Opposition to data center construction has delayed or blocked more than $130 billion across more than 75 U.S. projects, with more than 800 organized resistance groups active across 49 states. Data Center Watch tracked the figure rising from $64 billion in blocked or delayed projects between May 2024 and March 2025, to $98 billion between late March and June 2025, reaching roughly $130 billion by early 2026. A March 2026 Gallup poll found 71% of Americans oppose an AI data center in their local area; Zvi puts the figure at 75%, above opposition to coal plants despite coal's direct health harms.
At least 37 people were arrested in 2026 for protesting data centers, most acting peacefully and charged with minor infractions. Documented cases include a farmer in Oklahoma arrested for speaking seconds over the allotted time at a town hall and a teacher in Kansas removed from a community meeting for clapping after a speaker opposed a project.
Trump argued on Truth Social that data centers deliver lower taxes and jobs while preventing China from gaining AI dominance. The administration introduced a Ratepayer Protection Pledge in which major AI companies committed to fund new power generation and cover grid upgrade costs; rising electricity bills are described as the primary political bottleneck for the AI infrastructure agenda. Lambda co-founder Stephen Balaban argued offshoring data center construction would forfeit both direct jobs and downstream reindustrialization jobs in steel, aluminum, and turbines.
Build American AI, a dark money group affiliated with Greg Brockman and an a16z-backed super PAC called Leading the Future, launched a super PAC with $50 million and a multimillion-dollar ad campaign targeting battleground states to counter opposition; the group has not disclosed its donors. Republicans face internal messaging difficulties: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said AI companies did a terrible job explaining their benefits, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick falsely claimed data centers do not use water, and Speaker Mike Johnson said data centers are necessary for U.S.-China competitiveness but must address local concerns. A GOP narrative has emerged blaming tech companies for the backlash.
On water use specifically, Satya Nadella announced that Microsoft's Fairwater facility in Wisconsin uses closed-loop direct-to-chip liquid cooling, with annual water consumption roughly equivalent to what a single restaurant uses. Data center construction is slowing but not stopping despite protests.