As the race to build data centers across the United States accelerates, local governments worry that the tech industry mantra of “” means their communities are at risk of being broken.
I’m a studying the relationship between data centers and energy. I’ve closely monitored how local governments respond to proposals or even just concerns about the potential for data centers in their communities. What I’ve found is a complex story of community needs, political tensions and corporate power – all interacting with local, state and national democratic processes.
Promises and potential
Technology companies stay competitive by being ready to provide data and communications services . Data centers already , shopping and banking systems. Now, expanding demand for artificial intelligence has led to across the country.
Federal actions also drive development. The Trump administration has . The administration has promoted data center capacity as a and signaled that may be eased.
At the community level, technology companies , economic revitalization, digital connectivity and economic growth to local communities.
Not great neighbors
So far, however, are overshadowed by .
Nearby residents experience and . Data processing also uses a lot of to .
Simultaneously, continue to outpace inflation, burdening families across the country. These trends reflect, in part, the needed to power data centers.
The local movement
My research has found that local governments across the U.S. are trying to avoid or reduce these harms.
Some counties and cities that don’t have specific zoning rules and regulations for data center development are using short-term moratoriums. These pauses in data center permitting and construction give communities time to consider how to define new laws and regulations about the facilities’ location, electricity use, water conservation and noise buffering.
Speaking about his town’s decision to impose a one-year data center moratorium, Rick Bella, the town council president in Merrillville, Indiana, about 40 miles southeast of Chicago, stressed a desire to “ and learn from a project developing right next door before determining what may or may not be appropriate for Merrillville.”
Other places want to block data centers altogether. In April 2026, for example, the near Detroit, Michigan, passed a yearlong halt to the “delivery, commitment, reservation, extension, or approval of water and sewer services” for data centers. The move blocks data centers, including one under development by the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory, from they need to operate.
Separately, towns across Ohio, Wisconsin, Maryland, Nevada and California have put . Through these referendums, voters can weigh in on construction bans, tax incentives and zoning ordinances.
Power struggles
While public attitudes around data centers have remained largely , local and state officials don’t always see eye to eye.
Officials in Hood County, Texas, for example, after a state senator urged the Texas attorney general to intervene and prevent the measure.
In 2025, passed a bill that reduces local governments’ zoning and regulatory powers in relation to data centers and microgrids. A similar bill in ’s legislature was defeated in May 2026.
Tech companies are also flexing their legal and financial muscles. For example, data center developers sued , and , seeking to overturn their local zoning decisions, to be able to proceed with data center construction.
Changing tides
Local pushback comes at a pivotal moment for artificial intelligence technology itself.
As seen in to the internet’s expanding ,” backlash over AI-generated , worries about and complaints about to AI-directed search, Americans are reckoning with AI’s role in society.
Further, many people are questioning the role of technology broadly. Increasing numbers of teens and adults are , emotionally and psychologically dependent on their availability. Parents and teachers are questioning the . Even the pope has warned that – and not the other way around.
Americans are responding to this moment through the power of their voices and votes.
Technology companies may view moratoriums and new regulations as delays in project development. But the town hall discussions, , and even reflect American democracy at work.
In , local officials considered a moratorium only after witnessing the scope of public protest over a proposed data center.
In April 2026, voters in , removed several City Council members after they supported a new data center despite resident pushback.
The question of whether a community wants or should have a data center does not have a universal answer. I believe it’s a question that deserves deliberate processes, transparency and consideration.
To me, these local-level actions reflect a desire to slow down. There is little question that data centers and AI will be part of our collective future. Today, communities are asking for a fair say in what their futures will be.
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