Data Center “Backlash” Is Hitting State General Assemblies

Are data centers really this bad, or, is it just scaremongering? Is this a fad like pet rocks and eating cinnamon? A lot of the opposition seems to be based on fear, anecdotes with no basis in reality, and a small smattering of actual issues (like water quality) (you can read the whole article at Internet Archive)

How the data center backlash is growing in U.S. statehouses

As public backlash erupts against data centers, AI companies have found themselves in a race with state lawmakers.

Companies are rushing to construct facilities for the servers that power their platforms. Legislators, across the country and the political spectrum, are increasingly racing to limit them.

State lawmakers have already introduced at least 375 bills on data centers this year, according to an analysis of legislative records by The Washington Post. Just over halfway through 2026, that number exceeds the total number of such bills in the three previous years combined. Roughly three-quarters of those bills introduced this year seek to restrict data centers in some way.

As with most legislation, a majority of the bills failed to pass, The Post’s analysis found, though many are still pending.

Data centers are now a rare issue uniting Americans of both parties in their opposition. About 7 in 10 Americans said they would oppose a data center being built near them, according to a recent poll from Gallup. Many cited concern about electricity costs and data centers’ environmental impacts.

But, do data centers really cause electricity to rise, or, is that from the policies in Democrat run states, which is where most of those complaints come from? Are they really bad for the environment? A lot of anecdotal stuff, but, no actual proof, and what they call environmental they really mean climate doom

Still, few politicians are embracing grassroots demands for full bans or pauses on data center construction.

Democrats are sensitive to labor unions that back the projects. Republicans are trying to balance supporters’ outrage with President Donald Trump’s enthusiastic support of data centers.

There are so many articles on the pros and cons on data centers, but, almost none have cons as “ZOMG, this is horrible!” What’s the reality? Does anyone have anything that should really put the kibosh on building them, also knowing full well that if America doesn’t build them we’ll end up using ones in China?