‘A perfect, wild storm’: widely loathed datacenters see little US political opposition

There is widespread opposition across the political spectrum to new data center developments in the US, but little political action or opposition from both Democrats and Republicans. This is due to a confluence of powerful forces - including big tech, the fossil fuel industry, and utility companies - pushing for data centers, as well as apathy or indifference from many lawmakers who are not yet educated on the full impact of data centers on local communities. Inaction at the federal and state level has pushed battles over data centers to the local level, with grassroots opposition facing off against the interests of tech companies and their political allies. Some lawmakers, like Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, have called for data center moratoriums, while others have pushed for stricter regulations. However, the overall political response has been scattered and does not match the scale of the issue.