What's behind America's data center revolt?

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
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WBUR podcasts, Boston.

**Susie Boyles** (0:21)
We actually look at data centers as catalysts that bring a multitude of benefits to the community.

**Chris Bentley** (0:26)
A recent Gallup poll found 7 in 10 Americans are against building AI data centers where they live. But some cities are open for business.
It's Wednesday, July 15th, and this is Here and Now Anytime from NPR and WBUR. I'm Chris Bentley. Today on the show, how did data centers become the big bad in so many Americans' lives? And what's the way forward? We'll dig into the bipartisan backlash against data centers, which goes deeper than concerns about energy and water use.

**Jael Holzman** (1:14)
In some cases, it's related to being a proxy or like a totem for the rise of artificial intelligence and anxieties around that too.

**Chris Bentley** (1:22)
Those anxieties are an opportunity for politicians in this election year. Take New York's Democratic governor, who just became the first to institute a statewide moratorium on big data centers.

**Roben Farzad** (1:34)
This kind of stuff sells with left and center. So if you can't exactly, you know, talk about Gaza or talk about, you know, socialized subway or buses, you definitely could lean into something like this if you're hokal.

**Chris Bentley** (1:47)
But first, what's it actually like when a data center comes to town? We're going to hear from two communities, one that's very much against data centers and another that's open to them, starting with a Philadelphia suburb. King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, is considering a data center campus spanning more than 4 million square feet.
CBS News recorded this at a public planning meeting in Upper Marion Township back in May.

**Roben Farzad** (2:16)
We're not lying to the public.

**Peter O'Dowd** (2:18)
Folks, I'm not sure how many other ways to mention this.

**Chris Bentley** (2:23)
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Erin McCarthy was at that meeting. She's been covering the data center controversy in King of Prussia, and she told Peter O'Dowd, one of the main concerns is pollution, both from noise and emissions from backup diesel generators.

**Erin McCarthy** (2:40)
They're concerned about the noise certainly, but I've also talked to residents who are concerned that these centers could potentially emit pollutants into the air. Some folks that I talked to said they were worried that their children could have physical and mental health repercussions of having to live next to a constant droning center.

**Peter O'Dowd** (3:00)
I see. Well, after the meeting, the Upper Marion Townships Board of Supervisors issued a statement, this was in June, saying that it plans to revise the current data center ordinance to strengthen some of the regulations that are already in place. Is it your sense that this project is dead, or that some kind of compromise might happen?

**Erin McCarthy** (3:17)
The project is certainly not dead. In fact, I talked with the township manager who mentioned that they have two additional meetings planned for the next couple of months. If recent history is any indication, the developers behind this project are pretty tenacious. The data center ordinance that's currently on the books in Upper Marion actually does not apply to this project because the plans were submitted prior to the ordinance being finalized. So, this is certainly not dead.

**Peter O'Dowd** (3:42)
The concerned residents are vocal, but there must be some supporters. Is there a way that the development might be good for the township?

**Erin McCarthy** (3:51)
Certainly. I mean, there are folks that say that these developments could be kind of harbingers for other businesses to come into the township. And there are also union leaders and others who are hopeful about the job prospects. The history shows that data centers don't employ a lot of full-time, long-term employees, but at least in the construction phase, this would lead to a large number of jobs in that area.

**Peter O'Dowd** (4:15)
And do you think that this controversy in King of Prussia sort of fits in nicely with the nationwide backlash against AI? I mean, are these themes all the same, as far as you can tell?

**Erin McCarthy** (4:24)
I believe so, and I've heard similar sentiments from other residents in other areas around Philadelphia. You know, a lot of the folks I talk to say that they use AI and they understand the benefits of AI, but they don't want these data centers in their neighborhoods. They think there are better places for them, perhaps places with fewer residents.

**Peter O'Dowd** (4:42)
Erin McCarthy is a Consumer Reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Erin, thank you.