Americans are increasingly opposing data centers here is every US state fighting back against new buildings

Date:
Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:30:00 +0000

Description:
US citizens are doing their best to get data centers banned, but the revenue and investment is too juicy for some industries to resist.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The state of New York could be about to set a precedent in the US as it passes a temporary ban on the construction of data centers with an energy demand of 20 megawatts or more
for one year.

Numerous other states, cities, and counties across the US have proposed data center bans - but not all of them have been approved, much to the chagrin of local voters. In fact, St. Louis suburb fired half of its city council after their pleas not to build a local datacenter were ignored. But the growing discontent among US citizens over the proposed, ongoing, or completed construction of data centers is not necessarily translating into action by their representatives. In fact, there is a somewhat growing divide between representatives that are acting on behalf of the constituents they represent and those that dont - and it doesnt fall on the political spectrum. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: Data centers are not a Republican versus Democrat issue Many of the proposed state-level moratoriums on data center construction have been sponsored by collections of bi-partisan representatives, or small collections of Democrat or Republican sponsors.

The unfortunate thing, for American voters at least, is that there are highly powerful interest groups exerting control over the US House of Representatives. Big tech has already shown its influence in politics, with numerous companies donating significant amounts of money to the Trump administration, with those cozying up receiving government contracts in return. You may like New York could be the first state to temporarily ban large data centers The data center debate rumbles on - here are the numbers behind People Over Profit Maine becomes first US state to pass data centre construction ban

Those that fail to bend to the will of the President, as occurred during Anthropics spat with the Pentagon , are faced with the threat of having their contracts revoked.

But big tech isnt the only influential force. The fossil fuel industry - buoyed by President Trumps support for the oil, gas, and coal power - have also exerted their influence in what they see as prime opportunities to
reopen plants under previous administrations and begin new explorations for fossil fuels to meet the growing demand for energy from datacenters . Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Which states are fighting new data centers? According to the US Data Center Moratorium Tracker , at least 18 out of 50 states have proposed legislation to pause data center construction subject to various conditions, such as impact studies, reports, or the introduction of regulations to protect the wellbeing of local communities and ecosystems.

Those submitted in Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South
Dakota, and Wisconsin have all failed. A bill similar to New Yorks proposed legislation was vetoed in Maine. Georgia, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia have proposed bills that are currently facing varying levels of deliberation.

At this point, no state level legislation preventing the construction of data centers has passed. What to read next A Californian city just became the
first to permanently ban data centers AI boom triggers new battles over electricity infrastructure costs 'Not in my backyard': New Gallup data shows most Americans would rather have a nuclear power plant in their neighborhood than a data center

But where US citizens are seeing the most success is at the local level.
Since 2025, there has been an explosion in the number of bans or restrictions on data center construction at the county, city, and town level.

Of the 40 county level restrictions or bans on data center construction introduced across the US, 31 are currently active. 35 cities across the US have proposed restrictions or bans on data center construction, with 28 currently active.

Interest groups likely do not have the resources to exert the same level of influence at the local level. Councilors and city representatives are far
more accessible to their constituents than state representatives, and have a far greater chance of being known personally by their constituents.

Small, localized opposition groups have therefore seen significant success
in introducing restrictions and bans on local data center development as the opposition is more tangible. In-person rallies and high attendance at town hall meetings exert far more influence over the fate of the careers of local representatives than they do over members of Congress.

Whether New Yorks state moratorium will be implemented remains to be seen,
and it certainly could set a favorable precedent for the growing number of Americans opposed to datacenters , but it is at the state level that interest groups exert the most influence. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us
as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/americans-are-increasingly-opposing-dat a-centers-here-is-every-us-state-fighting-back-against-new-buildings


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)