[glaslong]

I think the problem is that "make them build responsibly" has the same outcome as "ban altogether" while being more effort on both sides.

It's too much easier and cheaper to drive one town over and bribe a local politician to let you pollute the river with impunity.

Maybe if we had some sort of Environmental Protection Agency or Federal Trade Commission that could enforce more broadly it would be a different story, and every hyperscaler DC could come with a guarantee of boosting clean energy and water reclamation. That would be a cool thing to have.