By Valerie Volcovici and Lisa Baertlein
Sat, July 18, 2026
A view of a "No Data Center Traffic" sign in Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. June 24, 2026. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
July 18 (Reuters) - Opponents of the rapid buildout of data centers plan to hold protests on Saturday in at least 125 locations across the United States, the first coordinated national effort to channel anger at the AI infrastructure expansion that has ramped up over the past year and roiled local politics.
The protests are coordinated by a grassroots group called HumansFirst, co-founded by a former leader of the modern-day Tea Party who has compared growing opposition to data centers to the right-wing populist movement that emerged in 2009 to protest what it saw as excessive taxation and government overreach.
Protesters will rally against what HumansFirst calls the "unaccountable" buildout of data centers and "unacceptable infringement on our liberty."
Towns and counties have been at the forefront of opposition to data center projects that in some cases have been greenlit with local officials signing non-disclosure agreements with developers despite resident pushback or a lack of regulatory scrutiny. Now politicians at the state and national level are scrambling to keep pace with rising voter anger over the threat of higher power bills, the diversion of precious water resources and pollution.
Data center opposition is among the few issues uniting Americans across ideological lines, with just a third of Americans approving of the pace of data-center construction in the U.S., according to a June Reuters/Ipsos poll. Only 14% of respondents would support a data center being built in their community to support artificial intelligence projects for technology firms such as Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft and Elon Musk's xAI.
The Data Center Coalition, the industry's association and lobbying group, did not immediately comment on the protests. It previously told Reuters data centers are committed to being responsible neighbors in the communities where they operate.
Although HumansFirst co-founder Amy Kremer compared it to the conservative Tea Party movement's early days in 2009, she said the anger against data centers is nonpartisan.
"They just woke up one day and found out they're going to have this monstrosity in their community, and they don't want it," said Kremer, who predicted data centers will be a defining issue in November's midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race.
Kremer has criticized Republicans for giving Big Tech a "free pass," but she and some organizers also said they do not support policies like moratoriums on data center approvals adopted by the Democratic state of New York. Among other things, organizers said they want the development process to be transparent, resources and environmental health protected, community benefits such as the creation of well-paid union jobs and a way to hold developers accountable if they do not follow through on promises.
Late on Friday, the Republican stronghold of Texas, a hotspot for data center development, was on track to have the most protests with 16. The battleground state of Georgia had 11, while Democratic California, Republican Florida and the swing state of Pennsylvania came in at 7 each.
First-time activist and self-described "political nomad" Eva Cardona, 31, is organizing a protest in Texas.
"I've been hearing about unregulated AI and the rapid growth was alarming me. I wanted to do something more hands-on than just your standard Facebook post," Hickman said.
Left-leaning Ivan DelSol, 54, is helping lead a protest in the California desert's Imperial County, where a proposed data center project could use 260 million gallons of water per year from the Colorado River.
"It's dystopian that you would use this much fresh water for AI," DelSol said.
Although water is frequently cited as a top public concern, especially in water-stressed regions, the data center industry says its water use is not as significant as other industries.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici in Washington and Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Stephen Coates)
After California residents line up to object, developer withdraws plan for giant data center
James Nanzo
Sun, July 19, 2026
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Photo Credit: iStock
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Photo Credit: iStock
Residents in El Segundo, California successfully halted a proposed data center project due to concerns about electricity use, pollution, noise, and the facility's proximity to homes, schools, and youth sports fields.
A proposed data center in El Segundo, California, unraveled during a public hearing last week, when strong resident opposition led the developer to withdraw the plan before the Planning Commission could vote.
As The Mercury News reported, residents objected to the project's anticipated electricity use, pollution, and noise, while also arguing that a large industrial facility did not belong so close to homes, schools, and youth sports fields.
What happened?
Eight Form, a real estate development company, sought to replace the Hyatt Place hotel at 750 N. Nash St. with a five-story data center totaling nearly 240,000 square feet. The proposal also included a 169-foot-tall building and a high-voltage electrical substation, per The Mercury News.
The plan reached the El Segundo Planning Commission for an initial reading, but the meeting was quickly dominated by public criticism. Nearly 60 people signed up to speak, and after most had already commented, Eight Form founder Arjun Shokeen announced from the audience that he was withdrawing the application.
"I've heard the community loud and clear," Shokeen said, according to the paper. "They've made their voice very present, and my intention isn't to put anybody through any mental or physical harm."
Because the project fell under the broader Corporate Campus Specific Plan, residents questioned whether relying on an older environmental review was adequate for a facility slated to operate around the clock with 16 diesel-run generators on standby, according to The Mercury News.
Why does it matter?
The dispute reflects growing frustration in many communities as energy-intensive tech infrastructure expands faster than public oversight. Data centers help power the modern internet economy, but they can also place major strain on local power grids, raise air pollution concerns, and reshape neighborhoods in ways residents never approved.
The Mercury News reported fears about electricity demand during extreme heat added to local opposition, as did the site's proximity to the Wiseburn School District and nearby youth athletic fields.
Resident Alex Perez summed up another major concern.
"The corporate campus project proposed (almost) 25 years ago is effectively antiquated and lacks any relevance to the proposed data center today," he said, according to the paper.
Communities are often expected to absorb the burdens of major developments while being told that the key decisions have already been made. When that happens, public input can feel less like a meaningful requirement and more like an afterthought.
What's being done?
By staying engaged throughout the hearing, residents prevented the proposal from moving further through the approval process.
The outcome also puts added pressure on developers and city officials to take community concerns seriously from the outset, especially for projects involving heavy electricity use and diesel backup infrastructure.
The Mercury News noted that many residents at the meeting weren't overly confident in the building's plans for water, electricity, and noise. Similar to other successful local efforts, the saga shows that communities can make an impact.
"When residents show up, stay informed, and participate, they can meaningfully influence the direction of their local government," activist group Sea Change wrote in a statement shared with the paper.
North Carolina residents thought they were getting a business park — not a data center campus
James Nanzo
Sun, July 19, 2026
TCD
Photo Credit: iStock
Photo Credit: iStock
Residents in a North Carolina community are asking local leaders to pause the development of a proposed data center campus near their homes and farms, after believing they were evaluating a light industrial business park.
Residents in one North Carolina community say they believed they were evaluating a light industrial business park, only to find that the project proposed near their homes and farms was a much larger data center campus.
As NC Newsline reported, they are now asking local leaders to pause the development and make more records public about how it advanced.
What happened?
At Monday night's Lee County Board of Commissioners meeting, roughly 150 residents turned out to oppose the Sanford proposal, the outlet said. Nearly 2,500 people have signed an online petition calling for a county moratorium on data centers.
Residents say the 430-acre property on Lower Moncure Road had long been described as a "light industrial business park." But in June, Virginia-based PointOne Data Centers presented the same site as a $900 million, 90-megawatt technology park built around data center development, NC Newsline revealed.
Nearby residents say that change has been deeply unsettling. Among them is Jeff Kidd, a local farmer who told commissioners he had heard troubling stories from people living near a facility in Illinois.
"Sounds like a helicopter landing on your house," Kidd alleged, according to NC Newsline.
Lee County planning board member Steve Baber expressed frustration at the bait-and-switch.
"We as citizens feel like we were snookered a bit, in that it was to be light industrial," Baber explained, per the publication.
Why does it matter?
People who live close to the site say the proposal could reshape everyday life around them, pointing to worries about noise, light pollution, water demand, pressure on the electrical grid, and possible effects on health, sleep, and livestock.
NC Newsline said speakers also cited research they said links low-frequency noise from data centers to stress, headaches, and sleep disruption for nearby residents.
Job creation is another source of skepticism.
"This isn't economic growth; it's an extraction of Lee County's resources," Eric Evenson, a Lower Moncure resident, said, according to NC Newsline.
The debate in Lee County also reflects a larger national tension over AI and the infrastructure needed to support it. Data centers power cloud computing and AI tools that can help optimize electrical grids, improve clean energy forecasting, and support more efficient systems.
At the same time, those facilities can consume enormous amounts of electricity and water, potentially increasing costs for households and adding pollution when grids rely on fossil fuels.
What's being done?
Residents want county commissioners to slow the process. As NC Newsline described it, the petition calls for a countywide moratorium on data centers and for records to be released showing how the project moved forward.
Some protections have already been put in place nearby. In April, the City of Sanford revised its Unified Development Ordinance so data centers must stay at or below 65 decibels at the edge of their property, according to the outlet.
Even so, opponents told commissioners those rules still do not go far enough.
"The zoning power handed to you by the people created a loophole that was exploited by outside investors, and it is to their benefit, not to the people," resident Heather Watson told the board, according to NC Newsline.
Commissioner Kirk Smith, however, does not fully agree. Smith wrote that the county needs the property tax revenue and argued that public support may extend beyond those who showed up to protest.
"We definitely do not need or want a data center so close to our homes," countered Chris Chezem, a lifelong Lee County resident, according to NC Newsline.
Climate Activists Pelt Microsoft Data Center With Balloons Full of Acid
Joe Wilkins
Sun, July 19, 2026
Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Shutterstock
Climate activists in Amsterdam vandalized a Microsoft data center construction project by throwing water balloons filled with an acidic mixture, citing concerns over the environmental impact of data centers.
As the public backlash to AI data centers continues to escalate, activists are resorting to extreme measures to send home an important message.
The growing concern over environmentally damaging, yet rapidly growing, data centers has become an international phenomenon. In Amsterdam, climate activists affiliated with the group Extinction Rebellion claimed responsibility for some unique vandalism against a Microsoft data center construction project. According to the Register, the protestors filled water balloons with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, salt, and acrylic paint before hucking them at the facility.
"This acidic mixture attacks concrete, and the hydrogen peroxide causes steel to rust faster," Extinction Rebellion said in a statement.
What physical impact the balloons had on the data center itself is unknown, but it may be beside the point. Extinction Rebellion often uses nonviolent civil disobedience and direct action to draw attention to climate issues that would otherwise be ignored. Previous actions involved spattering the offices of fossil fuel insurers with foul smelling butyric acid, and using superglue and bicycle locks to barricade the entrance of Lloyd's, a major insurance market in London.
As targets for climate activism go, data centers are a no-brainer. The facilities underlining the AI boom are a major driver of carbon emissions due to their intense energy demand, and likewise cause major problems with local water supplies.
In the post-action statement, Extinction Rebellion argues that the data center in question is weaponizing a loophole "to circumvent the rules banning so-called 'hyperscalers,'" and will "consume a gigantic amount of power in an area that already suffers from power shortages."
In addition to local concerns around electricity usage and climate impacts, Extinction Rebellion connects their action to the data center's future tenant, Microsoft, which international rights groups argue played an instrumental role in Israel's destruction of Gaza.
As Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Martijn Dekker said in the post-action statement, "the fight against data centers clearly shows how ordinary people unite against the power of big capital."
"The climate and ecological crisis cannot be viewed in isolation from Israel's genocide of the Palestinians or the fight against the destructive effects of AI," Dekker continued. "These abuses originate from the same few mega-rich, the same large corporations."
"We must join forces and resist the anti-democratic power of this small group of the very wealthiest," he added. "Stopping the construction of this data center is a necessary step in that regard."
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