90.5% of Local Public Comments in the US Oppose Data Centers

    Opposition to data center construction is rapidly growing in the US. A new database contains 10,202 public comments collected from 906 meetings held by 417 local governments across 48 states. Of the submissions, 90.5% opposed data centers, while only 7% supported the projects. The database on the “American Sentiment” website is operated by the artificial intelligence (AI) startup “Prophecy Gov.”    The remaining 2.5% of the comments consisted of questions about the projects. At 73% of the meetings, not a single resident supported the construction of data centers. Even at meetings where positive views were expressed, opponents outnumbered supporters by approximately 6 to 1. Opposition levels were nearly identical in districts dominated by Republicans and Democrats.    Rural residents are more concerned about farmland and property rights. In cities and suburbs, pollution, electricity costs, local government accountability and the withholding of information came to the fore. Water consumption is the most frequently discussed issue. One data center used approximately 110 million liters of water in May 2026. Afterward, a decrease in water pressure was observed in nearby homes.    According to “Microsoft,” the annual water consumption of new AI facilities may be comparable to the amount of water used by restaurants. However, this statement has not eased local communities’ concerns about water resources. Major technology companies such as “Google,” “Amazon,” “Meta” and “Microsoft” were mentioned in the discussions. Nevertheless, AI was discussed in only 21% of the submissions.    Among individuals, Elon Musk, the head of “SpaceX” and “xAI,” was mentioned most often. He was followed by “OpenAI” CEO Sam Altman and “Palantir” co-founder Peter Thiel. Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos were also mentioned in local discussions. The opposition was primarily related not to AI but to electricity prices, water shortages, pollution and the impact of construction on the local area.    Approximately 79% of those who said they were union members supported new data centers. Among property owners and other residents, that figure was only 3%. Just 40% of those working in the data center sector viewed the construction of additional facilities favorably. Thus, the promise of new jobs has not gained broad support among local residents.