Climate activists pivot to fight against data centers

After the Green New Deal Network folded at the end of 2025, climate organizers have turned their attention to blocking new data centers across the United States. The shift has drawn in a broader coalition concerned about energy use, water consumption, and rising electricity costs.

The Green New Deal Network, a coalition of climate, labor, and social justice groups, ended operations on December 31, 2025. Its former director of campaigns and politics, Saul Levin, now runs a Signal chat with about 350 members in 40 states to coordinate opposition to data centers.

Local groups including the Sunrise Movement have mobilized in cities such as Dallas, Denver, Pittsburgh, and Lansing, Michigan. In Seattle, the city council approved a moratorium on new large facilities earlier this month after learning five major projects could require one-third of the city’s typical daily power use.

A letter sent to Congress this month calling for a nationwide moratorium drew signatures from more than 500 environmental organizations. In the first three months of 2026, opponents blocked or delayed at least 75 proposed facilities valued at nearly $130 billion, according to organizers.

A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report found data centers could drive about one-third of U.S. electricity demand growth between 2024 and 2030. Gallup polling shows 75 percent of Democrats and 63 percent of Republicans oppose building such facilities in their communities.

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Protesters blocking data center construction sites across the United States in 2026.
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Protests block 130 billion dollars in data center projects in early 2026

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Communities across the United States blocked or delayed at least 75 data center projects worth about 130 billion dollars from January through March 2026. Researchers described the period as the most blocked and delayed on record since tracking began in 2023. The opposition reflects a structural shift in local resistance to such developments.

Opposition to large data centers is emerging across party lines in several states. Recent moves by governors in Texas and New York highlight the trend. Local votes and polling show broad public resistance.

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President Trump met with executives from major tech companies last month, where they signed a voluntary pledge to cover energy costs for their data centers. The agreement, dubbed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, includes securing their own power supplies and funding necessary infrastructure. Critics have dismissed it as lacking enforcement mechanisms.

Residents packed a virtual town hall meeting to express strong opposition to the rapid expansion of data centers in Pennsylvania. Speakers blamed the projects for higher electricity costs, heavy water consumption, and noise issues while criticizing Governor Josh Shapiro for supporting the industry.

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California Resources Corporation has unveiled plans for a large data center campus in an active oil field in the state's Central Valley. The project aims to leverage existing infrastructure to minimize community opposition. Environmental groups have raised concerns about increased emissions.

In response to a bipartisan letter from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley, the US Energy Information Administration plans a mandatory nationwide survey on data centers' energy use—the first effort to collect such data amid AI-driven growth. WIRED obtained the EIA's letter to the senators detailing the initiative.

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