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.
Data Center Watch, a project from AI intelligence firm 10a Labs, reported the figures to NBC News. Researchers noted that opposition groups have more than doubled to 833 across 49 states, with communities adopting an effective playbook that includes legislative efforts and early mobilization.
Sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom observed organizers in North Carolina and wrote in a New York Times op-ed that residents are gaining a sense of political power through the campaigns. She described participants crossing political lines and attending sessions on water rights and land use.
AI firms have pushed back with arguments about economic benefits and claims of external influence. OpenAI released a report stating that accounts originating in China spread anti-data-center messages on social media before the company banned them.
Proponents also highlighted examples such as data centers contributing nearly half of property-tax revenue in Loudoun County, Virginia, and sales tax increases that funded teacher bonuses in a Louisiana parish.