The fight against data centers is escalating

 The fight against data centers is escalating

Jim West/Getty Images

Yesterday, 13 bullets were fired at the home of an Indianapolis city councilor who recently supported the construction of a data center in his district, the latest chapter in the growing backlash against the controversial buildings that power AI. The elected official, Ron Gibson, said that a note left at the scene (where no one was physically harmed) read “No Data Centers.” The attack came days after he voted in favor of a data center project in an Indianapolis neighborhood where many locals had fought against it. Maine and other states are pushing back The state known for lobster and “oh, you mean that Portland” is expected to pass legislation this spring that would place a moratorium on data centers that consume more than 20 megawatts—a rebuke of the swelling energy costs that come with these computing factories. Other states are considering similar measures: Statewide bans are on the table in nine states; Pennsylvania would make 10 if it proposes one of its own, which is expected. Activists in Ohio are collecting signatures to get a statewide ban on the ballot in November. Two states—South Dakota and Wisconsin—have rejected proposed bans on new data centers. And that’s not all. Residents in Port Washington, WI, voted yesterday on a measure that would stop future data center development in the town of ~12,000 people. There are at least three other municipalities around the country that will consider something similar this year. Big picture: While evidence shows that data centers can be environmental hazards (a new study says that they create heat islands within a 6-mile radius that can cause pollution and deaths), they are also job creators. The response to the bill in Maine, where a Senate seat is up for grabs in November, could serve as a “canary in the coal mine” for officials in other locales, according to a construction trade group that spoke to the Wall Street Journal.