Story perspectives

Americans Oppose New AI Data Centers as Strain Grows

9/7/2026

Summary

Americans Oppose AI

Polls show 70 % of Americans oppose new AI data centers in their neighborhoods.
State legislatures have introduced 375 bills to limit data-center construction nationwide.
Voters in Festus, Missouri, ousted every council member who approved a new data center.
Republican candidate Byron Donalds pledged a ratepayer protection plan and spent $2.5 million on related ads.
Democratic and Republican campaigns have spent over $45 million on ads mentioning data centers in the 2026 elections.

Summary

Data Centers Strain

Data centers strain U.S. power grids and water supplies as AI demand surges.
Data center load growth added $23.1 billion to capacity market revenues through 2028, per Monitoring Analytics.
Utilities add over 100 GW of gas-fired capacity for data centers, emitting 111 million pounds of coal.
Northern Virginia data centers used nearly 2 billion gallons of water in 2023.
U.S. data center land purchases reached $6 billion in H1 2026, a 79% year-over-year increase.

History

Historical Context

The late-1990s dot-com bubble spurred a wave of data-center construction, prompting the first nationwide debate over electricity use. Today, AI-driven facilities are expanding again; state legislatures have introduced 375 bills and voters in Festus, Missouri rejected a new site. In 2024 Google and Microsoft each consumed 24 TWh, a share comparable to small nations, reviving concerns that earlier backlash led to stricter grid-management rules.

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Americans Oppose AI

Polls show 70 % of Americans oppose new AI data centers in their neighborhoods.
State legislatures have introduced 375 bills to limit data-center construction nationwide.
Voters in Festus, Missouri, ousted every council member who approved a new data center.
Republican candidate Byron Donalds pledged a ratepayer protection plan and spent $2.5 million on related ads.
Democratic and Republican campaigns have spent over $45 million on ads mentioning data centers in the 2026 elections.

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