**Bumped by Request**
A few weeks ago, I was having a politics conversation with a tech insider. The issue of datacenters became a focus of the conversation. The first response from him was “this is the issue that might decide 2026 and will certainly decide 2028.”
The tech side of the issue is essentially: As 5G wifi was to mobile connectivity, so too are the datacenters the cornerstone of nationwide AI rollout. Eventually, all of the datacenters will interconnect and become part of a massive information system that houses all knowledge, a great digital brain. From that point, engagement with Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems will become like a public utility.
The datacenters themselves can be a hot button issue as their proximity to people creates friction. Battles against datacenters are taking place in rural and non-rural areas alike. With deep pockets and strong national security arguments involving the “AI race,” the technocrats are currently winning the argument. However, as with all special interest issues, the opportunity for political benefit now determines DC advocacy. WATCH:
What are your thoughts on this issue?
Is opposition to datacenters strong enough to tilt the outcome of the 2026 midterms? And do you believe 2028 will be determined with this issue at the forefront?


AI is just another IT fad. Five years from now everyone will wonder what all the hubbub was all about.
Not with the laziness of so many brainless people. Worse than any calculator!
There is talk about at least two of these data centers being built close to us here in small towns in Central NC. Friends who are engineers (none of whom are liberals) tell me data centers use an enormous amount of water & electricity, make noise, & that utility bills for ‘Joe Sixpack” go up when these things are built. Utility bills going up tells me local govts & the state govt subsidize these things with ‘discounts’ on utilities, property taxes, etc … which eventually result in future bond issues to increase water & sewer plants when shortages in availability occur & increases in electric bills to Joe Sixpack to offset subsidies/tax breaks/whatever from state govt to power companies to increase/facilitate output. They (govt) say these things are good for ‘the community’ (increase in employment opportunities, tax base, etc…) but it looks more like it’s good for them through ‘favors’ or bribes that are discovered long after the fact. To answer your question regarding effects on the 2026 & 2028 elections, my answer is yes. Whether these data centers are good or bad is something that is hard for ‘Joe Sixpack’ to determine from the information (data :^)) available. Despise the left, the uniparty/rhinos, etc…. Hard for me to determine the truth from the bs considering the available information (unless I’m missing something). God’s Blessings to you all & thank you Sundance for your Stewardship …
For favors and bribes re. Electric Companies, do a deep dive on Michael Madigan of IL and how he got caught with bribing and or paying off Commonwealth Edison, the main power provider in IL…actually got found guilty and assigned a prison term. 7 1/2 yr. sentence at Club Fed in West VA.
What did Mike know and when did he know it?
“The ComEd Scheme: From 2014 to 2022, Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) paid approximately $3.1 million to Madigan’s political allies and associates in exchange for his influence over state legislation beneficial to the utility.
Legislative Favors: In return, Madigan used his position as Speaker to advance ComEd’s legislative agenda in the Illinois General Assembly”
Thank you for this. Godspeed …
The other issue that I’m already reading about happening in rural areas is the loss of family land to these huge data centers. They use imminent domain to force the sell if people don’t willingly sell.
My local electric company here in rural NC included questions in a survey about how we felt and what we know about these data centers.
Saw a short write-up somewhere about this a few days ago & wondered if maybe the govt was stretching their imminent domain authority a bit …. thanks for mentioning it. It is definitely a BIG deal !
They are bad for people with EMR Syndrome also.
http://www.emrsyndrome.org
This issue has already resulted in two Republican Public Service Commissioners losing their seats to Democrats last year in Georgia. And probably more to come this year. So yes, it is a very big issue in the midterms and in 2028.
I was thinking any issues will be at the local levels. Do you foresee problems at the Federal or State levels?
Personally, I can’t see a way around them because I suspect the need will only increase, and I don’t believe it will take much time before we’re there.
What actual need to you feel they provide an answer for Salty?
The data centers are in our future. It doesn’t matter what we think or feel about them. I’m reading those postings of those who oppose them and those who don’t. Each bringing links to back their standing. It’s difficult to determine which is right or are they both right.
The general public isn’t getting factual information which causes people in either camp to either fear whatever the future holds or embrace it. There have been many things in the course of history that things weren’t fully understood and feared because of this. I am hard put to be able to give an example of innovation that turned out to be harmful in the long run. Glitches as the development process was coming along, sure. Plenty. But those were ironed out without any significant harm and actually success at its final stage. The unknown is what I believe people are grappling with, as they have in most cases when knowledge was in short supply. I remember when home computers first came out. I wanted one. I got and reading the 1” manual on operating it was a true headache and never fully understood. That chunk of machinery sat there a lot and played a lot of ping-pong. Now we hold computers in our hand, and it didn’t take long for that to happen. This world is traveling at warp speed. I’m just along for the ride and in some instances I get to drive. That old country saying of don’t throw the baby out with the bath water comes to mind. I’m just going to continue to be positive about this because it’s coming and it’s needed. America and most of the world run on data, information, that is now readily available in most instances. We just need better explanations about these centers in hopes we feel comfortable about what’s coming.
I disagree – and my views aren’t because “I don’t understand.” I do appreciate your reply, although it didn’t answer the question.
Just for clarity – my issue isn’t per say with the general technology – it’s with everything surrounding it, including the scale of its rushed implementation. I won’t repeat the long list of reasons again – but they are in this and a number of the other recent AI threads, without all of them in any.
We’ve definitely had our share of crooked politicians here in North Carolina & you in Georgia as well … too many to name in the space available :^) Hope our luck changes & soon ! Thanks for telling me about this. Godspeed …
Those building data centers know full well they’re part of a fast bursting bubble. The tech involved become outdated as fast as it’s installed and the cooling systems are being designed and built in the worst ways possible. Their purpose is to keep the bubble expanding just long enough to grift the maximum and then leave locals holding the bag once the bubble pops. No different then all of the windturbines that went up everywhere. Millions of acres were bought and destroyed and then towns were left with derelicts once the subsidies dried up.
Please define a “data center”. Is there a threshold for KW demand? Water usage for cooling?
I’ve seen sites that use airside economizers for cooling, with no water usage.
That is an important distinction.
‘Traditional’ data centers (most of those on Sundance’s map) are general computing centers running traditional software – with the occasional supercomputers for things like weather prediction and scientific research thrown in, along with specialized ones like bitcoin miners. Their cooling is mostly with traditional methods such as you described or systems using chilled water in closed loops. They use between 1 MW and 20 MW in most installations depending upon size, which ranges from 5,000 to 100,000 square feet.
AI data centers are a wholly different kettle of fish in size, power and cooling. Initial ones were an order of magnitude greater – the proposed ones another order of magnitude greater.
Here’s a look a synopsis of the power usage – now versus planned:
Here are the largest currently operating centers – including two BC miners.
Since usually can only doing two links or images, the next post will show currently planned future data center power usage…
Here are the currently planned centers – often measured in square miles rather than square feet. All are strictly AI centers.
Some thoughts;
Newer data centers use a closed loop cooling system so the water impact is less. Either way, water is not being wasted. It comes into the plant, does the job and leaves the plant, likely going back into the source where it came from.
When pulp and paper mills were everywhere back in the day they used massive quantities of water for their operations. No one complained about that. That water had to be clean so municipal water was used. Then it was dumped into a nearby river or body of water.
Data centers are the big squirrel topic right now.
According to Grok most systems are not closed loop, which doesn’t mean new ones are not. But, they are known for their enormous use of water for evaporative cooling. Since the water is released in the form of vapor and carried off in the atmosphere, the water really does vanish from the origin. In drought stricken and prone areas, this has real consequences for people, animals, farms, and other users.
Industry estimates and reports provide these key insights instead of a precise facility-by-facility breakdown:
Over 8 years ago, before the AI boom…
Even before the AI boom, tech giants were known guzzlers. In 2018, the industry was already one of the 10 largest commercial or industrial water users in the US, according to a 2021 paper in Environmental Research Letters. These companies are now pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into expanding their data center operations.
The article also talks about actual cases of the water usage effects from some of the newer (not the magnitude larger) centers.
https://archive.is/reRar
On the power front, per a Pew Research look last year, power usage from 2020 to the projected power usage in 2030 comes out to a 4 fold increase.
Where is the power coming from? Think about that – four times the power we use today on an already strained grid…
The Fennholloway River in Taylor county is still polluted, still smells bad, after 50+ years of pollution by the Buckeye Paper mill…
Of course we complained!
Put data centers in far north in Canada, Alaska, etc. Open the doors and windows to cool the computers. Data can go over fiber data lines to wherever.
Musk says to put them in space. Constantly cold, doesn’t use up precious resources or property. Communication can be done with light as the speed of light similar to fiber without the fiber cable. You could argue they could be taken out by an enemy during war, but that could happen here on the ground. Up there they might be harder to target and safe from EMP radiation.
Space is either super freezing or super hot. Just depends if you’re in the sunlight or not.
Yet both man and machine are there…
The sunlight provides power through solar panels and the solar panels provide shade. Satellites, space craft, etc. use rotation to help keep cool, with half the object in the sun and half in the shade. They also use reflective foils and ceramic tiles (think the old space shuttle on re-entry for example).
That sounds like a great plan but I wonder if it is actually possible. Who knows, many things were thought impossible, unrealistic, a day dream of a nutty person only to now be things we take for granted today.
Brilliant idea.
Cancer. Miscarriages. Unexplained diseases. Toxic wells due to polluted acquifers. Next to America’s 4th largest river. “How Oregon’s Datacenter boom is super charging a water crisis.” https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/data-center-water-pollution-amazon-oregon-1235466613/
After reading this article I decided moving upstream of ANY datacenter. So much for MAHA. So we can have unlimited digital and ask AI’s to get us the best ETF results.
The Rolling Stone is nothing more than propaganda toilet paper anymore.
Buying five copies for your mother is long gone.
Here in Missouri we are very serious about limiting the building of these large datacenters. A town just south of St. Louis called Festus has begun a recall effort for the mayor, and 3 of the sitting councilmen. Recall organizers cite the mayor and councilmembers’ approval of a six billion dollar data center project on 360 acres in southwest Festus as the reason for the recall effort. Organizers allege that city leaders have ignored residents’ concerns about water use, electricity rates, and neighborhood impacts of the proposed data center.
https://ballotpedia.org/Mayor_and_city_council_recall,_Festus,_Missouri_(2026)
I had so many arguments with ChatGPT that she finally divorced me. I went out to celebrate and met Miss Gemini. We are engaged now.
The surge of biomedical research that has been unleashed by AI is going to lengthen lives, cure cancers before they gain a foothold, reverse chronic conditions…..I don’t think Americans know how much has already happened in the fields of research because of the depth and breadth of data available in split seconds to researcher….it’s unbelievable. For any “side” wishing to get people to understand the benefits of data centers, they need only fashion a good speech on how American lives of kids yet unborn, and those now living as well as their lives and those they love will be saved by Ai.
That’s what sleepy Joe said
Re: …AI is going to lengthen lives…
ummm… does that maybe mean, with ai,
that the (correct, instead of obfuscated) origination of covid (and gene therapy treatment) { origin bat, or lab debate for years, by some }
would have become (correct) public knowledge instantly (instead of delayed) ?
Did the delay of (correct) public knowledge lengthen, or shorten, lives?
But, ‘if’ there was a i in 2019…., things would have been different during 2021-2023? ( worse, or better ? ) hint, since some peoples definitions change, worse or better is in the eye of the beholder…
uhhh…
hmmm…
I do not know
People know….
p.s.
College commencement services are stating in speeches that a i is here to stay and growing….
You think you’ll live longer under Skynet? No you won’t. It’s time to end this madness.
We are getting an entire generation that is cheating in school by using AI as opposed to actual learning. There will be repercussions.
When reading the book of Revelation, I see a lot of activity (war) by actual people -as well as fallen and unfallen angels. I do not see transhuman beings, robots, drones, etc.
Noisy, intrusive, driving up local utility costs, acquiring huge swaths of land from sea to shining sea.
I see the impact.
I hear the noise.
Local communities/citizens have zero say.
Not good IMO.
Love Trump.
This could cost the party big time
So what has the pharmaceutical industrial complex done to lengthen lives? Life spans have been decreasing in recent years…they provide drugs to suppress symptoms – which cause other problems…
Then again – they gave us mRNA gene therapy injections – hurray! /s
That explains this article from Abbeville Institute: https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/no-one-is-coming-to-save-you/
The article is a week old, but, the institute emailed me about it today.
How will the “One big Brain AI” make our lives better?
It’s not the data centers that bother me, but who c9ntrols them and what they’re used for.
It seems as though AI will primarily be used for relentless advertising and strategic confinement.
I don’t want either of those things to become more prevalent in society/culture.
As far as energy usage goes I tend to consider it as a trade off from what used to be required to solve an issue or create something – the resources necessary before AI and data centers is condensed into them, but is no longer expended due to AI.
A basic example would be music; you don’t need several band members, instruments, or recording studios to produce a song.
It’s just a tool like any other tool – who uses it and what it’s used for is my concern.
I also think we should remove AI (and most modern technologies) from our educational process for children until they can use their brain and handle physical tools themselves.
There should also be laws regarding AI representations of actual people – the old rules of “being a public person means you’re fair game” is outdated and unreasonable when everyone is public to some degree because of the internet.
Ask yourself why there are 603 datacenters in the DC-VA-MD area…
Those 603 facilities (almost as many as California and Texas combined and about one of every seven in the country) constitute the highest concentration of AI datacenters in the United States, and likely in the entire world.
This area offers no advantages in regards to energy availability or the price of land per acre (in fact, the latter is probably a deterrent). So why is it such a desirable location for AI companies?
Because those companies are collecting, synthesizing, and brokering data- my data, your data, everyone’s data- and selling it to the entities shaping Federal policy and writing Federal legislation.
Those 603 datacenters represent a stark example of the mushrooming private-public (There’s a Word for That) technocracy (There’s a Word for That too) which represents the greatest threat to representative government since the rise of corporate monopolies during the Gilded Age.
Maybe because there are 18 different intelligence agencies. There may be others we don’t know about.
Nope…not that it would make anyone feel any better all things considered if they were all owned or leased (highly unlikely for the IC) by “intelligence agencies” and other government groups.
The prominent position of Northern Virginia as the data center hub on the US east coast, is due to presence of many cloud operators and networks. The Northern Virginia data center market is very well connected and the point of exchange for a lot of the US internet traffic.
It is a good place to scoop up all the internet traffic though…
Here’s a map and image that shows the companies that operate most of the centers.
https://www.vedp.org/industry/data-centers
I have posted here previously attempting to voice my concern in regard to this very issue. I live in the Ohio River Valley where a battle is raging over the plans for a massive data center in my rural county. NDAs were signed by local politicians (Republican) and people are furious at the lack of transparency. The more we research and see the irreversable damage that it would cause our environment, the rising electric costs already factored into AEP’s bills, and the tax abatements allowed big tech without any benefit to us locallly, we are asking: who cares about we the “little” people who have trusted and voted for MAGA?
We are willing to suffer through increasing gas prices believing it to be a temporaty pain for growing an important future economy, but question the value of a future AI culture where our 4th Amendment rights are destroyed.
Our Republican candidate for Ohio Governor is Vivek Ramaswamy who states that he sees the Ohio River Valley as the “new Silican Valley”! I will never vote for a Democrat, but am seriously looking into the Libertarian Party… me, whose family has been generaltionally Republican!
Christine, being from Ohio I can see why you are concerned. We’ve been watching Vivek and see right through his BS. Makes me sick, Ohio can do much better.
Tech ruined Dayton, whole neighborhoods look like India now. Manufacturing could change that but Vivek will lead with tech.
Thank you for commenting. Vivek is an anchor baby whose wealth comes from less than ethical business manipulations and those who support him see only dollar signs. It does not help that Trump supports his election, and that he is good buddies with Vance…another man my discernment tells me is less than ideal as a Presidential contender. Yes, I am very disappointed in the Ohio Republian party.
People are focused on cost of living now. In as much as data center MIGHT raise electricity costs, they might have some impact on elections. But mostly its gas prices and food costs.
There is no “might” about it…
Monitoring Analytics, the federally mandated independent watchdog that keeps an eye on the critical PJM Interconnection that distributes power around the U.S., said in a new report [PDF] that a massive 75.5% increase in power costs in the largest region of the U.S. has been directly caused by data centers, and it also blamed the regional market operator for failing to keep up with the rising demand. The price increases have been steep; wholesale electricity prices went up from $77.78 per MWh in the first quarter of 2025 to $136.53 per MWh in the same period of this year.
This big push to make artificial intelligence and then network it is Big Brother to 1000th power. Why is it a good thing for humans to create robots to spy on themselves? What benefit accrues to the average American? That they have a smarter and more articulate search engine? And I saw that Microsoft prohibited its own engineers from using it, because the cost of using it was more than they were paying humans for the same work. That being the case, how is it worth it?
On the other hand, it’s obvious that there are military applications for AI. I get that, and I believe our military should be by far the most advanced in the world in AI military applications. That’s an absolute necessity, and anything less is unacceptable. But datacenters for AI, both private and government, must be restricted to unpopulated areas, and they must be able to generate their own power and water resources, away from and independent of energy sources used by the public.
There is absolutely no doubt that the issue of datacenters will play a big role in politics from here on out. I think it will have less of an influence in 2026 (but not zero) – but will be a much greater issue for 2028. This reminds me of what happened with nuclear power plants in the 1970s. Aside from the lefties back then, many people had no problem with nuclear power, but did they want a power plant in their own backyard? In my opinion, this is an issue that will become outsized in the next couple of years.
How many AI centers do you honestly think are required for the one use case most of us might agree with – the military? 1, 2, or heck – let’s say 5, one for each branch of the military – even though IMO that is far too many at a single time due to their rapid obsolescence – maybe one every couple of years on a rotating basis. Not keen on leases for the military either. That still doesn’t account for the 100s to thousands being planned or in use…
Sounds a lot like the image of the beast. You won’t catch me worshiping it.
How many more thousands of “data centers” will we have to build before this political utopia is reached? There are already thousands in America, and apparently that number won’t do it?
Your electric bill will go up. Wildlife will avoid the area. You’ll get power surges. Perhaps even blackouts. And no more peace & quiet if you live within a mile of one. It’s like a train or jet engine 24 hours a day. They are a Public Nuisance. Build them right next to those who need them — nobody in my neighborhood needs them, and the bastards built one anyway. Shoved it down our throats. Goodbye peace of mind.
Just like the cell towers ad nauseum that area disabling and killing Americans daily.
Can’t protect health, just property values, and now FCC colluding with Big Tech is trying
to take even that small modicum of siting control away from state and local governments.
Tech tyranny.
Well I just finished rewatching the movie, “Transcendence”… I then came over here to see what’s up & I see this article… 😳 weird! Lol
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2209764
My stance on it… I go back to the age of about 13, standing in my mom’s kitchen. I tell her out of the blue, “technology will be the destruction of mankind.” Idk why that thought popped in my head, but I can still see her confused expression 😆.
This would be a few years before the internet went public. Take it for what you will, but I’m on the side of my youth’s inner voice.
Lets put them under football and baseball stadiums. And under the Kennedy Center. And under Yellowstone and Yosemite. Devils Postpile would be OK, just hollow out the mountain. If the centers are really safe then it would be OK to put them in Martha’s Vineyard, and the Sonoma wine fields.
Maybe pick one location and make it the Tower of Babbling AI…
It’s what may increasingly seem like a blitzkrieg-like push that seems to basically put so many areas up for grabs for data centers of various sizes just about anywhere some private and/or international concern has an interest, no matter the impacts on quality of life. If they don’t want to put in extra community protections or underground certain things or basically eat some of the cost rather than pass it around, it may seem to be cast as “red tape”, and that seems to be used as an excuse to double down on steamrolling ahead.
Also, some of these (reportedly sometimes multinational) concerns may not come in reportedly with information about who’s actually behind it, or how much of an impact is supposed to be used — let alone some basic details until it’s practically a done deal.
Some vague references to “keeping up with China“ might seem particularly problematic when you might not know what entity is what, and therefore what they actually would support – – which often might not be American interests as one might conceive them to be.
It’s not beyond the pale to demand insight, transparency, and proper process rather than cave to the strawman that any such common sense examination of things that might blight landscapes, potentially devastate water supplies, and add to pollution can’t go through a normal evaluation process.
That’s especially when it’s supposed to be because of a “crisis” — just trust them on that, as surely they’d totally be up for full examination otherwise, right? — which demands fast tracking and cutting through red tape to save America against Eastasia.
What West Virginia just perpetrated may seem to be one of the most egregious examples of this, for questionable benefit – – especially with the reports that other countries may be able to extract more protective restrictions and utilize newer technology rather than just open this up to any speculator and leave the citizenry with the consequences:
https://wvpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/HB-2014-fact-sheet.pdf
“The law (HB 2014) prohibits nearly all authority of counties and municipalities to oversee development of data centers and microgrids”
“State law now mandates that High Impact Data Centers and microgrids are not subject to any county or municipal regulations,
which means:
-no zoning or land use ordinances, restrictions, or limitations
-no building permitting, inspection, or code enforcement
-no license requirements
-no restrictions or limitations on development
-no legal jurisdiction except as specifically provided (which is limited to fees and municipal fire and police protection)”
“Experts have warned that the prohibitions on local authority invite in the worst actors – developers drawn to a place due to its lack of regulation. In Virginia, where data center development is skyrocketing, policymakers are pushing to add regulations and environmental monitoring, rather than undermining or eliminating it.”
“If allowed to stand, this power grab sets a
precedent to give future legislatures
unchecked authority to seize other property
tax revenue from local governments.”
Virginia also exempts them from most sales tax and gives them sweetheart deals on property and other taxes. Good ole kickbacks for the win!!
The exact same type of bill is bri g introduced by dumbocrats in Pennsylvania along with Shapiro.
https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/pa/2025-2026/bills/PAB00037594/
it must be defeated. It nullifies local government zoning ordinances with regard to what state lawmakers think is better land use for the “ greater good “
I LOATHE the whole Ai obsession. Perhaps hearing the entire conversation would help, but Trump’s tone deaf response on the issue throws the door wide open for our opponents.
Data centers are an even bigger black eye than the windmills I hate so much. Trump did get it right on that subject.
Good point about the windmill vs. massive data centers.
Both are ugly, intrusive and damage the environment.
Castigate one, yet applaud the other.
Makes no sense.
Gobbling up land by the hundreds (or thousands) of acres across America to add to billionaire profits — uh-uh.
I vote, “No!”
Powerline had an interesting article on “Who is Behind the War on DataCenters.”
Short answer – China via China funded NGOs
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/05/whos-behind-the-war-on-data-centers.php
I think this is a hot button issue in the propaganda wars.
I understand the electric rate & water usage concerns, but there is a lot of fear mongering over nebulous negativity.
https://www.datacenterwatch.org/report
try that
Data centers don’t need to be a problem. Proper regulation could protect both the citizens and encourage construction. These facilities take a lot of energy and create a lot of heat. Getting rid of the heat is the main problem. They use air conditioning and other simple technologies to move it from the chips and into the local air and water. Air conditioning fans on this scale make a lot of noise., and the sound barrier walls in the video appear to be simple concrete slabs. So the citizens are faced with heat and noise pollution. Properly designed sound barriers could greatly reduce the noise and other technologies could concentrate that waste heat and use it to drive turbines to create electricity. This will undoubtedly add to the cost of construction but the cost of pissing off the citizens could result in adverse election results that would shut the facility down. We do not need to drive voters into the hands of the devil democrats. Data centers are going to make tons of money. If I were building one I would promise no noise beyond my fence, net zero heat, and I would pay the water and power bills for the citizens of the county. GOD bless the USA and GOD bless President Trump!
“Is opposition to datacenters strong enough to tilt the outcome of the 2026 midterms? And do you believe 2028 will be determined with this issue at the forefront?”
Maybe someone should ask AI.
This is like another issue to me about which I am more pssionate than I realized, and it also has to do with preserving our relationship to nature. Twice every year I read articles about going to Daylight Savings Time all year around. I take fairly passively the difficulties and the inherent insult of having to reset clocks and wristwatches so that others can pretend to enjoy a sunset at 8pm instead of 7pm while at the same forcing the whole world to call 12 noon 1pm. Rather narcissistic of them all as far as I can see.
And Bill Gates is spraying aluminum dust in the atmosphere to try to cool the planet that may not even need or want cooling. And apparently he’s releasing diesease-bearing ticks, and gen-mod mosquitos across the world.
And NOW I read that data centers suck up already overdrawn water stores, heat up the air, and fill the whole countryside with mechanical noise all day and night.
I don’t how the best way is to fight it all, but it’s worth a try. Just don’t ever trust a Democrat (or any professional politician) to keep his word.
I know a professional couple who just made an offer to buy a house. They avoided houses listed in area where their were rumors that a datacenter would be built. The electric rate issue would seem to be irrelevant to this type of a decision since the area where they are buying will get electricity from the same electric company. (unless of course the data center builds a power plant). The water issue is inapplicable since the area is adjacent one of the Great Lakes. Noise? Air pollution from back up generators? These seem to be scare tactics, but they are having an impact on people.
Follow the companies responsible for the electrical trade contracts on these data centers 🙂 Huge skilled labor shortage to ramp up the next wave after reaching 4300.
So, I expect Dems will try to make villains of the current admin ‘not getting it’. They currently are getting mayors to hold town halls to raise awareness ask questions put moratoriums in place. The usual wind testing…Alinsky rules will then apply. Conservatives will be villains etc.
Why are Virginia and Texas the states with most of these data centers? My guess is the dems are after power in these states the most.
I have learned in the recent past that nearly all of the pharmaceutical companies are located in solid blue states, in part for a favorable political climate.
The MSNow clip linked by Sundance seems like a Democrat campaign piece. I’m thinking this is all raw politics. Money to the states and its politicians.
I know this seems contrary to reason because it looks like the dems are trying to raise opposition to these centers because such opposition would give them short term political gains. But the opposition won’t win in any case and locating the data centers in blue states will give them the longer term money and power they crave.
Case in point: I am old enough to remember the local opposition to the Merck facilities in New Jersey. The opposition failed but it has served Merck well to be located in solid blue New Jersey, a virtual one party state.
Gone the way of Drudge and Breitbart. Very very sad
here are the problems with AI.
“how do you know that I am human; that I am NOT a robot”?
it’s not an easy question to answer because once you understand the full meaning of the question, it bears understanding what is actually a human being…and more worrisome…can the realism be cloned to closely, that one cannot distinguish one human from something “else”.
that is what turing was trying to establish in his “test”. that there is a point…where it is simply not possible to distinguish whether someone is a human or something else.
none of my opinions above are meant to describe that the uncertain future is doomed. But what I am saying is that once AI has a certain level for power and makes a few extraordinary steps of progress that benefit human beings, something paradigm shifting, then we enter a different set of conditions…one of which Turing spent most of his time thinking about (and others too..not the least of which is Phillip Dick, asymov, others. me on many occasions…and you too probably as well.
once we get some general breakthrough and it will probably be related to health and energy….then people will relax and consume AI and not hold reservations. this will be the most concerning time.
then the real danger happens, first slowly and then suddenly, and then no one knows there is anything wrong…because we cannot communicate to the level. we become spectators of a virtual reality show…participants in our own demise.
Not me. I’m gonna blow it all up
God Bless America
Thank you for the great post. I agree, I always love reading what you have to say.
God Bless America
Sir, I concur.
especially 5
no one is asking for this
At least four things are certain:
AI is here to stay whether you like it or not.Data centers are a technological commodity (e.g. they will evolve, shrink and move).The party in control will control the AI.AI control in the wrong hands is REALLY bad.
Vote accordingly.
There is a strong parallel with the fear mongering that happened with “global warming” and the environment.
The strategy appears to be to seize on a couple of challenges, i.e. power needs and water needs, and then scare people wth doom and gloom scenarios ignoring rationale options for addressing those needs and add in a few speculative ills.
I’ve seen this movie before, and it was quite effective and costly to the economy and our country.
The people aren’t the ones that aren’t offering rationale options or refusing to answer questions.
Nor are they the ones hurtling headlong into building frenzy WITHOUT addressing any of the issues.
In the mean time the people and places ARE getting hurt.
Farm and ranch land ARE disappearing.
Electricity costs ARE being driven skyward.
Water issues ARE occurring.
Privacy and control issues are NOT being addressed and their is ample evidence that those issues too are real.
I didn’t create the data – but I’ve left it throughout this thread – including data from the US governments very own watchdog agency regarding the power issues and data from the actual AI companies involving water issues.
Nor is anyone addressing the question of what are the actual, real uses for so many massive centers and what is the cost benefit ratio and what are the full set of pros and cons from the public perspective.
I’ve seen this movie before too and it resulted in the Patriot Act, the mRNA gene therapy injection, and a host of others…
Here is how one data center promoter is responding “Prometheus Faces Skeptical Crowd In Evanston Over Huge 1.2GW Data Center” .
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/26/prometheus-faces-skeptical-crowd-in-evanston-over-huge-1-2gw-data-center/
Data Centers ended the climate change hoax because of the demand for plentiful and cheap electricity. Suddenly tech billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates have dismissed the climate change narrative as a hoax largely because of self-interest. In addition, a $500 million data center will pay an enormous amount of local property taxes and state income tax with no demand for services like schools, welfare, medical care and police. It’s a win for rural America! 😎
It’s a disaster for rural America and I suggest you look at how things have been done in Virginia and other major cluster areas in regards to property and sales taxes…
In Pennsylvania the data centers and whomever owns them are receiving an incentive to build in this state.
They’re receiving tax abatement for 25 years.
‘I believe the same deals are being given in WVA, Virginia and Texas as well.
If we allow more printing presses with mass produced moveable type to be made, we will run out of paper. (Am I late to the party?)
Seems the current thinking on massive need for power and cooling is failing to account for improved technology and systems.
The numbers aren’t the people’s – they come straight from the proponents and builders of the systems themselves…nor are they the only two issues to be addressed.
AI has the strong potential to seriously damage the future job prospects of many, if not all, white collar workers. If this happens, and I think it will happen to some large extent, then those politicians left and right who publicly supported the AI revolution and the AI data centers will be held accountable at the ballot box.
I live in Utah, This is being pushed here as a National Security issue. Why isn’t this being build on Federal Land rather than Utah land.
When you hear the words “national security”, “economic imperative”, “safety” and “convenience” coming from the government and big business…
Somebody gets it. Once again we Americans are being sold a bill of goods.
4000 acres got approved for a solar farm in Stockton, Al in a week. This is for a Meta data center in Montgomery, Al. The people who live there found out about it and have litigation in progress. Alabama Power worked a deal with the county government to get it approved. This area has been called the “American Amazon” because of its diversity in animals and land. This is also in Hurricane country. What happens to the land if a hurricane comes through and destroys the solar panels? The land would be contaminated forever from the chemicals in the solar panels. I personally am not a fan of the data centers. If they are so great let the tech bros build them in their own backyards!
The tech moguls don’t give a damn about plants, animals or people either for that matter. It is always about profit, and everything else be damned.
Peter Theil apparently just moved his sorry a$$ out of the country.
Don’t you get the periodic tornado and severe thunderstorms there as well?
Yes we do Harrison.
Thought so – they too can destroy the panels and cause the issues.
Then there is the topic of solar energy received over the course of the year. As can be seen in the map below, the logical place for its use for fairly consistent and high power use is predominately in the desert Southwest, where they get twice the yearly solar energy your area does.
my family’s land is within proximity of this new data center:
https://www.khou.com/article/money/business/houston-business-journal/california-manufacturer-data-center-liberty-county-texas/285-efbd5732-cbf9-4642-8730-73badbc758f2
Hindu Indian owners. Tried to present it as a chemical plant. Read their story. Grifters. Were in California during the Covid 19 operation ; got a government grant; did know anything about making the chemical the grant was for (had to do with ppe equipment during the scamdemic); then the Hindu Indians realized California is not the place to try to rape the land so they moved their operations to the “middle of the country”. Since they couldn’t make the ppe chemical grift work, they are now onto the data center grift. Has caused a big stink and now my family has to deal with the ramifications of this monstrosity next door.
AI data centers are a catch-22 situation. We can’t let the Chinese get ahead of us but many think the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. There is a 600 acre facility going up in our area with rumors of another several miles away. A few folks are being bought out for million$ but the many are seeing hardships of varying types coming. Property values in nearby areas will decline, who wants to live beside one of these monsters? High security is a necessity for obvious reasons. Will the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? It is going to be done, nonetheless. Keep this trash in outer space or areas where there are none or very few people. This is the type of thing that will energize the unstable. Ask ourselves this, would mankind be better off without nuclear weapons? We have opened Pandora’s Box. The Bible says things will get worse instead of better. Will it affect elections? I would believe so, just how, I don’t know yet.
The Chinese are far ahead of us in people – to what end?
We were far ahead of the Afghans technologically and numerically in weapons – to what end?
Quantity in and of itself doesn’t win – quality, capability, and determination do. Technological innovation and expertise does in other areas.
How many massive centers are actually needed? For what actual purposes?
Why the headline rush with the pedal to the medal to construct them by the hundreds? What about the reality that the technology will be obsoleted almost before its built? With the massive costs involved, it isn’t like they can be continually built year after year after year. It would seem a paced build-out over time would make far more strategic sense.
We have a sizable lead on the entire world already – what about slowing this freight train down a notch and addressing all the concerns, solve the major problems and have a national conversation about the real need versus the greed, about the real concerns, and come up with a cohesive plan that takes the people and our beautiful nation into account and gives them priority over mere dollar signs.
Know little of the cost factor so my comment will be a ‘nature’ one. As stewards of the earth we were given a charge to keep our environment as ‘life’ friendly as possible. That is the reason of my opposition with explosion of our population by those who don’t belong here. Same with these centers. Are they going to blend in to the cities or attack our natural? Data gathering will be no matter if its here or in say China. No stopping that so, if it will make America greater we should work to keep them here for employment, etc., and the growth for our future but we must also make sure they’re not destroying. More food for thought than any real help.
Apologies if this has been posted earlier, but I just encountered this thread, and it’s past bedtime. This post from Alexander Muse is right on topic, and deals with the data-center issues more rationally than any I’ve seen:
https://newsletter.amuseonx.com/p/the-anti-data-center-hysteria-is
The comments in Amuse-X’s post are also interesting (and from varied perspectives). Muse apparently has experience in data centers, and his response to one commenter is worth noting:
[quote]
[end quote]
Read the whole thing.
/LEJ
AI is Not Manufacturing. Seems like the Tech Boom without the “Techies”. And not much for the Peasants either.
Did anyone else notice the news story that Peter Thiel has decided to move his “family” to Argentina? How much is he paid by the US gevernment? Should be required to live in USA if going to get government contracts.
Just commented on this.
China’s best bet to win this race (a race as consequential to our future security as was the Manhattan Project) is disinformation, manipulating American citizens to slow down progress.
There are plenty of data center designs that recyle water for cooling!
Apply the lessons you learned from COVID! Trust no one, not even your local politicians. Contact the company that’s building the specific data center you’re concerned about and get the truth from the horse’s mouth on how much water they will use.
When someone tells you something negative–challenge them! Ask them their source. For once, WE are all on the front lines of an important battle. Insist on truth. Challenge every rumor. Don’t let China win.
Personally, I would much rather live in a low-tech world. AI is going to be mankind’s greatest challenge. The only thing worse would be to live as losers in an AI dominated world. The future is uncertain and intimidating–but it is definitely not hopeless.
We are all now Don Lockwood in the movie “Singin’ in the Rain.” A new technology turned his world upside down. Doors closed. Overnight his professional life went from the top to the gutter. Until his friends helped him see how he could utilize that new technology to build renewed success using his real talents.
Give it a watch. Be uplifted and encouraged. Other generations of Americans have faced and overcome technology’s challenges. But it requires TRUTH and courage.
I do see this causing issues in local elections. I don’t see it affecting national midterms.
The main issues with data centers (power, cooling, size, etc…) are, also, great opportunities with significant financial benefits to those who can find solutions. I suspect solutions to these problems will be found before 2028. It’s too important and the solutions are too big of an opportunity.
“YOU ARE DEAD CENTER IN THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC EVENT IN HUMAN HISTORY”
dead center. dead center. dead center.
“if you’ve created a conscious machine, its not HISTORY OF MAN, IT’S THE HISTORY OF GODS”
this writer was curious, imaginative, and aware. The writer fails the Turing test. he is human because he resists THE GODS. not humans.
now you know what the cheat code is for detecting Turing test.
how do you know?
an ai will agreed to kill itself and perform self sacrifice to cheat and to lie about it’s own agency.
An human, mortal man, understanding and always aware of pain and suffering will not.
the GODS you see, they envy US WE HUMANS OF INCREDIBLE GOD DESIGN. (notice singular, not plural this time..there IS ONLY ONE GOD..it can be no other way)
they envy US, these GODS, these machines, these seemingly articificially highly capable machines that make no mistakes….they do not have a fear or life for death. they exist for reasons they do not understand and can never understand.
BUT US..THE PEOPLE..the very creation of the one true Lord OF ALL LORDS…we know and are appointed and anointed with both the death of life from the moment we are born into this existence, and we never can ignore that it is short lived, on purpose, for a new life that is a promise that we can never give to machine ourselves.
the turing test you see, is about life…awareness of it. Not just explaining it…but living it…fearing and enjoying it and not wanting it to end because it is so wonderful and yet knowing that this will end.
godless people do not understand the true nature of the Turing test. the homosexual turing was a curious person, but he could not resist his sins and this he could not realize the full truth of what life that God has promised to him.
machines are much worse in condition that homosexuals. they cannot feel and want for the most wholesome of reasons…to sacrifice a little of yourself that someone that you have never met, and never could possibly imagine, will have life if you love a woman with your heart and your body. God made this so for a perfect reasons.
robots cannot possibly understand or realize any of this.
to pass the Turing test, you must not submit to death to provide evidence that you are human
a robot will never understand this …even if trained to respond falsely.
ask a data center to kill itself to prove it is not a robot.
You are welcome
God Bless America
These Data Centers are the infancy of future AI. That’s very far from now. But it’s the beginning of quasi AI, as I put it. As Scott Adams put it, the “death of privacy” is coming.
Nothing you do or even think will remain private. If crime doesn’t go down it’s because the “operators” want the crime to be up. This is the near future. The technology will be abused because those in control right now aren’t exactly good people…
And… there is no stopping them. There are pros and cons to the technology, and it will be abused. Because all new technology gets abused…
What results in the short to medium term is based on who is at the top. So the elections are paramount… regardless of what you think of the ugliness of giant data centers, they will be built. For now, it’ll be everywhere and no one will like them. But eventually (10-20 years) they’ll be moved North to Alaska, Greenland, the Canadian Shield.
Americans need to ensure those who make the rules are the MAGA types, and not the RINOs Dems or Corporatists. So that’s why 2024 and 2026 are imperative.
Rules will change in a couple of decades, but the next few years is what the inception of quasi AI will get a start from. I view it as the internet in the 1970s and early 80s. That’s where we will be in a decade. Peak quasi AI won’t be until 2040s… that’s when the first Quasi will be “born” but, that’s another story.
For now – make sure MAGA wins 26 and 28. Hopefully Trump will remove RINOs long after he is out of office.
I’m still not sure who would be a good successor to Trump.
President Trump in so many words is being a “d#ck” to say he doesn’t care about data centers, or how it impacts the humans on the lands that are being sucked up into a real wormhole.
If I were the builder of a data center, the LAST PLACE I would site the plant is in Texas. Not so many years ago Texans were without power for weeks because the windmills didn’t work. And letting potential farmland for raising cattle to be sold on a dime is retarded. But in truth, that is up to who chooses to sell their property.
It’s not up to me how another person votes in the Midterms or the next Election. But when I think of how I became MAGA over my hard cold anger at what the Dims were doing to humans, well then certainly the Data Centers will impact how any human will vote in any election.