Resource Type: News

·

July 13, 2026

Vampire Planet: Data Centers, Far Bigger Disasters Than You Even Thought

Amazon's 1,500-acre Baldy Mesa solar farm in California's Mojave Desert replaces Joshua tree habitat to power AI data centers. Nationally, over 1,500 new facilities move through planning or construction, consuming 17.4 billion gallons of water and 176 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. A Columbia Riverkeeper report tracks gas-plant expansion tied to data center demand in the…

Agriculture/Farmland, Big Tech, Energy, Water Quality & Quantity
·

July 13, 2026

$130 billion in data center projects blocked by protests so far this year

Protestors blocked or delayed at least 75 data center projects worth $130 billion in the first quarter of 2026 — the most on record for a three-month period. Researchers at Data Center Watch call it a structural shift, with opposition groups doubling to 833 across 49 states and communities internalizing a proven opposition playbook.

Campaign Strategy, Community Organizing, Victories
·

July 8, 2026

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.

Community Organizing, Government & Policy, Legal & Procedural, Taxes, Victories
·

July 8, 2026

Meta Data Center Construction Brings 600% Crash Spike to Rural Louisiana

Vehicle crashes near Meta's $27 billion Hyperion data center in Holly Ridge, Louisiana increase more than 600 percent after construction begins — 64 between January and mid-September 2025 compared to nine for all of 2024. A nearby elementary school shuts down its playground and residents report unlicensed truck drivers on rural two-lane roads.

Big Tech, Safety
·

July 8, 2026

More Domestic Chip-Making Means More ‘Forever Chemicals’

Each modern chip fab requires 200 to 300 metric tons of PFA fluoropolymers — persistent "forever chemicals" linked to cancers and groundwater contamination. Chemours, the only U.S. manufacturer, plans up to $1 billion in expansion as the CHIPS Act's $52 billion reshoring push drives demand, colliding with regulatory efforts to restrict PFAS.

Government & Policy, Technology Policy, Water Quality & Quantity
·

July 8, 2026

The Public is Getting Fed Up With Data Centers. Politicians Need to Take Notice

Electricity rates near data centers more than double over five years as grid costs shift to households. Data centers drive continued coal plant operation, gas generator pollution and heavy water consumption while creating few permanent jobs. Evidence from 2025 Virginia and Georgia elections shows data center opposition emerging as a cross-partisan voter issue.

Big Tech, Campaign Strategy, Community Organizing, Economic Analysis, Energy, Government & Policy, Jobs, Public Health, Taxes, Utilities & Power
·

June 19, 2026

EPA Prioritizes Data Center Forever Chemicals Review

The EPA is expediting the review of new chemicals, particularly PFAS-based cooling gases used in data centers, while prioritizing rapid AI and data center construction. Public health advocates warn this approach may replicate past regulatory failures, exposing workers and communities to untested toxic chemicals and undermining chemical safety in favor of fossil-fuel infrastructure expansion.

Public Engagement, Technical Resources
·

June 19, 2026

The OpEd Project

Public workshops and the Public Voices Fellowship train underrepresented experts — especially women — to craft and place opinion pieces in major media outlets. An Echoing Green project with institutional partners including Yale, the Ford Foundation and the Aspen Institute. Open enrollment sessions run throughout the year.

Coalition Building, Public Engagement
·

June 19, 2026

Data Center Watch – Media Coverage

Press coverage from the Wall Street Journal, BBC, Bloomberg and over twenty other outlets documents rural resistance, water concerns and $64 billion in stalled data center projects nationwide. Data Center Watch aggregates and organizes the coverage, spanning stories from North Carolina land disputes to Georgia water permit battles.

Detection & Monitoring, Legal & Procedural
·

June 19, 2026

Data Centers: Key Reforms for State Subsidy Legislation – Good Jobs First

To protect workers and local budgets, it is recommended to eliminate taxpayer subsidies for data centers, reform incentives, and study their impact. Key reforms include disqualifying data centers from various tax exemptions, requiring transparency in project applications, ensuring job quality standards, and conducting state evaluations of the incentive program every three years.

Economic Analysis, Investor Engagement, Jobs