#energyconsumption — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

DoomsdaysCW @[email protected] · 2026-08-31 · 14:56 UTC

#Texas Gov. #GregAbbott on #AIDataCenter Backlash: 'They Dug Their Own Grave'

Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, August 23, 2026

"#NewYork Gov. #KathyHochul (D) and #Kentucky Gov. #AndyBeshear (D) have pushed back against the expansion of #AIDataCenters in their respective states. But with the increasing backlash from communities and individuals toward new #datacenter construction and expansion, even governors that have embraced the #AIRevolution, like #Pennsylvania's #JoshShapiro (D), are now moderating and talking about scaling back.

"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is one governor whose state has embraced the data center expansion. In November 2025, Abbott declared that Texas is the 'epicenter of AI development' in his announcement of #Google building three data center campuses to the tune of $40 million dollars.

"Fast forward to August of 2026, and Abbott acknowledges that much of the community resistance to the construction of new and existing data centers is the fault of the AI companies."

[...]

"Abbott is not wrong. According to a report from #DataCenterWatch, 64 billion in data center projects have been blocked or delayed in #Arizona, #Utah, #Missouri, #Oregon, and #California, to name a few. Even formerly friendly #Virginia is pushing back. #CommunityOpposition surrounds the lack of information provided and the lack of accountability taken towards the citizens who will be most affected.

"Water and power concerns loom large. Many of the newer development concepts, like entrepreneur #KevinOLeary 's 9 megawatt #StratosProject in #Utah, will have their own self-sustaining water and power systems. However, this did not prevent the backlash by #environmentalists and local activists to shut the Stratos Project down, and Utah state lawmakers ultimately backpedaled from their original approval and requested O'Leary cut the project's 400,000-acre footprint down to 10,000, about 75 percent. "

#AISucks #AIDataCenters #AIResistance #USPol #WorldPol #Datacenters #Datacentres #AIDatacentres #WaterIsLife #NoisePollution #LandIsLife #EnergyConsumption

#texas #gregabbott #aidatacenter #kathyhochul #kentucky #andybeshear

💧🌏 Greg Cocks @[email protected] · 2026-05-28 · 05:46 UTC

Erin Brockovich Asks Americans For Help As She Launches Data Center Map
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https://www.newsweek.com/erin-brockovich-asks-americans-for-help-as-she-launches-data-center-map-11989813 <-- shared media article
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https://brockovichdatacenter.com/ <-- shared Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting web site
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https://youtu.be/fp5ozQraKf4?si=7qu3g77iVVD3GGFJ <-- shared media video, @cbs Sunday Morning, “Nationwide boom in AI data centers stirs resistance”
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #USA #nation #AI #datacenters #waterresources #utilities #energyconsumption #water #hydrology #hydrography #watermanagement #community #humanimpacts #costs #economics #ewaste #noise #risk #hazard #electricity #localcommunities #taxbreaks #cooling #energy #highenergyusage #infrastructure #landuse #environment #ecology #public #skepticism #environmentalimpact #scalability #growth #Virginia #Utah #Texas #Ohio #Arizona #Georgia
#ErinBrockovichFoundation #ErinBrockovich

#gis #spatial #mapping #usa #nation #ai

DoomsdaysCW @[email protected] · 2026-05-25 · 00:47 UTC

#BrunswickME considers pause on #datacenter proposals

There will be a public hearing on the proposed moratorium on June 1.

by Katie Langley, Posted May 19, 2026, Updated May 20

"Brunswick is among several Maine municipalities considering moratoriums on large-scale data centers after Gov. #JanetMills vetoed a bill that would have temporarily restricted such developments.

"At a Monday night meeting, Brunswick’s town councilors set a June 1 public hearing on the proposed moratorium. If passed, the moratorium would give the town 180 days to gather information on the impact of data centers and set regulations on their development.

"The drafted moratorium closely mirrors other temporary policies being considered in towns and cities including #WestbrookME, which uses the same law firm as Brunswick.

"Town councilors on Monday removed a section in the draft moratorium that defined data centers as having a gross floor area of at least 10,000 square feet or electrical capacities of at least 20 megawatts. Instead, data center projects with an electrical capacity of 1 megawatt or more would be prohibited during the moratorium period.

"Brunswick has an existing, smaller-scale data center on #BrunswickLanding, owned by internet company #FirstLight, that town leaders have said has not been an issue and does not store artificial intelligence data.

"Town Manager Julia Henze said Monday night that there are no proposals for data centers on the horizon for Brunswick, but a moratorium would give the council time to update town ordinances and be prepared for such projects.

"Other municipalities, including #SanfordME and #ScarboroughME, are considering data center moratoriums in response to already proposed projects."

Archived version:
https://archive.md/tt3nk

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

#brunswickme #datacenter #janetmills #westbrookme #brunswicklanding #firstlight

DoomsdaysCW @[email protected] · 2026-05-25 · 00:24 UTC

#WestbrookME considers moratorium on #AIDataCenters as debate grows across #Maine

Story by Drew Peters, 5/18/2026

"The Westbrook City Council is expected to decide Monday whether to temporarily halt new #Datacenter development as communities across Maine continue weighing the benefits and risks tied to the growing artificial intelligence industry.

"The proposal would create a 180-day moratorium on new data center projects in Westbrook. City leaders said the pause would give officials time to update ordinances and better understand how large-scale facilities could impact the city’s electric grid, water supply, and taxpayers.

"The discussion comes as Maine communities increasingly debate the future of AI-related infrastructure. Last month, Gov. #JanetMills vetoed a bill that would have imposed a statewide moratorium on data centers.

" 'This is a subject that has the potential to destroy our community,' Westbrook resident Marnie Ward said ahead of the meeting.

"Ward said she has followed reports of data center development in other parts of the country and worries promises made by developers may not always be fulfilled.

" 'Places where companies have promised to put in things like their own electrical generation and they don’t do it,' Ward said.

"She questioned whether the economic benefits outweigh the environmental and infrastructure costs.

" 'What’s the benefit, and does the benefit of having one of these data centers outweigh the costs it’s going to be?' Ward said.

"Mayor David Morse said the proposed moratorium is intended to help the city prepare before a project proposal arrives."

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

#westbrookme #aidatacenters #maine #datacenter #janetmills #resistbigdata

DoomsdaysCW @[email protected] · 2026-05-25 · 00:18 UTC

#JanetMills vetoed a #DataCenter pause. Towns are looking to pass their own.

At least four municipalities have proposed their own moratoriums on new data center development while they refine local regulations.

by Daniel Kool, May 18, 2026

"Without a statewide moratorium on large data center development, a patchwork of local laws appears to be forming in #Maine.

"Weeks after Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill to temporarily restrict permitting for new data centers of 20 megawatts or more, at least four towns and cities are considering enacting their own moratoriums. The local pauses are designed to give officials time to review their zoning rules and develop new regulations for large data centers — should they ever come to town.

"Some, like those in Sanford and Scarborough, come as developers have already proposed building data centers in town. Others, like in Brunswick and Westbrook, are designed to get ahead of potential data center construction. All four communities plan to discuss their proposals at meetings this week.

"Though these local proposals have taken on new urgency in a lieu of a broader moratorium, they are not the first of their kind. The Bangor City Council unanimously passed a city-wide pause in April, days before Mills shot down the statewide effort. Anne Krieg, the town’s director of development, said they 'didn’t want to wait for the state,' as development pressure mounted."

Archived version:
https://archive.md/gSis4

#ResistBigData #MaineResists #MainePol #DatacenterMoratoriums #BangorME #ScarboroughME #SanfordME #BrunswickME #WestbrookME #DatacentersSuck #NoisePollution #WaterIsLife #EnergyConsumption #AISucks