Overview
- Local resistance has moved into ballots and rules: more than 30 local measures are set for November and Ohio alone accounts for 21 measures, while dozens of towns and several states have adopted moratoriums or paused permits.
- The political stakes have escalated into big ad buys and targeted attacks, with the Ohio Senate race accounting for over $14 million in data center–focused advertising that ties candidates to tax breaks and rising utility costs.
- State leaders have split from the White House stance: President Trump and the administration back rapid expansion while governors in places such as Texas, New York and Massachusetts have ordered pauses, tighter conditions or new review steps for projects.
- Federal approvals are contested, too: developers sought to build on public land and the Bureau of Land Management approved the Townsite site, but a judge blocked construction by finding the agency relied on an outdated environmental review.
- Voter concerns drive the backlash because people expect higher electricity bills, heavy water use, noise and loss of farmland, which has pushed regulators to consider rules that require developers to offset power use or pay to protect local ratepayers and resources.