushed to December at Dominion’s request (The River 95.3 · Alexandria Times).
CoreWeave at the former Merck campus
Under constructionResidents rallied repeatedly through 2026 over noise, power and water demand, and how little notice they received before the planning board's approval. State lawmakers have since moved to eliminate the tax-credit program that funded the project. Construction has proceeded. Update (Aug 2026): Gov. Sherrill signed the End Data Center Tax Credits Act, scaling back the incentive program whose first award funded this project — a repeal driven largely by the Kenilworth backlash (S4390).
DataOne / Nebius "AI factory"
Under constructionApproved with a five-year tax exemption and a $6 million city loan; operation is expected by the end of 2026. Sierra Club NJ, local farmers, and residents object to on-site gas emissions, noise, water use near the Kirkwood–Cohansey aquifer, and proximity to homes and Pinelands-area farmland. The city cites 200+ promised permanent jobs and tax revenue. Update (Sept 2026): state environmental regulators fined DataOne more than $1 million for running gas generators without a permit at the site (ROI-NJ).
The municipal ban wave
Moratoriums & bansAfter American Tower withdrew a proposal in East Greenwich Township, the town banned data centers outright — joining Red Bank, Warren, Monroe, Millville, Andover, and Pemberton, with Sayreville adopting an 18-month moratorium. More than 60 organizations petitioned Gov. Mikie Sherrill for a three-year statewide moratorium; she opted for "guardrails" legislation instead, which critics called insufficient. Update (Aug 2026): Jersey City — the state's second-largest city — unanimously banned standalone data centers, the 34th New Jersey municipality with some form of ban, and Gov. Sherrill signed a four-part package including water/energy usage reporting and the data center tax-credit repeal (Planetizen · NJ.gov).
Stream/Apollo campus at STAMP
ContestedA March 2026 public hearing ran five and a half hours with most of the 200+ attendees opposed. The Tonawanda Seneca Nation, whose territory borders the site, cites threats to sacred lands and has sued alongside the Sierra Club to block development; critics also question the undisclosed tenant and subsidies of roughly $11.7 million per permanent job. Supporters project 1,000 construction jobs a year and $500M+ in fees and taxes over 30 years. New York's new statewide pause clouds the project's permits. Update (Sept 2026): the county development agency postponed its environmental findings vote amid the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and Sierra Club lawsuit and the statewide moratorium; no vote on the $1.46B abatement package has been confirmed (The Daily News).
First statewide hyperscale moratorium
Statewide policy fightIn July 2026, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Executive Order 62 pausing state environmental permits for new hyperscale data centers for up to a year — the first statewide moratorium in the country — saying development "threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers." A broader legislative moratorium with ratepayer protections (A11560/S10642) passed both houses in June and awaits delivery to her desk. Update (Sept 2026): the bill has not yet been formally delivered to her desk; observers expect action by year’s end, with reports of negotiations over a less-restrictive amendment while advocates press her to sign (FingerLakes1). Meanwhile the state issued the Community Investment Framework promised under EO 62, requiring host-community payments the governor’s office describes as at least $1 million per megawatt (Governor’s office).
QTS "Project Marvel"
ContestedOne of the largest private investments ever proposed in Alabama became the defining issue of Bessemer's mayoral race after it emerged that the mayor, city attorney, and chief of staff had signed a two-year NDA tied to the project. Rezoning was approved, but in the September 23 runoff the 16-year incumbent mayor lost 54.5%–45.5% to a data-center-skeptic challenger. QTS says it will continue pursuing the development.
Cloverleaf "Project Bluestem"
ContestedMore than 1,000 residents packed a September special county commission meeting in overwhelming opposition, citing noise, water and power use, and proximity to schools — activists played recorded data center noise outside the venue. The county planning commission is advancing new data center regulations, and opponents have retained legal counsel.
"La Osa Energy Center"
RejectedThe Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 in August 2026 to deny rezoning near Eloy, where aquifer depletion and land subsidence have forced wells to 1,200 feet. Supervisors noted the county has no data center zoning definitions and most safeguards were the developer's own; residents are now pushing the county to write comprehensive rules before the next proposal.
Quantum Frederick campus
PausedCounty Executive Jessica Fitzwater rejected the developer's $110 million community-benefits agreement in September after hundreds of public comments — residents objected to locking in zoning protections for eight years in exchange for vaguely defined benefits. The county's data center development pause has been extended to July 2027, and data centers are expected to dominate November's county elections.
A pause in the heart of Data Center Alley
Pause advancingIn a landmark shift, the Board of Supervisors voted 7–1–1 in September to draft a 12-month pause on new data center and substation applications, and is weighing removal of a by-right grandfather clause — in the county that built the industry. Grid reliability, transmission lines, and cumulative buildout drove the vote, and the board chair faces a primary challenge centered on data centers. The pause is effectively in force for board-approval applications ahead of a formal vote scheduled for October 20 (Loudoun Times-Mirror).
Verrus proposal & emergency moratorium
MoratoriumAfter protests at a July council meeting, Salem's city council unanimously passed a data center moratorium at an emergency August session, with a policy framework due by December. The developer advanced its land-use application days before the vote, so whether the moratorium reaches the Verrus project is contested.
The Missouri town wave
MoratoriumSmall towns across Missouri are organizing across party lines: St. Charles paused new data center applications for a year, Festus voters ousted pro-data-center council members in the spring, and Peculiar defeated a 500-acre campus proposal — a wave that has united communities against both lawmakers and the industry.
Where the data centers already are
The backlash is loudest where the industry is biggest — or headed next. This map shades the 15 states with the most existing facilities. The U.S. has roughly 4,700 data centers in total.
Counts: Data Center Map via Visual Capitalist (December 2025); U.S. total from datacentermap.com (August 2026). Counting methodologies differ across trackers — some include planned facilities, which is why some rankings put Texas first. Market capacity figures: CBRE, full-year 2025.
Where politicians stand
Positions are classified from officials' recorded actions — votes, vetoes, signed laws, and direct statements — with a source for each. "Conditional / mixed" means backing growth with strings attached. Labels are shorthand, not endorsements; positions evolve, so check the sources.
Supports expansion Conditional / mixed Opposes / restricts
Federal
| Who | Stance | What they've done or said | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump (R)President | Supports expansion | Announced the $500B Stargate venture (Jan 2025); signed Executive Order 14318 (July 2025) streamlining federal permitting for large AI data centers and opening federal land; White House launched a voluntary "Ratepayer Protection Pledge" signed by 187 organizations and 23 governors by July 2026. | White House · POWER |
| Jon Husted (R-OH)U.S. Senator | Conditional / mixed | Leads the Senate Ratepayer Protection Act requiring data centers of 100 MW+ to pay their own generation and transmission costs: "America must build energy infrastructure for AI while protecting families and small businesses from higher electricity bills." | Senate release |
| Gabe Evans (R-CO) & Kathy Castor (D-FL)U.S. Representatives | Conditional / mixed | Co-lead H.R. 9340, the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed the House 417–3 in September 2026. A Senate fast-track attempt was blocked by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), who is pushing a competing proposal, leaving the bill on the Senate calendar. | House E&C · The Hill |
| Bernie Sanders (I-VT) & Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)U.S. Senator / Representative | Opposes / restricts | Introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act (March 2026), a federal moratorium on new AI data centers until safeguards exist. Sanders: "We cannot sit back and allow a handful of billionaire Big Tech oligarchs to make decisions that will reshape our economy." | Senate release · Axios |
| Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) & John Fetterman (D-PA)U.S. Senators | Conditional / mixed | Introduced the Clean Cloud Act (S. 1475, April 2025), which would set an EPA emissions performance standard for AI and crypto data centers. | Congress.gov |
| Dave McCormick (R-PA)U.S. Senator | Supports expansion | Applauded Amazon's $20B Pennsylvania data center investment (June 2025): Pennsylvania's energy resources "make Pennsylvania a perfect base to power America's innovative technological future through data centers like these." | Senate release |
| Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA)U.S. Representative, Loudoun Co. | Opposes / restricts | "We have too many data centers at this point" (July 2026); supports a state-level moratorium in Virginia. | NOTUS |
| Dina Titus (D-NV)U.S. Representative | Conditional / mixed | Called on Nevada's governor (July 2026) to freeze state tax abatements for data centers on federal land pending review. | Nevada Current |
Governors & state leaders
| Who | Stance | What they've done or said | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail Spanberger (D-VA)Governor | Conditional / mixed | Campaigned on making data centers "pay their fair share"; agreed to a first-in-nation data center energy consumption tax ($0.11/kWh, capped at $600M/yr, from July 2026) while keeping the sales-tax exemption; amended cost-shifting bills in ways sponsors said weakened them. In September 2026 she signed an executive order imposing stronger state oversight, transparency, and cost-allocation rules on data centers — stopping short of a moratorium. | American Prospect · Virginia Mercury |
| Glenn Youngkin (R-VA)Former Governor (through Jan 2026) | Supports expansion | Vetoed HB 1601 (2025), a bipartisan bill requiring site, water, and noise impact assessments, saying it "limits local discretion and creates unnecessary red tape." | Cardinal News |
| Brian Kemp (R-GA)Governor | Supports expansion | Vetoed a 2024 bill pausing Georgia's data center sales-tax exemption; the exemption survived the 2026 session after a repeal passed the Senate but died in the House. | Data Center Dynamics · Inside Climate News |
| Greg Abbott (R-TX)Governor | Conditional / mixed | Signed SB 6 (2025) giving grid operators oversight of large loads; directed regulators in June 2026 to ensure "everyday Texans are not burdened with the costs"; in July 2026 called for banning data center development in rural residential areas; and in August ordered a pause-and-audit of all proposed data centers seeking grid connection after most companies ignored a state usage survey. | Community Impact · Houston Public Media |
| Gavin Newsom (D-CA)Governor | Conditional / mixed | Reversed course from his 2025 veto of water-disclosure legislation: in September 2026 signed seven data center laws — the most comprehensive state package to date — covering grid cost-shifting, water and resource disclosure, and environmental review. The Data Center Coalition opposed the package. | CalMatters |
| Kathy Hochul (D-NY)Governor | Conditional / mixed | Signed Executive Order 62 (July 2026), the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers, saying development "threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources"; has the broader legislative moratorium awaiting her action — passed in June but not yet formally delivered — amid reports she is negotiating a less-restrictive amendment, with a decision expected by year’s end. | Governor's office · FingerLakes1 |
| Katie Hobbs (D-AZ)Governor | Conditional / mixed | Signed a 3-year pause of Arizona's data center sales-tax exemption (2026–2029), saying it lets the state examine where data centers "provide economic opportunity and where they're not sucking the groundwater"; vetoed a bill that would have weakened referendum rights amid the Project Blue dispute. | AZ Capitol Times · AZ Luminaria |
| Mike DeWine (R-OH)Governor | Conditional / mixed | Paused new data center tax exemption requests (May 2026) pending legislative review: "Data centers are a critical component to today's technology-driven economy… it is not a data center ban." | Governor's office |
| Josh Shapiro (D-PA)Governor (2026 re-election race) | Conditional / mixed | Championed Amazon's $20B investment and fast-tracked permitting in 2025, then pivoted in 2026 to a "GRID" plan of standards tying tax breaks to clean-energy and job thresholds: "We need to be selective about the projects that get built here." | Spotlight PA · Inside Climate News |
| Stacy Garrity (R-PA)State Treasurer; 2026 gubernatorial nominee | Opposes / restricts | Supports a temporary pause for zoning updates, mandatory rather than voluntary rules, and full repeal of the sales-tax exemption: "You can't just jam it down their throats." | Spotlight PA |
| Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ)Governor | Conditional / mixed | Won in 2025 on utility costs; announced data center "guardrails" (May 2026) — "Not on my watch, not on your backs" — signed a three-bill package in July 2026 creating a separate ratepayer class for data centers; and in August signed a further four-part package including usage reporting and the End Data Center Tax Credits Act. | WHYY · NJ.gov |
| Jeff Landry (R-LA)Governor | Supports expansion | Championed Meta's Richland Parish campus and its expansion past $50B: "This commitment from Meta puts Louisiana at the center of America's future in artificial intelligence." | Opportunity Louisiana |
| Mike Braun (R-IN)Governor | Conditional / mixed | Pro-growth but insists projects carry their own costs: "You're going to shoulder 100%, and you're going to ideally put more on if you want to come here and do business"; signed the White House ratepayer pledge. | WFYI · 14 News |
| Tony Evers (D-WI)Governor | Supports expansion | Jointly announced Microsoft's additional $4B Mount Pleasant investment (Sept 2025) as an economic development win. | WEDC |
| Bill Lee (R-TN)Governor | Conditional / mixed | Signed the White House ratepayer pledge (July 2026): "Tennessee has shown we can lead the nation in innovation while protecting hardworking families from higher utility bills." | Tennessee Lookout |
| Tina Kotek (D-OR)Governor | Conditional / mixed | Signed the POWER Act (2025) creating a separate rate class for large energy users; applauded regulators' roughly 30% rate increase on data centers paired with a residential decrease. | OPB · Governor's office |
| Janet Mills (D-ME)Governor | Supports expansion | Vetoed the legislature's first-in-nation statewide ban on large data centers (April 2026); the override failed by one vote. | Portland Press Herald |
| J.B. Pritzker (D-IL)Governor | Conditional / mixed | Paused data center tax incentives effective July 2026 and urged ratepayer protections and water requirements. | MultiState |
| Justin J. Pearson (D-TN)State Representative, Memphis | Opposes / restricts | Led opposition to xAI's Colossus facility and its gas turbines, calling for their shutdown and alleging Clean Air Act violations; hosted Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's visit to the site. | WREG |
| Louise Lucas (D-VA)State Senator | Opposes / restricts | Sponsored SB 253 shifting costs to high-load users (passed 2026); publicly pressed the governor to go further: "Governor, read the damn room." | Virginia Mercury · American Prospect |
Also notable: Georgia's November 2025 Public Service Commission races — widely tied to Georgia Power bills and data center load growth — flipped two seats to Democrats Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard (Georgia Recorder). In June 2026 primaries, incumbents who backed data centers lost races in Utah, South Carolina, and Maryland (Christian Science Monitor).
Key bills and policies
A snapshot of significant federal and state measures, with status as of September 29, 2026.
What the press is reporting
Summaries of significant reporting on the data center fight, in our own words, with credit and links to the original outlets. We summarize; the linked outlets own the reporting.
Everyone can find a reason to dislike data center construction
Drawing on 18 months of Data & Society ethnographic fieldwork in Pennsylvania, the piece argues opposition spans NIMBYs, environmentalists, and ratepayers rather than any single faction — and notes over 60% of Americans favor limiting new data centers, with $68 billion in projects disrupted in Q2 2026 alone.
The data center backlash is reshaping American politics — one community at a time
NPR reports roughly 640,000 people are now active in the anti-data-center movement, with about 220 new grassroots groups formed between June and August 2026. Incumbents of both parties — from Loudoun County, Virginia to Bessemer, Alabama — face challenges driven by data center decisions.
Spanberger acts to restrict new data centers in Virginia
Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed an executive order imposing stronger state oversight, transparency, and cost-allocation rules on data centers in the nation's largest data center market, stopping short of a moratorium. The move drew mixed reactions from lawmakers and the industry.
Data center backlash unites Missouri and Kansas towns against lawmakers and big tech
Small towns across Missouri and Kansas — Peculiar, Festus, St. Charles, and Tonganoxie — are organizing across party lines against projects from Google, Diode Ventures, and others. St. Charles passed a one-year moratorium in August, and Festus voters ousted pro-data-center council members.
Tech industry debates how to counter the data center backlash
The industry side of the story: tech companies and trade groups are weighing PR and lobbying strategies to blunt growing local opposition, and NBC News has reported that a pro-AI super PAC network is preparing to spend against data center opponents in the 2026 cycle.
From Pennsylvania to Ohio to Texas, the governors' races are coming down to data centers
Data center policy has become a defining issue in the 2026 gubernatorial races: Pennsylvania's Shapiro touts new development standards while challenger Garrity attacks his record, a Texas Democrat runs ads accusing Gov. Abbott of selling out to data center executives, and both Ohio nominees released competing regulatory plans.
Data centers boost jobs 4% in cities — rural economies barely feel a dent
A Georgia Tech study finds data centers raise employment about 4.1% and wages about 5.5% in urban areas, with negligible effects in rural counties — and retail electricity prices roughly 5% higher after data centers come online. Evidence for both sides of the jobs debate.
Voters signal opposition to AI data centers in local primaries
June 2026 primaries saw incumbents who backed data centers defeated: Utah's Senate president lost by more than eight points after championing a hyperscale project, and commissioners in Utah, South Carolina, and Maryland lost to challengers running against data centers.
America's data center backlash is bipartisan — can it stay that way?
Reports that roughly 70% of Americans oppose AI data centers in their communities (75% of Democrats, 63% of Republicans), with more than 800 opposition groups across 49 states contesting some 1,500 planned facilities — and restrictive moves from governors of both parties.
Fact-check: how much have data centers actually raised electricity prices?
PolitiFact rated "Mostly False" a claim that bills near data centers rose "as much as 267%" — that figure describes wholesale price growth near data center clusters, not household bills. It confirms real data-center-driven costs, including a $9.3 billion (174%) rise in PJM capacity costs attributed to data center demand.
The movement to stop data centers
Reports more than 100 proposed moratoriums or bans across local, county, state, and national levels; polling showing local opposition rising from about 40% in August 2025 to about 70% by May 2026; and a New York statewide ban on large data centers awaiting the governor's signature.
Data center moratorium gets unanimous approval in Denver
Denver's city council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on new data center construction while the city writes regulations — one of the largest U.S. cities to pause the industry.
America's data centers are thirsty. Rural towns are paying the price
Details two incidents of unauthorized water use — about 29 million gallons via an unmetered hookup at a QTS project in Fayette County, Georgia, and roughly 650,000 gallons taken for dust control by a Project Blue contractor in Tucson. Notes U.S. data centers consumed about 17.4 billion gallons in 2023, projected at 38–73 billion by 2028.
Thirsty data centers fuel local angst over water infrastructure
UC Riverside researchers estimate $10–58 billion in water infrastructure will be needed for AI data centers through 2030. Columbus, Ohio is raising water rates 18% partly due to data center growth, and the piece notes a mismatch between 50–60-year water infrastructure and 15–20-year data center lifespans.
Data centers are on the ballot in 2026 — and just failed the first test
Port Washington, Wisconsin voters approved, roughly two-to-one, a referendum requiring voter approval before the city grants major tax breaks — a response to the $15 billion OpenAI/Oracle project underway there. In Festus, Missouri, voters ousted every incumbent council member over a $6 billion data center approval.
With electricity bills rising, some states consider new data center laws
At least a dozen states have implemented or are weighing separate, higher electric rate classes for data centers, plus long-term contract commitments and collateral requirements. Includes both legislator concerns and the Data Center Coalition's response.
From the front lines — and the other side
Direct quotes as they appeared in published reporting, from residents and organizers fighting proposals and from the industry and its supporters. Inclusion is not endorsement; each quote links to the original source and context.
I'm afraid to drink the water, but I still cook with it, and brush my teeth with it. Am I worried about it? Yes.
How am I going to relax with something buzzing at me 24/7?
Once they're built, there's nothing you can do.
It's never been red versus blue. It's people who live here versus people who want to industrialize where we live.
It's like the Gilded Age, part two. Only bigger.
To increase it by 40 gigawatts is to almost triple our entire grid for one industry.
It is my responsibility to create guardrails to protect Tucson from this industry.
A data center should not be a potential death sentence for a community's health.
The message was heard throughout the county – we will stop data centers!
It's inaccurate to draw a clear line between large load customers like data centers coming online and increases in prices.
Our goal is that by 2030, we'll be putting more water back into the watersheds and communities where we're operating data centres, than we're taking out.
The data center industry is building out as quickly as they can to meet that growth.
This commitment from Meta puts Louisiana at the center of America's future in artificial intelligence.
The numbers behind the fight — and where they're disputed
Many figures in this debate are contested or easily misused. Here's what the research says, with the caveats attached.
Electricity
DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found U.S. data centers consumed about 176 TWh in 2023 — roughly 4.4% of U.S. electricity — projected to reach 6.7–12% by 2028. National average residential electricity prices rose about 42% from 2020–2025, with steeper increases in some regions; PJM capacity costs for 2025–26 rose $9.3 billion (174%), an increase its market monitor largely attributed to data center demand.
Disputed: The widely-quoted "267%" figure refers to wholesale price growth near data center clusters, not household bills (PolitiFact rated one such use "Mostly False"). Projections vary widely, and analysts note utility interconnection queues contain speculative "phantom" load requests that may overstate real demand. The industry disputes drawing "a clear line" between data centers and household price increases; economists confirm real but smaller effects.Sources: DOE/LBNL · PolitiFact · Stateline
Water
U.S. data centers directly consumed about 17.4 billion gallons in 2023, projected at 38–73 billion gallons by 2028 (LBNL figures); a medium-sized facility uses roughly 110 million gallons a year. UC Riverside researchers estimate $10–58 billion in water and sewer infrastructure will be needed for AI data centers through 2030.
Disputed: Companies point to closed-loop and air cooling and "water positive by 2030" pledges; critics counter that company figures often exclude the indirect water used by power plants and local aquifer effects.Jobs
A July 2026 Georgia Tech study found data centers raise long-run local employment roughly 3.5% overall — about 4.1% in urban counties but a negligible amount in rural ones — with wages up about 5%.
Disputed: Opponents note hyperscale facilities employ few permanent workers ("$3 billion boxes that create maybe 30 jobs," in one organizer's words); the industry counters with thousands of construction jobs and supply-chain effects.Source: Fortune / The Conversation
Taxes & incentives
Data centers can be enormous local taxpayers — a QTS campus in Fayette County, Georgia is projected to generate $150–200 million in annual tax revenue — which is why many localities court them even amid opposition. At the same time, states including Virginia, Arizona, Ohio, and Illinois moved in 2026 to trim, pause, or offset data center tax breaks.
Disputed: Watchdog groups argue per-job subsidy costs are extreme given small permanent headcounts; industry argues facilities often become a locality's largest taxpayer.Sources: Fortune · Virginia Mercury
The scale of opposition
Data Center Watch tallied nearly $200 billion in projects blocked or delayed across 120 projects in the first half of 2026 alone ($130B in Q1, $68B in Q2). NPR reported in September 2026 that roughly 640,000 people are active in the movement, with about 220 new grassroots groups formed between June and August. Polling has kept pace: Gallup found 71% of Americans oppose an AI data center in their local area (March 2026), an Annenberg/University of Pennsylvania survey released in August (fielded June–July) found 61% opposed — up 12 points — a September UMass Amherst poll found just one in nine Americans supports AI data center construction in their community, and a Pew Research survey fielded over the summer found 60% would be uncomfortable with a data center near where they live (KUNC roundup).
Disputed: Data Center Watch has been described in press reports as having AI-industry-adjacent funding, and itself acknowledges that attributing delays "oversimplifies a complex landscape." Opposition to hypothetical nearby projects doesn't always translate to opposition in specific votes.Sources: Data Center Watch · Gallup · Grist/Spotlight PA
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What this is
Data Center Backlash is an independent tracker of the growing public debate over data center construction in the United States. The site's name refers to the phenomenon we cover — the wave of community responses to the data center boom — not to a position we take. We aim to document, evenhandedly, where projects are proposed and contested, what elected officials have done and said, and what credible reporting and research says about the impacts, both claimed benefits and claimed harms.
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