Americans’ growing opposition to the prevalence of data centers has led many politicians to limit or pause their increase altogether.
Lawmakers in New York and Texas, for example, have effected stoppages of data center projects, while other states, such as Pennsylvania, have issued more restrictions on data center construction. Americans’ support for data centers has generally plummeted, as critics have linked them to higher utility bills — reflecting extraordinary water and energy usage — being experienced by local communities.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a sprawling data center moratorium in early August as residents soured on data centers. Abbott claimed his moratorium would protect Texans.
“My directive has halted up to 1,800 data center projects. I established guidelines & guardrails to protect Texas communities,” he wrote in a Wednesday post to social media, adding that data centers must not take water from communities, tax the Texas energy grid, or otherwise disrupt communities.