Moms Across America Intensifies Opposition to Data Centers, Calls for Moratorium
Moms Across America (MAHA) founder Zen Honeycutt has escalated concerns over data centers, advocating for a moratorium due to perceived negative impacts on water, power, and land. The organization cites increasing public opposition and specific local successes like a data center ban in Andover, NJ. This stance highlights a potential policy divergence between MAHA and the Trump administration, which supports data center expansion.
Moms Across America (MAHA) founder Zen Honeycutt has amplified concerns regarding data centers, describing them as one of the most critical issues facing America. Honeycutt and other wellness advocates within MAHA are increasingly vocal about the environmental impacts, particularly concerning water and energy consumption, of the rapidly expanding data center industry, which currently includes over 3,000 operational centers and 1,500 more in development.
The organization explicitly called for a moratorium on data center construction, with Honeycutt stating, "Moratorium on data centers seems like a must for now." This position creates a potential conflict with former President Donald Trump, whose administration has supported data center expansion and attempted to mitigate public backlash by announcing tech company pledges to cover energy costs and boosting coal production for AI data centers. Honeycutt criticized these actions as incompatible with the "Make America Healthy Again" promise.
MAHA's opposition is gaining traction, referencing a Gallup poll indicating significant public disapproval of local AI data center construction. The movement has seen local successes, notably in Andover, New Jersey, where a data center project was canceled, and a total ban on data centers was passed. The group is also tracking data centers nationwide and logging resident complaints, citing anecdotal evidence of adverse effects on local ecosystems, such as stillborn calves reported by a Texas farmer living near a data center.