As artificial intelligence and other compute-intensive services expand, data centers have proliferated across the United States. Their large energy demands and other consequences have sparked significant local resistance: many residents cite the high power consumption, related emissions in an era of global warming, and potential health impacts as reasons for concern.
Recently, several communities have seen political fallout from proposed facilities: in some places local officials were voted out over the issue, New York imposed a moratorium on data center construction, and in a Texas town there was public outrage after municipal land intended for a public park was sold to a company planning a data center.
There have also been a growing number of death threats tied to data-center disputes, although reports do not always specify whether the threats came from supporters or opponents of the projects.
Into these debates stepped former President Donald Trump, who on his Truth Social platform wrote that people opposing data centers want to be “backward and poor.” He added that the rise of anti–data-center movements benefits China, using the claims to criticize local resistance to such projects.
Trump argued that America should allow “the data to win,” saying data centers create jobs, increase tax revenue, and overall improve life for nearby residents.
Critics counter that most opponents are not trying to harm the United States or hand advantage to another country; they simply want a livable local environment. Beyond energy use and emissions, concerns include noise, air quality, and pressure on local infrastructure.
An analysis by Tom's Hardware acknowledges that data centers can raise local tax receipts and reduce unemployment, but it notes these effects are mostly felt in large urban areas. Their calculations suggest a typical data center may create at most about 100 permanent jobs, while many key services and expertise are sourced from outside the local area.
At present, local policymakers are generally not moving toward outright bans. Instead, they are studying data centers’ likely local impacts to determine how best to proceed for the communities they represent.
