Seven in 10 oppose AI data centers

Gallup said on May 13 that 71% of Americans oppose building an artificial intelligence data center in their local area, adding a national measure to a backlash that had already been playing out in zoning fights, utility cases and statehouse hearings. (fingerlakes1.com) The poll found 48% are strongly opposed, while just over one-quarter support a nearby project and 7% strongly support one. Gallup said it was the first time it had asked Americans about data-center construction. The survey landed as Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and other companies keep expanding the physical infrastructure needed to train and run AI systems. (ibtimes.co.uk) ### Why are people saying no to a project that promises jobs and tax revenue? Gallup said the strongest opposition centered on resource use and local disruption. Other summaries of the results said opponents most often cited electricity use, water use and effects on quality of life near the facilities. Gallup’s topline finding — seven in 10 opposed — captures a “not in my backyard” problem for an industry that needs large tracts of land, heavy power connections and, in many cases, new water and transmission infrastructure. Pew Research Center reported on March 12 that Americans already leaned negative on data centers’ effects in several of the same categories. (fingerlakes1.com) Pew found 39% said data centers are mostly bad for the environment versus 4% mostly good, 38% said they are mostly bad for home energy costs versus 6% mostly good, and 30% said they are mostly bad for nearby quality of life versus 6% mostly good. On jobs and tax revenue, Pew found more positive than negative views, but by narrower margins. ### How broad is the backlash beyond one Gallup poll? S&P Global Commodity Insights reported on Jan. 29 that local resistance was spreading across major U.S. data-center markets, from Northern Virginia to the Columbia River. (dailycallernewsfoundation.org) The report cited Data Center Watch estimates that 20 projects were delayed or canceled in the second quarter of 2025 alone, representing about $100 billion in affected investment. S&P also cited at least 188 activist groups nationwide focused on data-center fights. Heatmap reported last week that project cancellations were continuing in 2026, citing its own tracking. (pewresearch.org) Change Research said in an April 3-7 survey of 2,702 registered voters that support drops further when people are asked about projects in their own communities or near their homes. Those figures point in the same direction as the Gallup result, though the surveys used different samples and question wording. ### What does Lake Tahoe show about how these fights reach the power grid? Lake Tahoe has become one of the clearest examples because the dispute is no longer only about permits or aesthetics. IBTimes reported on May 14 that NV Energy plans to stop providing most of the electricity used by Liberty Utilities customers on the California side of Lake Tahoe by May 2027. (spglobal.com) The change would force Liberty to replace a wholesale supply that now covers roughly 75% of demand for nearly 49,000 customers, including homes, ski resorts, casinos and businesses. Northern Nevada’s data-center growth is central to that dispute, according to the same reports. IBTimes said facilities linked to Google, Apple and Microsoft are expanding near the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, while other accounts said residents and local officials fear higher costs and tighter supply as utilities prioritize large industrial loads. (heatmap.news) Danielle Hughes, chief executive of Tahoe Spark, told Fortune, as quoted by multiple outlets, “It’s like we don’t exist.” ### How fast is electricity demand from data centers rising? S&P Global Market Intelligence 451 Research estimated utility power demand from U.S. data centers would rise to 82.3 gigawatts in 2026, up 28% from 2025 and more than double the level of three years earlier. (ibtimes.co.uk) The same forecast said utility-supplied demand could reach about 167 gigawatts by 2030. In Virginia alone, S&P said data centers would require 16.6 gigawatts of grid power in 2026 and more than 33 gigawatts by 2030. Those load forecasts have pushed the cost question to the center of the politics. A White House-backed “Ratepayer Protection Pledge” announced on March 4 drew commitments from Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI to build, bring or buy new generation and pay for grid upgrades serving their facilities rather than shifting those costs to ratepayers, according to a report on the announcement. (ibtimes.co.uk) ### What happens next for companies trying to build more AI capacity? Gallup’s May 13 release gives utilities, regulators and local governments a fresh national data point as they weigh permits, transmission upgrades and power contracts. (spglobal.com) The numbers do not stop projects on their own, but they add evidence that opposition is not confined to a handful of activist enclaves. Pew’s March survey and S&P’s January reporting had already shown the same concerns surfacing in national opinion and local project fights. May 2027 is the next hard date in one of the most concrete disputes. By then, Liberty Utilities must secure replacement wholesale power for about 49,000 Lake Tahoe customers after NV Energy’s supply arrangement ends, according to reports cited by CalMatters and IBTimes. (rdworldonline.com) (ibtimes.co.uk) (fingerlakes1.com)