The Movement to Stop Data Centers. (New York Times)
The backlash against energy-guzzling data centers has snowballed in recent months, prompting more than 100 proposed moratoriums at the local, county, state and national level.
Proposals for data center moratoriums fall into two categories: Most call for a short-term pause in permitting or construction to give local governments time to establish guidelines. A few others call for permanent construction bans.
Cities including Tulsa, Okla.; New Orleans; Birmingham, Ala.; and Ypsilanti Township, Mich.; have all implemented temporary bans on permitting or construction, as have dozens of other counties and towns, according to a database maintained by the hedge fund Interconnected Capital.
Bigger state-level proposals have so far seen mixed results. Democrats and Republicans in 14 states have proposed construction pauses. In April, Maine lawmakers passed a temporary statewide moratorium on new data centers, but it was vetoed by Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat.
On Friday, New York lawmakers passed their own statewide ban on large data centers.
Voters’ opinions on new data centers have done a U-turn in recent months, according to polling by Heatmap News. Last August, four out of 10 respondents said they’d oppose a data center being built in their area. By May, the number had risen to seven out of 10.
The survey found that people don’t just care about their own backyards. More than half supported a moratorium that covers the entire nation. (Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, have introduced legislation to enact what they call a “reasonable pause” on data center development.)
Americans are blaming data centers for rising energy bills, and many are feeling pessimistic about the broader effects A.I. will have on society, the survey found. Opponents have also raised concerns about noise, water use and air pollution.
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