Lawsuits, legal challenges, and court decisions related to data center projects. Data Center Signal is tracking 5,045 clips related to legal across all 50 states.
Vineland residents and environmental groups plan to sue DataOne over alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act. New Jersey regulators previously fined the data center more than $1 million for operating 62 natural gas generators without the required permits.
Tech Fusions wants to expand its existing data center in Upper Burrell Township and power it with on-site natural gas generation. The township has enacted a six-month moratorium while developing an ordinance addressing setbacks, noise, lighting, pollution and water use, amid strong resident opposition and a lawsuit by Protect PT.
Residents across Imperial County are organizing against a proposed nearly 1-million-square-foot data center near the city of Imperial, citing environmental, water, energy and quality-of-life concerns. The project has been stalled after a judge found the county improperly allowed it to proceed without a state environmental review, while Imperial County and Calexico have adopted data center restrictions.
A Greene County judge denied a temporary restraining order sought by developer Trent Overhue in a lawsuit challenging Springfield’s moratorium on data center applications. Springfield’s moratorium remains in effect, while the City Council is scheduled to consider extending it and advancing data center regulations.
A Georgia judge ordered Talbot County to remove a zoning text amendment that added data centers and hyperscale data centers as authorized uses. The court found the amendment was adopted without required notice, planning review and public hearings, allowing plaintiff WCR and local residents to overturn it.
A court hearing is scheduled to determine whether Keller residents can continue their lawsuit seeking to block Westlake from voting on a development agreement for a proposed 1.1 million-square-foot Circle T data center. The project faces opposition over potential noise, water and electricity use, property values and proximity to neighborhoods, while a judge has dissolved the temporary restraining order that previously barred Westlake from voting.
An attorney has filed a complaint with the North Dakota Attorney General's Office alleging Harmony Township violated open-meetings and notice requirements before a vote on a proposed data center moratorium. Geronimo Power has applied to build a 540-acre data center near Mapleton and offered to pause its application for six months while officials consider the project and proposed energy restrictions.
A court denied a request for a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit involving a proposed data center in Springfield, Missouri. The limited article information does not identify the parties or provide further details about the project or ruling.
A T5-commissioned study claims its Grayslake data center development will generate nearly $10 billion in economic output across Illinois by 2031, including billions in Lake County revenue and thousands of jobs. Local opponents, including the Lake County Data Center Opposition Coalition, dispute the projections and have sued to stop the project, citing concerns about transparency, power use, water, noise, contamination and air quality.
Wisconsin has settled with the Sierra Club over environmental reviews for data center developments. Under the agreement, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will analyze potential impacts on water, energy and air.
The 138th House District election includes debate over three proposed data center developments in Upper and Lower Mount Bethel townships. Democratic candidate Jared Bitting supports a moratorium and stronger energy, water and environmental rules, while incumbent Ann Flood’s voting record includes support for a six-month development pause and repeal of data center tax incentives but opposition to several reporting and regulatory measures.
An environmental group is threatening to sue under the Clean Air Act over emissions from generators at a data center in Vineland, New Jersey. The available information does not identify the data center operator or indicate that a lawsuit has been filed.
A group plans to file a Clean Air Act lawsuit related to a proposed or existing data center in Vineland, New Jersey. The available text does not identify the group, the data center operator, or whether the lawsuit has been filed.
Columnist Bob Marshall argues that Louisiana's incentives and secrecy agreements for SpaceX and data centers could expose residents to significant environmental and public-health risks. He highlights SpaceX tax exemptions, limits on public disclosure and lawsuits, wastewater violations, and potential impacts from large data centers on public water supplies.
Developer Brian O’Neill has applied to build a three-story data center on a former quarry site in West Conshohocken, where the proposal is in the early stages of land-use review. He is also appealing Upper Merion Township’s rejection of a larger campus and seeking approval for another facility in Plymouth Township, amid opposition over environmental, infrastructure, and quality-of-life concerns.
A public hearing on Project Jupiter's air quality permit has been rescheduled for Dec. 7 in Sunland Park, New Mexico. Yucca Growth Infrastructure LLC is seeking approval to use a natural gas pipeline to power thousands of Bloom Energy fuel cells at the Oracle- and OpenAI-backed data center campus, while environmental advocates challenge the permit over emissions and other concerns.
Major technology companies are responding to growing opposition to U.S. data center projects by pledging greater transparency, additional community payments and efforts to reduce environmental impacts. Residents and advocacy groups continue to challenge projects over tax incentives, electricity demand, water use, secrecy and local quality-of-life concerns.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said the city won a partial victory in a lawsuit filed by Snell & Wilmer on behalf of WBR over Phoenix data-center zoning rules. The city has adopted tighter development controls, including neighborhood setbacks and special-use permits, while broader disputes over water, power, noise and environmental impacts continue.
East Whiteland United, a residents’ group, has threatened to sue East Whiteland Township and developers Green Fig and Sentinel Data Centers over the proposed Project Forge data center. The group alleges problems with land-use approvals, water availability, environmental reviews and building-permit changes, but no lawsuit has been filed and existing project approvals remain in place.
A data center protester, Aspen Azalea, was arrested after a confrontation with a Utah County sheriff's deputy following a county planning meeting. The meeting included approval of land-use ordinance changes allowing data centers in additional zones and creating a data center overlay zone, prompting opposition from residents and the group UT for the People Not Tech Billionaires.