[unshavedyak]

> While Americans Oppose AI Data Centers

I know it's more mixed and complex than this, but i think a big opposition is not to the data centers themselves but to their locations. Too often it feels like the centers are exploiting local resources and community infrastructure rather than paying their share or locating themselves in places that are less likely to cause problems to home owners.

The whole process feels indifferent or even adversarial at times.

[adfm]

You’d think they’d have the green data center thing down already, but that ain’t going to happen when politicians still boast “clean coal” and moan on about wind farms. It takes real leadership and economic force to transition towards a green economy, therefore you’re going to get pushback while heading toward a brick wall.

A good start would be to limit new data center construction to zero-emissions DC-only compute. Slap a ZEDCO badge on it and you’ll get that buy-in you’re looking for.

[organsnyder]

I think the difference is that many data centers are being built as cheaply as possible, with no regards for noise prevention, their effect on the energy grid, etc. Data centers have been located near people for decades, but most of them are completely inconspicuous because they are designed to mitigate their effect on their surroundings.

[gramie]

Not to mention raising local temperatures by as much as 16°F

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/30/climate/data-centers-are-...

[xp84]

This smacks of sensationalism - we are talking very local temperatures, not like, the metro area went from 100 highs in summer to 116 because of a DC. And the “16” number was one specific DC in one study, and we don’t know what were the conditions before. We already knew 30 years ago that paved built areas are heat islands so if a green field is a data center with cooling fans it’s not scary or surprising that it emits heat that can be detected. It’s like any factory.

But I don’t see how local temperatures on the site of the DC itself is somehow an existential threat to people in the area unless their house is 50’ away from it.

At the end of the day NIMBYs always have their opinions about everything from views to noise to traffic, but there’s a limit to how much rights one has to control the property beyond one’s own land.

[forshaper]

Cold storage warehouses, industrial greenhouses, indoor ag, are all similar but who protests those.

I think there's something social going on.

[rwyinuse]

Those consume nowhere near as much electricity as data centers.

Of course electricity wouldn't be such a problem if US government chose to invest in cheap, sustainable energy sources and upgrade its grid. China is building solar and nuclear like crazy, and that gives them a massive advantage here.

Hopefully in future elections Americans choose a candidate and party that isn't bought by the fossil fuel lobby.

[xp84]

No, we will only get to pick between “bought by fossil fuel lobby,” and, “degrowth moron” - case in point Newsom, a serious presidential candidate who is killing off our refineries while not doing enough to make EVs work for common people. You can say that’s a hard problem and takes a ton of time and work, but a responsible politician would not hurt the high percentage of Californians who can’t afford an EV or can’t charge it, by driving out refineries.

And Newsom also doesn’t support nuclear, while our electricity prices are already over double most other states.

The Democratic Party’s modern strategy about energy seems to be to just throw wrenches into the existing fossil fuel world (because that’s the easy part) and then wag the finger at consumers when they complain. “Well, you gross polluter, you should have just bought a $40,000 EV and a $700,000 house to put $25,000 solar panels on!”

To be clear, I’d love to vote for a Democrat who had a real energy policy that replaced dirty energy with clean, and was able to get tons of people into EVs where practical.

[genewitch]

industrial greenhouses make noise? I live near Forest Hill, LA, which is where tons of nurseries set up, dozens and dozens. they all have greenhouses. No noise. I bet their electrical connections don't raise prices of local residents, either.

So is it the water? I don't know where i sit on the water argument. Equinix near LAX had chillers, i guess, but really it's just massive HVAC. chillers don't work everywhere (my understanding). I don't remember plumes of humidity coming off the facility, either. I also don't remember being able to hear it from outside the building, or even in the foyer before you went through the mancatchers.