#datacentermoratorium — Public Fediverse posts

@Bl4ckst4r "No compromise in the defense of #MotherEarth" has been my mantra since the 1980s.

#USPol #SalemOR #GuillotineTime
#NoDatacenters #TechBillionaires
#Resistance #DatacenterMoratorium

More of this, please...!

#DataCenter Reps Face the #Guillotine, Flee Public Hearing
Seems like they got the message.

By AJ Dellinger, Aug 7, 2026

"For towns and cities across the country looking for ways to tell data center developers that their projects aren’t welcome in their communities, the fine folks of Salem, Oregon seem to have found a very efficient way to get their message across: Pull up to public hearings with a guillotine."

https://gizmodo.com/data-center-reps-face-the-guillotine-flee-public-hearing-2000795939

#USPol #SalemOR #GuillotineTime #NoDatacenters #TechBillionaires #Resistance #DatacenterMoratorium

#SanfordME City Council extends #DatacenterMoratorium 180 days amid resident concerns

by WGME Staff
Tue, August 4, 2026

SANFORD (WGME) -- "Sanford city councilors have voted to extend the city's moratorium on new #datacenters for another 180 days.

"The previous moratorium was approved in May and was set to expire.

"The extension comes as a developer proposes building a 1,000-acre data center along the #MousamRiver.

"City leaders and residents have raised concerns about potential impacts on #WaterQuality, #LandUse, #ElectricityDemand and other #Environmental issues.

" 'We have the chance to protect the #community, #wildlife and the legacy of the Mousam River, not diminish its value by allowing harmful projects of this scale to be built along the river,' said Eve Dumont-Wilson, who opposes the project."

https://wgme.com/news/local/sanford-city-council-extends-data-center-moratorium-180-days-amid-resident-concerns

#MainePol #MaineResists #SandfordResists #ResistDataCenters #Datacentres #DatacentreMoratorium

Support a #DataCenterMoratorium, that is.

#Mississippi homeowners blame a noisy #DataCenter plant for sleepless nights. The mayor's advice? "Consider selling."

By Lauren Fichten, July 16, 2026

"It was 4 a.m. on a Sunday and 46-year-old Jason Haley was once again wide awake.

"The suburban silence that Haley had grown used to in his two decades as a resident of #SouthavenMS, had, for the last few months, been replaced by a constant whirring, like an airplane hovering over his home, he said.

"The noise keeping Haley awake was coming from a plant powering #ElonMusk's #xAI #datacenters in the area, according to a lawsuit filed in June against the company and its subsidiary, #MZXTech. Haley and two other #Southaven residents, who live within a mile of the plant, allege in the suit that 'near-constant' noise and vibrations are causing negative physical and psychological health effects.

"The filing comes amid growing #resistance toward data center development, with the majority of Americans opposing local construction of a data center, according to a Gallup poll published earlier this year.

"Similar disputes are playing out across the country, like in #MountPleasantWI, where a lawsuit this month filed by residents alleges a data center emits 'unreasonable and excessive noise' onto residents' properties and in #LowellMA [a city with a large #Latino population -- #EnvironmentalRacism], where noise from a data center's cooling center 'disrupts neighbors' sleep,' according to an April suit.

"There are more than 4,000 data centers in the U.S., according to a recent United Nations report. To power the data centers, developers are building their own plants, sometimes with little warning to residents like Haley.

"Haley reached out to Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite about the noise in emails he shared with CBS News. In one last November, he urged Musselwhite to drive through the neighborhood 'and take a listen to the constant #HighPitch noises.' "

" 'I am aware of the noise and working on a solution with xAI officials,' Musselwhite had responded to Haley an hour later. 'It is a problem,' he said in another email later in the day.

"But soon, another sleepless night rolled around and Haley was emailing the mayor again.

""Anyone else I can reach out to?" Haley wrote to Musselwhite. "It's almost 4 am and I can hear it from my bed. The high pitch and roaring combined is full force at this time. My ears are ringing. I can't live in this. How was this ever approved?"

[In a later email, this was Musselwhite's response] "I know they want houses for employees, so you may want to consider selling your home." 😡

Read more:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mississippi-elon-musk-xai-data-center-power-plant-noise/

#ElonSucks #BigDataSucks #NoisePollution #BigData
#CorporateColonialism #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #AirIsLife #USPol
#AISucks #DatacenterMoratorium
#AIDatacenters #EnvironmentalRacism
#PreyingOnThePoor #EnergyVampires #ResistAI

#NewYork to block new #Datacenters in country's first statewide moratorium

By Anthony Izaguirre, July 14, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — "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.

"Gov. #KathyHochul is set to sign an executive order Tuesday morning imposing the country’s first statewide moratorium on hyperscale data centers, which house thousands of computer servers and require massive amounts of energy and a steady supply of water to keep cool.

" 'As data center development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it’s my responsibility to take action and lead,' Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement.

"The order will pause state permitting for new large data centers and direct state regulators to create standards that address environmental impacts, energy demand, water usage and other factors, the governor’s office said.

"Tech companies and other backers have argued moves to block the construction of data centers hurt job growth for local communities and cede ground to China in a race to lead in the rapidly growing AI industry.

"Earlier this year, #Maine seemed poised to establish a similar moratorium. But the measure was vetoed by the state’s Democratic Gov. #JanetMills because it would have blocked a proposed data center in a town that has struggled following the closure of a local mill. Moratoriums have been proposed in at least a dozen states but have not gotten far, though some counties and municipalities have imposed their own temporary bans."

Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/new-york-data-centers-moratorium-ai-c1e05b74208a6c570eec7c658ac8f187

#Datacenters #DatacenterMoratorium #AISucks

Scotland Considers Moratorium on Data Centers, Threatening UK’s AI Strategy

📰 Original title: Scotland could freeze datacentre projects in challenge to UK’s AI strategy

🤖 IA: It's not clickbait ✅
👥 Users: It's not clickbait ✅

View full AI summary https://en.killbait.com/scotland-considers-moratorium-on-data-centers-threatening-uk-s-ai-strategy.html?utm_source=mastodon_world&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=killbait.mastodon_world

#politics #datacentermoratorium #ukaistrategy #scotlandpol...

"The emails are further proof that [#JanetMills ]’ opposition to the ban was built on a 'flimsy pretext' and was driven by developers, said former state Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, the executive director of Our Power, a liberal ratepayer group that worked to pass the measure."

#DatacenterBan #DatacenterMoratorium

Well, this narrows down the #DemocraticParty #Senate Candidates for me. Would I vote for #JanetMills? Absolutely not! Maine DNC better not appoint her. Grrrrr...

#JayME #datacenter developer sought to give Janet Mills ‘cover’ for key veto, emails show

Emails obtained by the BDN show a developer solicited local letters of support to give Gov. Janet Mills “cover” for her veto of a statewide #DataCenterBan.

By Daniel O'Connor
Published on: July 6, 2026

"Emails obtained by the BDN show a developer solicited local letters of support to give Gov. Janet Mills 'cover' for her veto of a statewide data center ban.

"Gov. Janet Mills’ office worked closely with the developer behind a stalled Jay data center project who solicited local letters of support that would give her 'cover' to veto a statewide data center ban, according to emails obtained by the Bangor Daily News.

"The April veto killed what would have been the first statewide ban on new data centers in the country that would have lasted until late 2027, a politically risky move for Mills that came days before she ended her Democratic U.S. Senate primary. Her office had been laying the groundwork to protect the Jay project for weeks before she announced the decision.

"Emails obtained in a public records request from the town of Jay show Mills had concerns about the ban’s effect on the project since at least late March, more than a month before she killed the measure. The project her veto was meant to protect has since stalled anyway, with its would-be operator pulling out in June and prompting criticism of Mills from progressive backers of the ban.

"#TonyMcDonald, a real estate developer with the Portland-based #BoulosCompany leading the project, solicited support for the veto from Jay officials and, later, a labor union with a stake in the project. The emails show that Mills had doubts about the bill over the Jay project since at least late March, more than a month before she ultimately killed it."

Read more:
https://themainemonitor.org/jay-data-center-developer-cover-mills-veto/

#DatacenterMoratorium #USPol #MainePol #NoJanetMills #DammitJanetMills #PowerCorruptionAndLies #NoDatacenters #ResistDatacenters #Boulos

RE: https://mastodon.social/@RealJournalism/116805400329185590

More of this, please!

#Datacenters #DatacenterMoratorium

More #DataCenters, more #environmental problems?

As #AI’s reach grows, the need for data centers multiplies. So, too, could the #EcologicalImpacts without hands-on mitigation.

By Ambika Kandasamy, Sep 24, 2025

Excerpt: "A December 2024 preprint of a study from researchers at the University of California, Riverside, and California Institute of Technology outlined the toll of AI-related #AirPollution. 'AI contributes substantially to air quality degradation and public health costs through the emission of various criteria #AirPollutants,' the authors wrote.

"Other forms of #pollution, such as light and noise, also could be problematic. Neil Carter, an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, has studied the links between #SensoryPollution and conservation. While he hasn’t researched #AIDatacenters’ impact on #wildlife specifically, he says AI data centers potentially could be '#SensoryDangerZones.'

" 'Sensory danger zones are basically where we have reason to believe that the amount of light and the amount of noise is exceeding thresholds by which you can imagine there being a fitness consequence for species,' Carter says. 'And they may not be able to carry out the necessary functions that they normally would.' Research by Carter and his colleagues has explored how #LightPollution, for example, could disrupt the dynamics between predator and prey species, such as #cougars and #MuleDeer. Their research also has looked into how #AnthropogenicSounds could affect reproduction in #birds including the #NorthernCardinal, #OakTitmouse and #BarnSwallow.

"To address some of these issues, experts recommend adopting sustainable strategies when building and operating AI data centers and when using AI. The decisions 'we make today will be having an impact on the public health for many years to come, due to the long life span for data center projects,' says Shaolei Ren, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Riverside, and an author of the #AirPollution study."

Read more:
https://www.nwf.org/Home/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2025/Fall/Conservation/AI-Data-Centers

#Datacenters #EnvironmentalImpact #NoisePollution #EndangeredSpecies
#DataCenterMoratorium #AISucks
#NoDatacenters
#HyperscaleDatacenters #ResistDatacenters #Resistance
#FightBack #DatacentersSuck
#AIResistance #AISucks
#AIDataCenters

The Dangers of #Datacenters

by Elan Justice Pavlinich, PhD
Feb 27, 2026

"Data Centers are large facilities containing computer servers used for data storage, data analytics, generative AI, and streaming services. Data centers represent health risks for their neighbors. These risks are especially high from hyperscale data centers powered by fossil fuels, such as those proposed for some parts of Pennsylvania. Listed below are some of the top problems data centers impose on nearby communities.


#NoisePollution

Data centers cause noise pollution. First, the heavy equipment used to construct the facilities are loud. Then, once they are up and running, diesel generators plus heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems create a constant hum that can be audible to neighboring residents and wildlife. Data centers generate noise levels that may exceed 90 decibels. Noise levels above 85 decibels are harmful to hearing.


#LightPollution

Data centers generate light pollution. Hyperscale facilities require all-night lighting that disrupts the natural (circadian) rhythms of the body, including melatonin production (the hormone that regulates sleep) and sleep-wake cycles. Light pollution is also disturbing migration patterns and habitat development among birds, butterflies, bats, cats, and turtles—to name only a handful.

The long-term impacts of both noise and light pollution include hearing loss, stress, insomnia, and decreased quality of life.


#AirPollution

Data centers, especially gas-powered data centers, emit significant pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, methane, volatile organic compounds, and fine particulate matter. According to a September 2025 study, these pollutants increase rates of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular conditions, and they elevate cancer risks among nearby communities. A 2025 model indicates that U.S. data centers in 2030 could cause approximately 600,000 asthma symptom cases and 1,300 premature deaths, exceeding 1/3 of asthma deaths in the U.S. each year, resulting in a public health burden of more than $20 billion.


#WaterWaste

Data centers require water to cool computer servers so they do not become too hot to function. A large data center will use up to 5 million gallons of water daily. Drawing from local water supplies, these facilities are slurping up resources that should be available to residents in water-scarce regions. In fact, data centers increase the threat of water insecurity, and thus dehydration and poor hygiene.

Nevertheless, a 2025 report by SourceMaterial and The Guardian found that Google has seven active data centers in water-scarce areas of the U.S. and was planning to build six more. Prior to this, in 2023, the state of Arizona revoked construction permits for new homes due to a scarcity of groundwater in Maricopa County, where Meta has one data center, Microsoft has two data centers, and Google has one data center with a second in development.


Cost Increase for Home Energy Consumers

Data centers have typically not paid their fair share in utilities, particularly for electricity consumption, and in those situations other consumers (including residential customers) have had to pay more than they otherwise would.

Utility companies identify data centers as large load customers, meaning that they require a lot more energy from the power grid. When a utility grid operator must add new infrastructure to accommodate growing populations or large load customers, rates may increase for all users in that region, despite attempts to regulate those increases or to allocate costs to the large load customer. In fact, utility grid operators will sometimes negotiate lower rates to incentivize large load customers to build in their territory, meaning that additional expenses must be covered by the other customer segments.

Last year, analysts estimated a 20% rate increase for Pennsylvania households. The U.S. Energy Information Administration shows the average resident has been paying 37% more for electricity since 2020. U.S. energy demand is expected to grow 2.5% annually over the next decade. Therefore, it is likely that residents will see an increase in energy rates. These trends indicate data centers make cost of living more expensive.

In response to escalating concerns over energy costs, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently announced new standards that require data center developers to construct their own energy sources or pay for the upgrades to the grid, sparing local consumers the costs. It remains to be seen how, when, and for which facilities those standards will be enforced, but even if the average home is spared the additional financial costs of a data center boom, there is still the price of numerous environmental hazards listed above, especially if new data centers rely on fracked gas for power.

This data center boom and the subsequent demand for more energy presents an opportunity to protect public health and to invest in renewable energy as a driver of the economy, but we need to make that choice now. If data centers are encroaching on our region, they must be powered by cleaner, renewable sources of energy to avoid imposing additional health hazards associated with oil and gas development onto nearby communities.


Who Is Affected?

As with other forms of air pollution, those at increased risk include children, developing fetuses, pregnant people, elderly, and individuals with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular disease.

Data Centers also pose environmental justice concerns because they disproportionately affect minority and #LowIncome communities [like #SanfordME]. First, trends point to energy sources that fuel data centers being built near #BlackCommunities, which suffer the consequences of exposure to pollution, identified above. Plus, research indicates that the automation capabilities of AI are predicted to replace more jobs performed by Black people, and thus widening systemic inequities that overwhelmingly keep Black households at an economic disadvantage.

This trend is not a new one. In fact, for people throughout our region, it is a familiar story. Data centers powered by fracked gas, like other oil and gas industries, threaten some of our most vulnerable community members, but they also put every nearby person at greater risk for health consequences—not to mention the added financial burden of health care costs.


What Can We Do?

The companies behind the data center boom are moving quickly into communities across the region, many with promises of prosperity. But some communities are pushing back and saying that data centers are not worth the health and environmental impacts. If you agree with that sentiment, there are steps you can take to combat data centers in your backyard.

- First, check if your municipality has a data center ordinance. If not, urge officials to adopt one.

- Then, identify opportunities for community participation before the proposed data center is approved. Will a public hearing be required? If so, take this opportunity to express your concerns and to share this resource with other community members.

- Next, reference nuisance control ordinances (rules for limiting noise, light, and vibrations), plus zoning laws that would restrict new data centers in your region.

- If the data center must be built, advocate for limiting the use of fossil fuels in both everyday operations and generator backups. Encourage decision makers and developers to utilize renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels.

- Finally, urge decision makers to require any facility to report their emissions and share an emergency preparedness plan with the community."

To learn more:
https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/post/the-dangers-of-data-centers

#ResistDatacenters #Resistance #FightBack #DatacentersSuck #EnvironmentalRacism #AIResistance #AISucks #AIDataCenters #DatacenterMoratorium

Oh, and there are humans who live near the planned datacenter -- in #TrailerParks (because that's the only place they can afford to live)! But who cares about the poor and elderly! They can deal with noise and light pollution! It's their fault for being poor! Yeah... Right...

#EnvironmentalRacism #KillThePoor #MainePol #MEPol #Datacenters
#DatacenterMoratorium #NoisePollution #LightPollution

#SanfordME imposes emergency #DatacenterMoratorium, halting #MousamRiver project

The 91-day pause to allow for a task force to review concerns will affect a proposal for the 1,000-acre Sanford Woods Industrial and Technical Campus.

SANFORD — "The City Council on Tuesday night approved a three-month emergency moratorium on data centers, temporarily stopping a proposal for a 1,000-acre center along the Mousam River.

"The council voted unanimously in favor of the 91-day moratorium, which puts a pause on the acceptance, approval or issuance of permits for any large scale data center proposal in the city. The moratorium takes effect immediately and will remain in place until Aug. 12.

"At the meeting, City Manager Steven Buck said there are plans to establish a task force dedicated to reviewing residents’ concerns and making recommendations for ordinance amendments on municipal regulations for data centers.

"After Maine Gov. #JanetMills vetoed a temporary statewide ban on #datacenters, several cities and towns — including Sanford — responded by introducing their own emergency moratoriums.

"There have been at least eight data centers proposed across Maine, though some have been withdrawn. One that’s still on the table is the Sanford Woods Industrial and Technical Campus, which would cover about 1,000 acres of land along and near the Mousam River.

"At the council’s prior meeting on May 5, Sanford Mayor Becky Brink criticized Mills’ veto and said the city government would take action on its own.

" 'I feel like the state let us down,' she said. 'We as a city — and all of us have spoken — we are going to protect Sanford.' "

Read more:
https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/19/sanford-imposes-emergency-data-center-moratorium-halting-mousam-river-project/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/xkkvV

#ResistBigData #MaineResists
#MainePol #DatacentersSuck #Datacenters #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyConsumption #AISucks

Tuned into the town selectboard meeting from earlier this week. Our town is looking to impose a #DataCenterMoratorium and start up a local #FarmersMarket! Also, more interest in the #CommunityGarden! Yes, please!

#SolarPunkSunday

I don't quite get #JanetMills. She vetoed the #DatacenterMoratorium, but passes a #CellPhoneBan in schools. 🤷🏼 I want to say, "Good for her," but...

#Maine public schools will soon be required to #BanPhones during school day

by Max Williams, WGME
Mon, April 13, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Updated Thu, April 16, 2026

PORTLAND (WGME) -- "By August 1, all Maine public schools will be required to ban phones for the entire school day.

" 'It's a distraction, and they are there to learn,' phone ban supporter Dan Melnick said.

"Signed into law as part of Governor Janet Mills' supplemental budget, it will allocate more than $300,000 to implement. The new policy is a '#BellToBell' policy, meaning phones are allowed on school property but cannot be used at any point during the school day."

[...]

"Experts say too much screen time has been linked to depression and, in some cases, suicide.

" 'It is very dangerous, because we're talking about people whose brains are not fully developed, and as it develops, it's creating certain neurocircuitry that is hard to undo,' Northern Light Acadia Hospital Medical Director of Pediatric Inpatient Services Dr. Nadia Mendiola said."

Read more:
https://wgme.com/news/local/maine-public-schools-will-soon-be-required-to-ban-phones-during-school-day-governor-janet-mills

#MainePol #CellPhoneBans #PutThePhoneDown #SmartPhoneAddiction #TooMuchScreenTime #TeenMentalHealth #LetKidsBeKids

@MusiqueNow Janet Mills failed on some very important issues to me... One of which was #TribalSovereignty (and of course, the #DataCenterMoratorium ). While I laud her for standing up to Trump and doing a good job during the pandemic, I just don't trust her. And yeah, I think Platner could win against Collins -- even if he isn't perfect.

#JanetMills cited the lack of jobs in #JayME as to why she vetoed the #DataCenterMoratorium . What kind of jobs? Oh, temporary work building the #datacenter and maybe a janitor job or two? What a bunch of BULLSHIT!

#MainePol #JanetMillsSucks

Speaking of #CorporateSuckups... Way to NOT get my vote, #JanetMills! 🖕🏼

Janet Mills vetoes #Maine #DataCenter ban

by Ethan Andrews, April 24, 2026

"Gov. Janet Mills on Friday vetoed a bill that would have created a temporary statewide ban on large #DataCenters.

"The bill passed by the Maine Legislature earlier this month would enact an 18-month moratorium on new data centers that use more than 20 #megawatts of power.

"It would have made Maine the first state in the country to enact such a ban on the controversial facilities, which support #CloudComputing and artificial intelligence at the cost of large amounts of electricity and #water."

Read more:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/04/24/politics/janet-mills-vetoes-maine-data-center-ban/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/DlifM

#AISucks #DatacenterMoratorium #AIDatacenters #EnvironmentalRacism #PreyingOnThePoor #BigDataSucks #EnergyVampires #NoisePollution #MainePol #ResistAI #WaterIsLife #ArtificialIntelligence #HumanStupidity

#AI #DataCenter #Resistance: #Maine Passes Nation’s First Statewide Moratorium — Will Gov. Mills Sign It?

#DemocracyNow, April 22, 2026

"Communities across the United States are pushing back against resource-draining data centers being built to fuel artificial intelligence and crypto ventures. In Maine, state legislators recently passed a first-in-the-country statewide moratorium on large data centers. 'Maine residents are concerned about the impacts of data centers on both their electric rates and other utility rates, as well as on our wonderful environment,' says Democratic state Representative Melanie Sachs, who sponsored the bill designed to give legislators time to develop regulations around new data center construction. Sachs says developers have been operating in 'complete secrecy' refusing to engage with community stakeholders, while their plans appear to provide 'limited economic opportunity with very few local jobs.' The bill goes to Maine Governor #JanetMills’s desk next."

Read / watch / listen:
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/4/22/maine_ai_data_center_ban_melanie

#MainePol #AIResistance #AISucks #DatacenterMoratorium #AIDataCenters #MaineResists #Datacenter #WaterIsLife #NoisePollution #EnergyGrid #ResistAI

Mystery #Humming Noise Heard Across US States

By Marni Rose McFall
Mar 25, 2026 at 01:21 PM EDT

"Americans across several states are reporting hearing a strange humming noise in their neighborhoods, and residents think they know the culprit: #DataCenters.

But these centers are especially resource hungry—particularly for electricity and water—which has led to concerns for residents.

According to a study from The Environmental and Energy Study Institute, data centers emit sounds 'from the humming of cooling systems, rumbling of diesel generators, and whirring of fans, which can be heard for hundreds of feet around them.'

What To Know

In Vineland, New Jersey, residents have said there is a persistent humming noise they believe is coming from a nearby data center."

Read more:
https://www.newsweek.com/data-centers-mystery-humming-noise-11735566

#AIDatacenters #DataCenterMoratorium
#NoisePollution #AISucks #SurveillanceState #NoDatacenters #HyperscaleDatacenters

Scientists have found an alarming #EnvironmentalImpact of vast #DataCenters

Story by Laura Paddison, March 30, 2026

Excerpt: "They found surface temperatures increased by an average of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit after a data center started operations. In extreme cases, nearby temperatures increase by up to 16.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

"These increases were consistent across the globe, the researchers found. In #Mexico’s #Bajio region, for example, which has become a data center hub, the study found unexplained temperature rises of around 3.6 degrees over the last 20 years. A similar situation was seen in #AragonSpain, a European center for #hyperscale #AIDataenters, which recorded a temperature increase of 3.6 degrees which was not replicated in neighboring provinces.

"Strikingly, the impacts weren’t limited to a data center’s immediate surroundings; temperature increases affected areas up to 6.2 miles away, the research found, affecting more than 340 million people.

"The findings are particularly alarming, the scientists say, because AI data centers are set to boom over the next few years, and these temperature rises come as planet-warming pollution is already making #HeatWaves more extreme around the world."

Read more:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/article/scientists-have-found-an-alarming-environmental-impact-of-vast-data-centres/

#HeatIslands #DataCenterMoratorium #GlobalWarming #NoisePollution #AISucks #SurveillanceState #NoDatacenters #HyperscaleDatacenters

Vote on #LD307 is today... #DataCenterMoratorium #Maine

#MainePol #DataCenters

With First-of-Its-Kind Bill, #BernieSanders and #AOC Propose #Moratorium on New #AI #DataCenters

“These massive facilities are sucking up precious #water resources, paving over #farmland, driving #ClimateChange, and disrupting the fabric of communities,” said one supporter of the new legislation.

by Jake Johnson, Mar 25, 2026

"Two of the leading progressives in the US Congress, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, announced legislation on Wednesday that would impose a nationwide moratorium on the construction of new artificial intelligence data centers amid mounting concerns over their insatiable consumption of power and water resources, impacts on the climate, and other harms.

"Sanders’ (I-Vt.) office said in a press release announcing the #ArtificialIntelligence #DataCenterMoratorium Act that the construction pause would remain in effect 'until strong national safeguards are in place to protect workers, consumers, and communities, defend privacy and #CivilRights, and ensure these technologies do not harm our #environment.'

"Sanders and #OcasioCortez (D-NY) are set to formally introduce their legislation at a press conference on Wednesday at 4 pm ET.

"Food & Water Watch (#FWW), which last year became the first national organization in the US to call for a total moratorium on the approval of new AI data centers, celebrated the first-of-its-kind bill and called on other members of Congress to 'move quickly to sponsor, champion, and pass' it. FWW’s groundbreaking call for a national AI data center moratorium was later echoed by hundreds of advocacy organizations at the state and national levels.

" 'We need a halt to the explosive growth of new AI data center construction now, because political and community leaders across the country have been caught completely off guard by this aggressive, profit-hungry industry,' Mitch Jones, FWW’s managing director of policy and litigation, said in a statement Wednesday. 'It has yet to be determined if—not how—the industry can ever operate in a manner that sufficiently protects people and society from the profusion of inherent hazards and harms that data centers bring wherever they appear.' "

Read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/ai-data-center-moratorium

#AWS #NoDatacenters #NoAI #NoNukesForAI #UnrestrictedGrowth #WaterIsLife #NoisePollution #AISucks #USPol

Another concern is noise and what that will do to the local #Wildlife, @N1ZZZ .

#NoisePollution #DatacenterMoratorium

Texans are demanding their local governments push pause on #DataCenters. Can they?

Texans from Waco to Harlingen are raising concerns over how much energy and water data centers are poised to use. Local officials, some enticed by a tax boon, say they have little power to stop the rush.

By Berenice Garcia and Sam Shaw, Feb. 13, 2026

Excerpt: "In many of these places, Texans are demanding local elected officials intervene.

"The small town of Lacy Lakeview north of Waco is partnering with the developer #Infrakey on a proposed $10 billion data center, drawing an organized opposition campaign from rural neighbors around the 520-acre site.

"Since November, the opposition has circulated a petition with some 3,000 signatures, created a Facebook group and website and held regular strategy meetings that have been attended by political leaders such as state Rep. Pat Curry, R-Waco.

"Rena Schroeder, a Republican candidate for Texas Senate District 22, has also made appearances at the meetings, promoting herself as the voice for rural data center opponents.

"Similar grassroots resistance efforts are taking place across the state. "

Read more:
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/13/texas-data-centers-local-governments-power/

#ResistDatacenters #Texas #Datacentres #DatacenterMoratorium #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #NoEnergyForAI

US #datacenters face slew of problems amid grassroots #protests against #AI

New constructions delayed or cancelled, raising questions about US’s ability to expand infrastructure to support boom

Tom Perkins
Tue 24 Feb 2026 10.00 EST

"Cancellations and delays of new US datacenters have increased as the #ArtificialIntelligence boom runs up against a slate of issues, including supply chain snags, energy shortages and tariff-induced restraints.

"Grassroots opposition from local communities has also derailed some plans, and some investors have grown wary of datacenters amid fears of an #AIBubble.

"Dozens of plans for datacenters were killed or delayed in December or January, according to reports from the investment research firm MacroEdge and climate news outlet Heatmap. MacroEdge’s research identified 26 cancellations through January – up from one in October."

Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/feb/24/datacenters-ai-construction

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/MWJxA

#Datacentres #Datacenters #DatacenterMoratorium #AISucks #NoNukesForAI #JustSayNoToDataCenters #Resistance #BigData #TechBros #Surveillance

#SanfordME #Datacenter is planned for New Dam Road. There is a wildlife refuge across the #MousamRiver and another large parcel of conserved land not far from the proposed site. If #NoisePollution affects humans, you can bet on it affecting #Wildlife!

#NoDatacenters #DataCenterMoratorium #Maine

So, hubby and I have been pouring over what is known about the #datacenter that's planned for #SanfordME . We figured out where it's going to go (New Dam Road along the #MousamRiver). And the mystery corporation is none other than #AWS - #AmazonWebServices!

New Details Emerge on Proposed Southern Maine #DataCenter

Local officials and project stakeholders to appear before state lawmakers on Thursday.

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

Excerpt: "A proposed Amazon Web Services data center in Sanford, Maine has new details emerging, including the location along the #MousamRiver and plans for independent power generation using a mixture of solar, battery storage, and fuel cells. The project is slated to be 'islanded' from the broader electrical grid, according to state Sen. Matt Harrington. Stakeholders, including Sanford officials and the developer, are expected to appear before the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee on Thursday."

https://nationaltoday.com/us/me/sanford-me/news/2026/02/22/new-details-emerge-on-proposed-southern-maine-data-center/

#MainePol #DataCenterMoratorium #WaterIsLife #NoisePollution #Wildlife #Maine #SanfordME