Overview
- Opponents blocked or slowed more than 75 data center projects between January and March 2026, stalling roughly $130 billion in planned investment.
- A Gallup poll reported that about 71% of voters do not want data centers built in their area, a finding that cuts across party lines and fuels the movement.
- Municipal actions have multiplied: dozens of towns have imposed temporary moratoria and Monterey Park, California, voters approved the first permanent citywide ban.
- State regulators and federal lawmakers are proposing new reporting rules, ratepayer protections and moratoria as the issue moves from local fights to broader policy debates.
- The dispute centers on large power and water demands that can trigger costly utility upgrades paid by customers and on competing claims that limits could raise computing costs and concentrate market power with the largest tech firms.