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833 Groups Halt $130B Data Centers; Federal Moratorium Advances

6/13/2026

50 5 Full Breakdown

Center

Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez Moratorium

Grassroots opposition more than doubled, reaching 833 groups nationwide across the country in 49 states by March 2026.
U.S. Data Center Watch said 75 data-center projects worth about $130 billion were blocked or delayed nationwide in Jan-Mar 2026.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sponsored a federal moratorium nationwide.
Governor Janet Mills vetoed Maine’s comparable state moratorium proposal in April 2026.

Left

Sanders & Ocasio-Cortez Moratorium

A Gallup poll finds 71 % of Americans oppose new AI data centers in their area, spurring bipartisan local campaigns.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a federal moratorium on new AI data centers.
Data centers generate half of Loudoun County’s $1.3 billion 2026 property-tax revenue on 3 % of land.
Economists Dany Bahar and Greg Wright found counties adding data centers saw employment rise 4-5 %.

Blindspot

Blindspot

Left coverage emphasized the economic benefits of data centers, citing property-tax revenue, job growth and wage gains, which Center coverage did not mention.
Left coverage also detailed local public opinion and actions—Gallup and Heatmap polls, town-hall meetings and ordinances—while Center coverage focused mainly on statewide legislative activity.

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Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez Moratorium

Grassroots opposition more than doubled, reaching 833 groups nationwide across the country in 49 states by March 2026.
U.S. Data Center Watch said 75 data-center projects worth about $130 billion were blocked or delayed nationwide in Jan-Mar 2026.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sponsored a federal moratorium nationwide.
Governor Janet Mills vetoed Maine’s comparable state moratorium proposal in April 2026.

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