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Data Drain: The Land and Water Impacts of the AI Boom
This comprehensive feature examines the massive water, energy, and land demands of AI-driven data centers across the US, with detailed reporting from Northern Virginia, Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana. It documents how communities bear the real costs of data center development—from utility rate increases and air pollution to farmland loss and water depletion—while tax incentives and…
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Will data center job creation live up to hype? I have some concerns.
This analysis from Good Jobs First scrutinizes data center job creation claims, finding that nearly half of state data center subsidies require no job creation, and those that do typically require 50 or fewer positions. The article documents how many promised jobs are filled by subcontractors or temp agencies rather than direct employees, may not…
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Research Brief: Identifying Priority States for Data Center Regulation
Climate XChange's 50-state analysis identifies 25 states most vulnerable to data center impacts across five areas: greenhouse gas emissions, energy affordability and grid reliability, water stress, and tax and employment outcomes. The brief finds data centers are driving fossil fuel buildout, straining grids, depleting water resources, and costing states more in subsidies than they return…
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Microsoft’s plan to counter community resistance to AI data centers
Microsoft aims to address community concerns over AI data centers by committing to transparency, job creation, and infrastructure support. After losing over $64 billion in projects due to local objections, the company promises to cover costs for electricity and water upgrades, hire locally, and avoid special tax breaks. Initiatives already in practice include partnerships for…
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Exposing The Dark Side of America’s AI Data Center Explosion | Business Insider
Business Insider reporters filed air permit requests in every state and mapped 1,240 U.S. data centers — nearly four times the 2010 count. Forty-three percent sit in water-stressed areas. Residents in Virginia describe noise-driven health problems from nearby server farms while Arizona facilities consume up to a million gallons of drinking water a day. Thirty-seven…
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Cloudy With a Loss of Spending Control: How Data Centers Are Endangering State Budgets
This report by Good Jobs First reveals that at least 10 U.S. states lose over $100 million per year in tax revenue to data center sales and use tax exemptions, with costs spiraling as the industry grows — Texas alone revised its FY 2025 projection from $130 million to $1 billion in just 23 months.…
Exposing AI Data Center Threats and Harms
State: Wyoming
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Cloudy With a Loss of Spending Control: How Data Centers Are Endangering State Budgets
This report by Good Jobs First reveals that at least 10 U.S. states lose over $100 million per year in tax revenue to data center sales and use tax exemptions, with costs spiraling as the industry grows — Texas alone revised its FY 2025 projection from $130 million to $1 billion in just 23 months.…