The Climate 100 List: Erin Brockovich on her fight against ‘secretive’ data centres

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has turned her attention to the burgeoning issue of data centers across the United States, following a surge in environmental complaints originating from a small Pennsylvania county. Brockovich, known for her successful environmental litigation in California, rapidly developed a digital map that now logs over 9,200 complaints from all 50 US states, with Texas, Ohio, and Virginia showing the highest numbers.

Communities express concern over the massive energy and water consumption, wastewater production, rising utility bills, and changes in zoning laws, with some local councils reportedly attempting to use eminent domain for transmission lines. Brockovich highlights a lack of transparency from developers regarding these large-scale operations. The issue is described as bipartisan and increasingly impacting national politics.

In response to growing public anger, more than 500 moratoriums on new data center construction have been enacted nationwide, including a significant declaration by New York state Governor Kathy Hochul. However, these local efforts are often met with multimillion-dollar lawsuits from tech companies, making it challenging for communities to resist further development. Brockovich, while not against AI technology itself, criticizes the speed of development, particularly in drought-restricted areas, and the industry's reliance on natural gas for power, urging a pause for environmental impact assessment.