#antidatacenters — Public Fediverse posts

Maine Monitor: Why this conservative Maine town is trying to ban data centers. “Developers are unlikely to build such a project in the town, which has limited infrastructure and ordinances already on the books to regulate development. But with support from a statewide environmental group, the rural community’s Select Board is on track to pass a six-month ban on large-scale data center […]

Missoula Current: In Oregon suburb, data center boom spurs protests, lawsuit. “When the Shute-Meierjurgen Farmstead was built outside Hillsboro in the 1880s, it looked out over 600 acres of pastures and orchards. Today, fewer than four acres remain. The Queen Anne-style farmhouse and its big red barn are now hemmed in on all sides by data centers and warehouses.”

Capital B Atlanta: After Residents Push Back, Atlanta Delays Vote on Southwest Data Center. “Months after southwest Atlanta neighborhoods voted against proposed legislation that would put a data center by the West End MARTA station, the Atlanta City Council has tabled the ordinance.”

Reuters: Data center opponents stage 142 protests across 42 US states. “Opponents of the rapid buildout of data centers held ​142 protests across 42 states on Saturday in the first nationwide effort to channel anger at the AI infrastructure expansion that has ramped up over ‌the past year and roiled local politics.”

The Lansing Journal: Data center opposition out in force at contentious Munster meeting. “The question of whether or not Munster will adopt proposed zoning language that would allow data centers to be built in the town generally or at the proposed Kenmara Technology Park is still up in the air. What’s not up for debate is how Munster residents feel about that possibility: They’re against […]

Associated Press: New York to impose the country’s first statewide moratorium on data centers. “New York will block the construction of any new large data centers for up to a year so the state can create rules to protect the environment and energy grid from the power-hungry facilities that fuel artificial intelligence technology.”

Mountain Journal: How Some Montanans are Taking Data Center Regulation Into Their Own Hands. “In Montana, where the state offers little in the way of oversight, citizen-led initiatives in Butte-Silver Bow and Yellowstone counties are forging a potentially new regulatory path: a grassroots approach that, if successful, would put the power to approve new or expanded data centers in the hands of […]

Tom’s Hardware: Indiana mayor secretly recorded saying AI data center protestors only live in ‘sh***y’ houses — office issues statement of clarification over controversial comments. “Scott Ferguson (R), the mayor of Shelbyville, Indiana, was caught on camera insulting community members who were opposed to a proposed data center project near the city. The mayor’s office has been forced to […]

Indy Week: In Durham, Protesting Rising Duke Energy Rates Through Drag. “The performers and onlookers—who traveled from around the state—were gathered at the courthouse to protest proposed rate increases by Duke Energy and the rise of high-energy-consuming data centers used by tech behemoths like those portrayed in the skit. After the villains were quelled, the crowd went inside to give […]

Ars Technica: “We pissed off a lot of people”: Giant data center plan cut 50% amid protests. “One of the world’s biggest data center projects was designed to be nearly three times the size of Manhattan, stretching across multiple Utah sites. But intense local backlash in Box Elder County has now pushed the developer to cut the project plans in half before construction starts.”

Americans Have Grown Dramatically Anti-Data Center in Just Months, Survey Finds https://gizmodo.com/americans-are-starting-to-really-hate-data-centers-and-its-making-the-tech-industry-nervous-2000767088 #USPol #DataCenters #antiDataCenters

The Times Weekly: Joliet residents sue to block massive $20 Billion AI Data Center Project. “A grassroots coalition of residents has launched a legal battle to stop a controversial $20 billion artificial intelligence (AI) data center campus from moving forward in Joliet. The lawsuit claims if the 795-acre Joliet Technology Center project proceeds, the industrial complex could place serious […]

Heatmap: Exclusive: Americans Now Overwhelmingly Oppose New Data Centers Near Them. “At least seven in 10 Americans would now oppose a data center being built near their home, according to a new Heatmap Pro poll, a record low that reveals a staggering shift in public opinion against the facilities powering the artificial intelligence boom.”

Gizmodo: Philly Cops Are Reportedly Monitoring Anti-AI Memes, According to Internal Alert. “A confidential law enforcement bulletin recently obtained by The Intercept reveals that, at least in Philadelphia, cops are taking note of those speaking out against AI. In a December report from the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center, marked “for official use only,” its authors warned that […]

LkldNow: WITHDRAWN: Facing Intense Opposition, Developer Voluntarily Ends Data Center Quest. “The move came one day after more than 50 residents attended a City Commission meeting to oppose the project — and the same day the developer received a 13-page review containing comments from 15 city departments and specialties.”

404 Media: AI Grifters Are Making Anti-Data Center Slop With AI. “If you want a barometer of American political concerns you could do worse than checking what spam accounts are turning into AI-generated slop on Facebook. There are now hundreds of pages with names like ‘Life in Texas,’ ‘History of Wisconsin,’ and ‘Life Is Idaho’ churning out dozens of AI-generated images playing into anti-data […]

Bangor Daily News: Eastport residents push City Council to oppose underwater AI data center. “Rising public concern over a proposed underwater artificial intelligence data center in the Bay of Fundy’s Western Passage has pushed the issue to the forefront in Eastport, where residents pressed the City Council on May 13 to address the project.”

Spectrum News: City of Cleveland joins growing list of communities considering data center moratoriums. “The City of Cleveland is joining a growing list of Ohio communities that are considering or passing data center moratoriums.”

Bangor Daily News: Maine Legislature fails to reverse Janet Mills’ veto of data center ban . “Maine lawmakers on Wednesday failed to override Gov. Janet Mills’ contentious veto of a measure that would have made the state the first in the U.S. to temporarily bar development of large data centers.”

Sun Journal: Police pull the plug on mobile billboard targeting Janet Mills on data centers. “Hallowell police on Thursday pulled the plug on efforts to enlighten Gov. Janet Mills about the dangers of data centers. Police Chief Christopher Giles said officers cited the driver of a mobile, electronic billboard urging Mills to sign a bill that would institute a moratorium on data centers.”

Tom’s Hardware: Virginia voter support for new data centers collapses from 69% in 2023 to 35% in new poll — Multi-gigawatt, 37-building Digital Gateway project abandoned. “Just 35% of Virginia voters now say they would be comfortable with a new data center going up in their community, down from 69% in 2023, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll published Wednesday.”

Politico: Missouri town fires half its city council over data center deal. “Voters in a small Missouri town, unhappy with the city council’s approval of a $6 billion data center, struck back at the polls last week, ousting all four incumbent council members running for reelection.”

The Maine Monitor: The secretive plan for a Maine data center collapsed in 6 days. “The events previewed the broader and hot debates occurring now around data centers in Maine and elsewhere. Developers often guard the details of their business plans, creating secrecy around projects that have caused alarm for their potential environmental impacts. A desire for greater vetting has stalled other […]

The Guardian: Home of Indianapolis city councilor shot at over his support of datacenters. “An Indianapolis city councilor said his home was fired at on Monday, with a note left behind suggesting he had been targeted over his support of datacenters. The case involving Ron Gibson – a Democrat on Indianapolis’s city council – comes amid growing bipartisan concern in the US over political […]

Politico: Wisconsin city passes nation’s first anti-data center referendum. “A small Wisconsin city home to a data center project backed by President Donald Trump voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to restrict future data centers, in a first-of-its-kind referendum that backers said could offer a blueprint for AI infrastructure opponents around the country.”

MinnPost: Counterpoint: Pine Island data center project is far from a gold standard. “Residents got four months of knowing about the project until final approval was voted on by the city. The city, Google and Ryan Companies got two years facilitated by NDAs. Pine Island and Ryan were warned they would be sued if they didn’t make environmental review changes. They ignored that warning, not […]