Data centers could actually be good for your hometown
Data centers are facing increasing opposition across the United States, with many communities canceling proposed projects. While concerns about environmental impact and rising electricity costs are prevalent, data centers can also provide significant economic benefits, including job creation and tax revenue. The debate continues as some lawmakers push for moratoriums on new constructions amid fears related to artificial intelligence development.
- ▪Data centers can increase local air pollution, although their emissions vary widely.
- ▪The construction of data centers in the U.S. has surged from $15 billion to over $35 billion between 2022 and 2025.
- ▪At least 20 data center projects have been shelved in the first quarter of this year due to public backlash.
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PoliticsData centers could actually be good for your hometownThe case for the buildings America loves to hate.by Eric LevitzMay 18, 2026, 10:00 AM UTCShareGiftAn aerial view of a 33 megawatt data center (C) with closed-loop cooling system on April 14, 2026 in Vernon, California. Getty ImagesEric Levitz is a senior correspondent at Vox. He covers a wide range of political and policy issues with a special focus on questions that internally divide the American left and right. Before coming to Vox in 2024, he wrote a column on politics and economics for New York Magazine.The only good data center is a canceled data center.Or so a growing number of Americans seem to feel.Throughout the United States, citizens are mobilizing against the construction of new data centers in general — and the…
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