In a divided America, the left and right unite to oppose art...
Bipartisan opposition to AI data centers is growing across the US, driven by concerns over farmland, water, electricity costs, and local control. Specific actions include a 12-month moratorium in Cass County, Nebraska, and a New Mexico Supreme Court injunction halting well drilling for Oracle's Project Jupiter due to water scarcity concerns.
Opposition to artificial intelligence data centers is increasingly crossing traditional partisan lines across the United States, with communities weighing potential job creation against concerns over farmland preservation, dwindling water supplies, rising electricity costs, and local autonomy. This bipartisan resistance is forcing elected officials at all levels to adapt to a shifting political landscape ahead of upcoming elections.
In Cass County, Nebraska, local officials recently approved a 12-month moratorium on data center development following community concerns. This action potentially impacts energy company Tenaska's plans to explore power generation for large loads and CyrusOne's existing land holdings in the area. Farmers, like Judy Stroy near Murdock, expressed fears over the loss of agricultural land, while the Nebraska Sierra Club attorney Ken Winston advocated for communities' rights to reject such developments.
Further south, in New Mexico, Oracle's ambitious Project Jupiter, a $165 billion data center complex planned for Doña Ana County, faces mounting opposition due to severe drought and water scarcity. Despite Oracle's pledges of community investments and water-saving technologies, the Center for Biological Diversity filed an emergency petition with the New Mexico Supreme Court challenging the state's approval of well drilling for the project. The court subsequently granted the request, temporarily halting water use authorization until the legal challenge is resolved.
The article highlights varied political responses nationwide, from New York Governor Kathy Hochul's one-year ban on large data centers and Texas Governor Greg Abbott's halt on new approvals, to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's shift away from prioritizing such projects without specific standards. While Republican President Donald Trump and some union leaders champion data centers for economic and geopolitical benefits, figures like Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti have expressed strong opposition, reflecting a national Fox News poll indicating that most registered voters oppose building data centers in their areas.