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Data Center Power Play | Union of Concerned Scientists
The U.S. electricity sector faces a surge in demand due to the growth of AI-driven data centers, with projections suggesting their electricity use could rise significantly. Current reliance on fossil fuels for power generation poses risks to climate goals and public health. Transitioning to clean energy sources like wind and solar, combined with battery storage,…
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Facing a Changing Industry, AI Activists Rethink Their Strategy | WIRED
AI activists are reassessing their strategies in response to the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, particularly as major companies like Google revise their ethical principles. The AI Now Institute's 2025 landscape report details how power is concentrating in a handful of dominant tech firms and recommends that advocacy groups connect AI issues to broader economic…
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EHP – Protective Buffers
The Protective Buffers PA campaign advocates for increasing minimum setback distances between shale gas and petrochemical infrastructure and residential areas in Pennsylvania. Current state law allows well pads as close as 500 feet from homes, with no setback requirements for power plants or pipelines. A 2024 petition to the Environmental Quality Board proposes buffers of…
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Charles County Planning Commission Recommends Denial of Data Center Zoning Amendment
Charles County, Maryland's Planning Commission votes to recommend denial of a zoning text amendment regulating data centers. Commissioners cite potable water use, infrastructure costs and unclear power generation requirements. A statewide Maryland data center impact study due September 2026 factors into the board's caution on long-term zoning decisions.
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NAACP Stop Dirty Data How to Negotiate on CBAs and CAB template – Final.pdf
This document is a negotiation guide and template for communities facing proposed data centers. Covers forming a Community Advisory Board, securing cost-recovery agreements for legal and technical support, structuring enforceable Community Benefits Agreements and sequencing stages so non-opposition depends on completed commitments. Includes a CAB charter template.
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Experts Identify Best Practices for Negotiating and Drafting Community Benefits Agreements – Climate Law Blog
The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia identifies 35 recommendations for negotiating and drafting Community Benefits Agreements, drawn from interviews with lawyers who have negotiated dozens of CBAs across the United States. Covers best practices for developers, host communities and key contract terms, with a companion database of 50 example agreements from climate…
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Saline Township Legal Data Center Consent Judgment
This consent judgment is a formal legal resolution that determines how a data center project can proceed within Saline Township after a dispute, most likely over zoning or land use. It establishes binding rules for the developer, including conditions on construction, operations, and compliance with local regulations. Rather than stopping the project outright, it allows…
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Mapped: U.S. States Moving to Restrict Data Centers
Despite hundreds of announced projects, 11 U.S. states propose temporary bans or conditional restrictions on new data center construction. Maps each state's restriction type and duration alongside project counts — from Virginia's 498 planned facilities to states with none acting preemptively on energy and land use concerns.
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Commentary: It’s time to halt the AI data center boom | Counterpoint – Orlando Sentinel
Food & Water Watch managing director Mitch Jones traces how AI data center energy demand is set to triple by 2030, reaching 580 terawatt-hours annually — 12 percent of total U.S. demand. Residential electricity rates rise 31 percent from 2020 to 2025 as utilities request $31 billion in rate increases driven largely by new data…
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Second central Ohio community to ban data centers for 90 days
Washington Township has enacted a 90-day moratorium on data center construction, urging neighboring Dublin to follow suit. The ban, supported by trustees due to concerns over energy consumption, noise, and compatibility with residential areas, follows a similar measure by Jerome Township. The initial ban may lead to an indefinite one after legal review. Dublin is…
Exposing AI Data Center Threats and Harms