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Sovereignty – AI Now Institute
Despite branding local data centers as sovereign infrastructure, Meta, Amazon and Alphabet retain full ownership of the cloud hardware they place in Global South countries. Researcher Rafael Grohmann proposes "popular digital sovereignty," drawn from Brazil's Homeless Workers Movement, where communities build worker-owned tech cooperatives independent of Big Tech and the state.
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The Overlooked Reality of Hyperscale Data Center Security
Pinkerton, a corporate security firm, details the physical defense layers hyperscale data centers deploy — perimeter fencing, surveillance grids, buffer zones and concentric access controls. Site selection risk assessments factor community opposition, power grid stability and local law enforcement capacity alongside traditional crime metrics.
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Homer City Generation Site Redevelopment — PA DEP Regulatory Documents
In Indiana County, Pennsylvania, the decommissioned 2 GW Homer City coal plant is converting to a 3,200-acre natural gas-powered data center campus. PA DEP's regulatory portal collects air quality plan approvals, NPDES water permits, blasting permits, asbestos demolition notices, emission reduction credits and wetland impact authorizations for the project.
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National Zoning Atlas
More than 9,700 U.S. jurisdictions in one searchable, interactive zoning map. The National Zoning Atlas converts local zoning codes into standardized data covering housing type, minimum lot size and parking requirements. Built-in tools generate shareable snapshots, side-by-side town comparisons and downloadable screenshots.
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Data Centers Impact on Energy Demand
A 2025 NAACP resolution addressing data centers' impact on energy demand, water resources, and frontline communities. The resolution calls for community benefits agreements, congressional legislation mandating transparency in water and energy usage, state and local benchmarks for environmental accountability, and community-led monitoring of pollution and emissions. It highlights cases like xAI's unpermitted gas turbines in…
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Wisconsin city passes nation’s first anti-data center referendum
Despite a $458 million tax incentive package for a data center campus, Port Washington, Wisconsin, voters approve the nation's first referendum requiring public sign-off on tax benefits over $10 million for large-scale projects. The measure passes with 66 percent support and faces a legal challenge from a regional business group.
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An Act amending the act of July 31, 1968 (P.L.805, No.247), known as the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, in general provisions, providing for pause on data center proposals. (HB 2496, PA)
Authorizes local government to impose a 180-day maximum moratorium on accepting new data center land development permits. During moratorium, it may change land use ordinances relating to data centers for any applications submitted after the moratorium began. Stipulated not to limit authority of the local government with respect to zoning etc. or decision making regarding…
Exposing AI Data Center Threats and Harms