Hyperscale data centers are being proposed nationwide.
So far in 2026, nearly $200 billion in data center development has been blocked or delayed in the United States. Local communities have organized, spoken up at council meetings, staged protests, and used traditional and social media to make their voices heard.
Be prepared to take action to prevent a data center bringing noise, air, and water pollution, and other harms to your community.
The time to start organizing is now!
Organize your neighbors! Across the country we are seeing huge numbers of community members show up at events like local council meetings to oppose data centers and the accompanying pollution. Even if you don’t have a proposed data center near you, the time to act is now. And if Big Tech has already proposed a project, work with your neighbors to ensure it will benefit the community. Green America’s 10 Steps to Ensure AI Data Centers Benefit Your Community is a great resource to get you started.
Research the development. Find out everything you can about the developer, the tech companies that will use the data center, and major contractors. If there's a non-disclosure agreement in place, demand that your elected officials provide greater transparency – you may be able to use your states' open records laws to obtain documents. Try to find out the anticipated land, water, and energy impacts and if there are estimates of noise and air pollution. Find out if the developer, contractors, or tech companies behind the AI Data center have been fined for environmental impacts of prior developments. The more you know the stronger your case will be.
Table at local events and farmer markets – talk one on one with your neighbors, get them to sign a petition, and if people are really engaged, ask them to join you in speaking to elected officials (make sure to get their contact information). You can also reach your neighbors and community through social media and list serves, and post petitions online. Education and mobilization are key to success.
Attend town hall/council meetings and speak up. Your local officials wittingly or not will play a big role in how or if data centers are going to be built. Many are going along with the scheme to get a harmful data center built without public input. And if they are not held accountable to their community, they will likely let Big Tech build. If you are not part of the most impacted community, remember to support the voices of communities at greatest risk from data centers without speaking for them. Demand that local leaders put guardrails in place to prevent predatory data centers.
Success Story! Local officials in Plymouth Township, a suburb of Philadelphia, were prohibited by state law from simply saying “no” to a proposed 2 million square foot data center. So, they issued an ordinance with a 43-point list of requirements for development that would need to be met to develop the data center – covering land use, noise, air quality, and other impacts. The developer is now suing, but the project is on hold.
Get guarantees from elected officials that they won't sign NDAs. Most of Big Tech is muffling policy makers by making them sign Non-Disclosure Agreements which is putting the veil of secrecy and the environmental footprint of data centers. And sometimes even whose data center it is!?
Go to candidate meetings and ask questions. We are already seeing the issue of data centers impact elections. And politicians are paying attention. Attend their rallies or town halls. Bring your friends with signs. Download fact sheets to give to them.
Success Story! In Calvert County, MD, Amazon abandoned development of hyperscale data centers after local residents ousted three county commissioners who previously voted against a pause on data centers. The opposition to hyperscale data centers in Calvery County then scored another victory when a six-month moratorium was put in place in August 2026.
Talk to the press, write letters to the editor, get on social media! There is a lot of media coverage on data centers across the country. But ensuring your local media is aware of the issue and the opposition is another way to mobilize your community and deliver your message to Big Tech. Highlight false and misleading claims by developers and tech titans and provide reporters with facts. If you and your neighbors or friends are going to a city or county council meeting to speak out, call the local media and let them know.
Demonstrate outside of government buildings, proposed data center sites, or developer offices. Make creative signs and fun chants. Hand out fliers. Sing pop songs where you swap out the lyrics to oppose data centers. Invite the media and give a prepared statement. Post your protest on social media or livestream it to get the word out further.
Lastly, tell Big Tech companies, like Meta, their data centers are polluting communities and making climate change worse. Big Tech made commitments to renewable energy and zero climate footprint. Hold them to those promises via emails, phone calls, social media, letters to the editor!
Take Action With Green America!
Success Story! Residents and officials in Edgecomb County, NC successfully fought off a $19.2 billion data center. The data center would have occupied up to 300 acres and used up to 900MW of power. The county board of commissioners denied a special-use permit for the project, and subsequently approved a 24-month moratorium on data centers.
Find more inspiring stories of communities pushing back against polluting data centers at Green America’s webinar, Communities vs. Meta: Fighting Data Centers, featuring local activists fighting hyperscale data centers in Texas, Louisiana, and Ohio.
