Behind the data center backlash, anxiety about AI
Residents across New England are opposing data center proposals over environmental impacts, potential electricity cost increases and distrust of the artificial intelligence industry. Holyoke enacted a ban on data centers, while Westfield passed a one-year moratorium and later denied an extension for a proposed facility.
Data center opposition is spreading across New England, where residents have raised concerns about environmental impacts, energy prices, local disruption and the broader effects of artificial intelligence. Experts including University of Washington professor Emily Bender and University of Massachusetts Amherst political scientist Jesse Rhodes said the facilities have become symbols of public distrust in the rapidly expanding AI industry.
In Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Councilor Mimi Panitch led efforts to stop a proposed small-scale facility, and the city passed an outright ban on data centers. Westfield also enacted a one-year moratorium and later denied a permit extension for a proposed project. Opposition has also emerged in Bow and Rochester, New Hampshire, and before Maine's Data Center Advisory Board, reflecting resistance across political affiliations.