Data center resistance has arrived

Thomas, who won re-election last week, points to local opposition against the proposed Prince William Digital Gateway, which would put more than 30 data centers on the edge of a national preserve located upstate. A group of homeowners objected to the project in court, and a judge overturned the zoning in August, temporarily halting construction.

“The little guy finally won, which is something that rarely happens in any industry, let alone where the Big 10 play,” he says, referring to the largest US technology companies. “I think this rallied people politically in Virginia.”

Thomas, like Hubbard, also says he sees a lot of his constituents concerned about how data centers will impact their electric bill. “People are becoming more cost conscious,” he says. Energy bills “are something that has been relatively constant for a number of years,” Thomas says. But in Virginia, electricity is charged from data centers Assistance in raising utility billsThomas says.

Both Thomas and Hubbard are Democrats, but opposition to data centers, the Data Center Watch report confirms, has been entirely bipartisan. And some national Republican politicians, incl Senator Josh HawleyRep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have begun speaking out against them.

“Folks, you need to pay close attention to your local city, county and state data center approvals and demand protection for your water and energy bills!!!” Green, who has criticized data center expansion for months, Published on X On November 7th.

Big tech companies have so far made few public statements about backing away from data center projects. While some, like Meta, provide Public facing information In their own data centers, others in the industry rely heavily on it Non-disclosure agreements When new data centers are built, little information is provided to communities about these projects, including which technology companies may be involved.