There has been strong public opposition to data centers being built for artificial intelligence (AI) in various states in the US. Recently, as technology companies have started expanding data centers to rural areas in the US rather than urban areas, some local residents have even demonstrated to protect their natural resources.

Voices of opposition to data centers have spread to dozens of states in the US, including Utah, Missouri, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and Oregon. A nationwide movement has been called for in the US today (July 18).

There is great concern among the public, especially about the increase in electricity prices, the destruction of agricultural land, and the excessive use of water. According to a Gallup survey cited by Forbes, 71 percent of Americans are currently opposed to building data centers in their own area. “The survey shows that local residents are more opposed to building data centers near their homes than to building nuclear power plants,” Forbes wrote. “The biggest opposition to nuclear technology has now reversed.”

Locals have strongly opposed the construction of a data center in Utah’s Bucks Alder County on an area twice the size of Manhattan. There, Shark Tank celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary is working with the Utah Military Infrastructure Development Authority to build a data center and energy campus called the Stratus Project. The data center will cover 40,000 acres, or about 160 square kilometers, according to the Bucks Alder County website . Hundreds of local residents demonstrated outside the hall during a public hearing on the project last month. After the protests escalated, the county commissioner left the stage and went to a secret room to approve the project via livestream.

In Festus and Jefferson counties in Missouri, angry people also voted to approve a $6 billion data center project. Politico reported that half of the city council members were defeated in the election. All four city council members who contested the election were defeated. “Locals complain that the administration has ignored them despite repeated warnings that the data center project will increase local electricity bills, cause water shortages and negatively impact the community,” the news said. “Locals have formed a group called Wake Up Jeff and filed a lawsuit against the county and the company.”

Protests have flared in Georgia over the deterioration and discoloration of drinking water after the construction of a Meta data center. Similar protests are also taking place in Texas and Arizona. A constitutional amendment has been proposed in Ohio to completely ban the construction of data centers that consume more than 25 megawatts of electricity. OpenAI and Microsoft have announced investments in data center construction there. Local residents have begun to portray data centers as ‘resource-sucking monsters’. They are concerned that these centers will increase the cost of electricity to the public. A single project in Utah is estimated to consume more electricity than the entire state. Farmers are concerned that the billions of gallons of water used to cool data center servers have increased the risk of drought and reduced agricultural land. Locals claim that the constant noise (noise pollution) from data centers has affected public life and even home values.

This dispute is not limited to the local level, but has reached the US Parliament (Congress). Senator Bernie Sanders has filed a bill in Congress demanding an immediate ban on the construction of data centers. Similarly, House member

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has presented a sample of water contaminated by data centers in Congress. “These huge data centers require a lot of water to operate and cool, which is affecting local drinking water sources and polluting the water,” she said in Congress. “Technology is good, but it should not come at the cost of public health, natural resources, and a clean environment for local communities.”

About 14 states in the United States are preparing to introduce various laws and restrictions to stop or regulate the construction of data centers. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has also objected to the lack of immediate regulation in this area.

   Technology companies, on the other hand, have been presenting data centers as a basis for economic development. Sam Altman, the head of Open AI, has claimed that data centers in the future will be able to find a cure for cancer and revolutionize education. Companies have argued that this will create thousands of jobs and strengthen the economy. Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of a new data center called ‘The Barn’ in Saline Township, Michigan, Altman said, ‘This place (The Barn Data Center) could become a center for tutoring,’ and the capabilities of AI and the power of this data center could even help find treatments for serious diseases like cancer in the future.’ However, experts consider this to be an exaggerated claim by the companies. According to energy expert Robert Bryce, 9 data center projects were stopped in 2024, and 107 such projects have been banned or blocked in the first 6 months of 2026. According to experts, this protest is not only an environmental issue but also a rebellion against technology companies. Even though people can't fight big tech companies online, they are venting their anger by blocking their physical infrastructure at the local level.