“Data Colonialism”: Native Communities Fight AI Data Centers on Indigenous Land

Krystal Two Bulls, Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne activist and executive director of Honor the Earth, describes the artificial intelligence industry's data center expansion as a continuation of environmental racism and resource exploitation on Native lands. Speaking from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana, Two Bulls detailed the multifaceted impacts, including noise pollution, water depletion, energy grid strain leading to potential "ecological collapse," and health issues like cancers and respiratory illnesses. She highlighted that Honor the Earth's "No Data Center Coalition" is tracking over 100 proposed data center projects on tribal and rural lands across the United States. Two Bulls explained that tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Apple, Meta, and Amazon often use subsidiaries and Native-owned energy companies, frequently requiring NDAs, which obscure their plans from tribal communities. She noted that Indigenous lands are targeted due to large land bases, access to water, tax incentives, and a perceived lack of legal infrastructure, despite promises of economic development rarely materializing beyond the construction phase. An anti-data center movement is gaining significant momentum in Oklahoma. The Tulsa City Council recently enacted a nine-month moratorium on data centers, and the Seminole Nation also unanimously passed its own moratorium. Honor the Earth's team in Oklahoma has been instrumental in building multiracial coalitions with local communities, ranchers, and landowners to push back against these developments. Two Bulls emphasized that these victories in Oklahoma, often considered a "sacrifice zone," provide a crucial precedent for other states to follow. The activist also addressed the severe economic and environmental costs, citing Bloomberg's analysis showing electricity cost increases near data centers. She outlined massive water usage (up to 5 million gallons per year per data center), significant noise levels (around 97 decibels), and the creation of heat islands, which can raise surrounding land temperatures by up to 16 degrees. Two Bulls expressed concern about the strain on outdated tribal electricity grids, leading to potential rolling power outages and fires, and criticized the practice of ratepayers and taxpayers covering upfront costs for data center infrastructure, which has already led to increased electricity bills in Montana. She concluded by reiterating that the promise of jobs is largely unfulfilled, with construction jobs dropping drastically after completion, leaving Native communities with the damages.