Across the United States, backlash over the construction of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers is spreading, making it a major political issue. The federal government and big tech corporations are accelerating data center infrastructure to compete with China in AI, but local communities are mounting fierce opposition over fears of power and water resources depletion and damage to their living environment.
On the 6th, according to the Washington Post (WP), in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, the city's push to annex farmland on the outskirts to attract a large data center sparked strong resistance from residents. Hundreds of residents crowded a public hearing, and protest placards were put up around town. Kyle Schmidt, head of the residents' group Sand Springs Protection Alliance, said, "Data center corporations are unilaterally sacrificing the community," and criticized, "Elected officials who should protect residents are instead capitulating to corporations."
The backlash is not confined to any one area. Efforts to build data centers in zones not designated for industrial use have met resistance in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Maryland. A key point of contention is that hyperscale data centers can consume more electricity than an entire city and deplete local water resources through extensive use of cooling water.
Notably, opposition is spreading across political lines. Many of the residents opposing the plan in Sand Springs were voters who have supported President Donald Trump and the Republican governor. They said they agree with a national AI strategy but argue that the burden from data center construction is being shifted solely onto local residents.
Concerns have also emerged within the federal government. Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned at a recent event that data center development is driving up electricity bills and fueling rural backlash. The industry, however, said "data centers contribute to job creation and strengthen security" and argued that "opposition is exaggerated." The Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Alliance, an industry coalition that supports expanding data center infrastructure, said "data center projects can lower electricity bills," but rebuttals quickly followed.
Moves in the political arena are also taking shape. Democratic senators have begun probing how data centers affect electricity bills, and Sen. Bernie Sanders criticized that "data center expansion is depleting energy and water resources and shifting AI expense onto ordinary people." Civil rights groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), are also challenging the impact of data centers on low-income and minority communities.
Some local governments, by contrast, emphasize the need to attract data centers, saying they "can expand tax revenue and create jobs." A Sand Springs city official said, "The data center could become the area's largest taxpayer," and began trying to persuade residents. But residents remain concerned about changing landscapes from industrialization and a decline in quality of life.
The Washington Post said the conflict over data centers is expanding beyond a simple development dispute into a political fight over who will bear the expense and benefits of the AI era. The data center opposition movement is emerging as a campaign issue across the country ahead of the midterm elections, and the strategy to expand technology infrastructure is colliding head-on with the realities of local politics, it also analyzed.