Commentary: Data centers should be built with community concerns in mind
The commentary argues that political opposition to data centers is growing, particularly over noise, electricity demand and water use, but says construction remains necessary for the U.S. economy. It advocates building facilities with stronger community protections and expanding power capacity to limit effects on households.
Thomas Black argues that recent political gains by candidates opposing data center development will give communities more leverage over where and how facilities are built. He says opposition has focused on noise, power demand and water consumption, but contends that public debate has been intensified by political rhetoric and misinformation.
Black maintains that data center construction will continue because of demand from cloud computing and artificial intelligence. He cites strong industry orders and rising U.S. construction activity, along with a Google campus expansion in West Memphis, Arkansas, where Entergy plans to add grid capacity and Google has pledged $25 million for community initiatives. The commentary calls for additional electricity generation, protections for residential customers and more community-conscious development rather than abandoning data centers.