Angry town halls nationwide find a new villain: the data center driving up your electricity bill while fueling job-killing AI | Fortune

Communities across the U.S. are increasingly defeating data center proposals through organized opposition at local zoning and planning meetings, driven by concerns over rising electricity bills, water depletion, farmland loss, and declining quality of life. Between April and June alone, 20 proposals valued at $98 billion in 11 states were blocked or delayed amid local and state-level pushback — two-thirds of tracked projects. The article profiles grassroots fights in Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina, and Minnesota, showing how residents are learning from each other's campaigns, organizing through social media, and pressuring local officials to reject data center developments.