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data centers

Stop data centers? How it works, and why we say build

Sign the counter-petition. It's one click. Hosted in a data center.

What 'stop data centers' asks for

Three levels of 'no'.

  • Local: moratoriums and bans. Estimates vary, but opponents have prompted about 500 local moratoriums nationwide[10]. Seattle passed a one-year pause, and Monterey Park, California voters backed a ban in June 2026[14].
  • State: statewide moratorium bills were introduced in 14 states in early 2026[9]. New York became the first state to pause permits for new hyperscale data centers on July 14, 2026, for up to one year[13]. Maine's legislature passed a moratorium that the governor vetoed[14].
  • Federal: a March 2026 bill would pause new data centers nationwide until national safeguards exist. It is considered unlikely to advance[12].

Why that's a mistake

AI and cloud computing aren't optional anymore. Global data center electricity use is on track to more than double by 2030[2], and the United States accounted for 45% of it in 2024, with China second at 25%[2]. Demand doesn't vanish when a county says no. It moves to the next county, or the next country. Meanwhile the towns that said yes cash the checks: Loudoun County collected $1.2 billion in data center property tax in FY2026, 39% of its budget[3].

The counter-petition

One pledge: 'I support building more data centers, more power and more compute in America.' Add your name below once signing opens. We'll show a real count, never a made-up one. A name on a list is good. A person at the microphone is better: 73% of 2026 local meetings on data centers had zero supporters speak, and where supporters did show up they were outnumbered 6 to 1[7]. Sign, then show up.

How campaigns stop data centers, lever by lever

One national organizing network maps seven 'gateways' where a project can be stopped[16]. Here is each one, with our counter-move.

  • Site selection and land: they organize before the project is announced. Counter: ask your county to pre-zone sites for data centers, so the debate happens once, in daylight.
  • Power and utilities: they challenge rate cases. Counter: back tariffs that make data centers pay for their own capacity, as PJM's market monitor recommends[4].
  • Water and sewer: they use environmental comment periods. Counter: ask for air-side economizers and dry coolers, which cut water use[1].
  • Tax incentives: they pack the abatement hearing. Counter: bring the Loudoun numbers[3] and ask for a fair deal, not a giveaway.
  • Financing: they create 'social license' risk for lenders. Counter: visible local support is social license.
  • Construction and operating permits: they fight each permit. Counter: comment in favor during every window.
  • Operations: they watchdog the running facility. Counter: so should everyone. Good operators welcome it.

The paperwork lesson

The biggest data center campus fight in the country was lost on paperwork. Prince William County's Digital Gateway, over 22 million square feet of data centers on 2,000 acres in Virginia, died after a judge found its rezonings void due to improper public notice, a ruling the Court of Appeals upheld on March 31, 2026[15]. The final developer withdrew in July 2026[15]. Lesson for builders: do the notice right. Lesson for supporters: be at the hearing, on the record.

The 'stop data centers' scoreboard

  • May 2024 to March 2025: $18 billion of projects blocked and $46 billion delayed, according to one tracker[6]
  • Q1 2026: about 75 projects worth roughly $130 billion blocked or delayed[9]
  • Opposition groups: more than doubled since late 2025, now in 49 states[9]
  • November 3, 2026: about 41 data center ballot measures in ten states, all but one on track to lose for the industry[11]

The demand side of the scoreboard: global data center power use is still on track to more than double by 2030[2]. Blocking a site doesn't cancel the server. It relocates it.

Stop data centers coalitions and petitions

The movement now counts about 640,000 active people, and 220 new groups formed between June and August 2026[5]. Abroad, a UK campaign petitions its government to pause new data center developments until it sets a framework for how many are needed[17]. Petitions build mailing lists. The binding votes happen at county boards, utility commissions and courts. That's where our counter-petition aims too.

What would actually fix the complaints

  • Power bills: data centers buy their own capacity in a dedicated auction, as PJM's market monitor proposes[4].
  • Water: air-side economizers and dry coolers instead of evaporative cooling where water is short[1].
  • Secrecy: no nondisclosure agreements with local officials. One study found them in 25 of 31 Virginia localities it examined[5].
  • Noise: enforceable limits at the property line, written into the permit.
  • Taxes: publish the deal and the payback.

Do that, and most of the 'stop' turns into 'start'.

Sign the counter-pledge

"I support building more data centers, more power and more compute in America."

Sign with your email in the box at the bottom of this page.

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FAQ

Can a town stop a data center?

Yes, through zoning and permits. That's why showing up to hearings matters.

Who wants to stop data centers?

A mix of local residents, some environmental groups and some local officials. Motives vary.

How do you stop a data center from being built?

Opponents usually work through local government: zoning votes, moratoriums, tax abatement hearings, utility rate cases and environmental permit comments[16]. Courts matter too: Virginia's Digital Gateway rezoning was voided over improper public notice[15]. We think the better move is to make the project fair, so it gets built and pays its way.

Has any state banned data centers?

Not permanently, as far as we could verify. New York became the first state to pause permits for new hyperscale data centers on July 14, 2026, for up to one year while it writes standards[13]. Maine's legislature passed a moratorium in April 2026, but the governor vetoed it[14]. Many towns and counties have local pauses.

Is there a national coalition to stop data centers?

There are many groups rather than one. Opposition groups more than doubled after late 2025 and now span 49 states[9], and one count puts about 640,000 people in the movement[5]. National networks publish toolkits and maps[18], but most fights are still run by local residents around a single project.

Do petitions to stop data centers work?

Petitions alone rarely decide anything. The binding votes happen at county boards, state permitting agencies and in court. What petitions do well is turn people out: in 2026, 90.5% of public comments at local data center meetings were opposed[7]. If you support a project, a comment on the record beats a signature.

Why do people want to stop data centers?

The top concerns in 2026 public comments were water use (36%), quality of life (34%) and lack of transparency (33%)[7]. Power bills, noise and the environment also come up often[8]. All of these can be written into a permit or a tariff, which is why we push for better projects, not fewer.

What happens after a data center moratorium?

It depends on the rules. New York's pause holds new state environmental permits for up to one year while the state studies energy demand, water use and air quality. The governor's office says the moratorium will be lifted once those standards are final[13].

Is there a map of proposed data centers?

Yes, several. A community organizing library lists three interactive data center maps alongside toolkits and videos[18]. Supporters can use the same maps to find the next hearing and show up for the project. Check your county's meeting calendar too, since that is where the vote happens.

Sources

  1. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report (Shehabi et al., Dec 2024)
  2. International Energy Agency, Energy and AI, executive summary (April 2025)
  3. Loudoun County, 'Data Centers: The Loudoun Story'
  4. Monitoring Analytics (PJM Independent Market Monitor), Market Monitor Report, MC Information Webinar, 2026-07-27
  5. NPR, Scott Neuman, 'The data center backlash is reshaping American politics, one community at a time'
  6. Data Center Watch, '$64 billion of data center projects have been blocked or delayed amid local opposition'
  7. American Sentiment (Prophecy Gov data), 'America on Data Centers'
  8. ACLED, Kieran Doyle, 'US data center unrest is causing political and commercial risks, and it shows no signs of stopping'
  9. Data Center Watch, Q1 2026 report
  10. NPR / WAMU, Jenny Abamu, Maryland activist and the blocked Landover data center
  11. ABC News (Australia), Cam Wilson, analysis of US midterm data center results
  12. PBS NewsHour / Associated Press, Matthew Daly, 'Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders push bill to impose AI data center moratorium'
  13. Office of the Governor of New York, 'First Statewide Moratorium on New Hyperscale Data Centers Launched'
  14. Wikipedia, 'Opposition to AI data centers' (revision of 8 November 2026)
  15. WTOP News, 'Digital Gateway data center project dies after final developer withdraws appeal'
  16. Halt the Harm Network, Stop Bad Data Centers, '7 Intervention Gateways'
  17. Global Action Plan, 'Tell the Government to stop dirty data centres'
  18. The Commons Social Change Library, 'How to Stop a Data Centre: Tools for Community Resistance'

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