Data centers face pushback at the ballot box

Well, data centers are on the ballot in the election cycle. Yeah, voters across the country are being asked to decide whether the industry can keep building in their backyards. Good news, Alex Whittler is at the Fox 5 Live desk with more. Yeah, good morning to both of you. Data centers have been a hot-button issue across the country, including right here in metro Atlanta, and now their fate could end up in voters' hands. There are 49 ballot measures related to this critical piece of AI infrastructure. Six have already been voted on, and all outcomes spell toward limiting development. This issue has created a lot of controversy. States like Texas and New York have issued moratoriums or pauses on the development. Even here in Georgia, several cities and counties have done the same. Critics claim data centers will consume large amounts of electricity and water, which will impact communities and cost them. One supporter says community outreach should have been started sooner. Yes, the effort probably should have started a lot earlier. You know, again, this industry is working to build out the infrastructure, to sustain the 21st century economy, to ensure that the U.S. is the world's leader in advanced technologies. There are huge benefits for states that do build data centers. Brand new data from the Chamber of Commerce finds that building just one mid-sized data center supports roughly 5,200 jobs and pumps nearly $700 million into the host state's GDP annually, at least during construction. Now, still, those reported benefits might not outweigh residents' concerns. We will know, though, in just a couple of weeks as to what voters have to say. Ron? Not far away at all. All right, Alex, thank you so much.