"... will generate 35,000 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent operating positions once complete."
that's 35,000 temporary construction jobs and then only 2,500 operating positions ... right?
and those permanent jobs will only be open to locals who quickly get trained for high tech jobs.
so, big union, how is that going to offset the water, power, and other costs to the members being left behind in dying towns? planning to unionize the tech workers that move in?
Has anyone asked "When water supply or energy is diminished for any reason, which entity is punished (cut off) first, the people or the data center? It should be addressed up front.
The irony of big unions going all-in when these companies despise unions, and the biggest projects are in right-to-wotk states, or very anti-union states. And largely promoted by a party that what's to end unions overall.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" - on paper, ultimatelt, and in campaign coffers too, no doubt.
Hold Republicans accountable for power rate increases and pollution from data centers. These overlay data centers and the harm they're causing with the elected rep from that district.
Mapping the Virginia Data Centers that tripped the power grid & the billionaires behind them.
Data centers, tech really, has become a curse on all our lives. Whether it's SM's antisocial impact on humanity, or Flock and other surveillance tech destroying our privacy and freedom, or tech's central role in driving inequality while building an oligarchy, or AI taking our human agency and jobs, while hyperscaling environmental damage in a world that's obviously, clearly, indisputably reeling from human caused climate change.
As one who lives in El Paso, I need to comment on the water needs of a data center. We are in the DESERT. We don't get a lot of rain or other water. Most of the water from the Rio Grande goes to agriculture, so its water levels are not high by the time it gets to us. The city of El Paso has at least 675,000 residents, and we are right across the Mexico border with Ciudad Juarez, a city of 2,000,000 people. Our city council seems to think a data center would be good for the city. That is a far cry from reality, especially if our utility bills go up. El Paso is largely a low income city. Water has already gotten significantly more expensive without a data center. A data center could get electricity from solar and/or windmills. We have plenty of sunshine and plenty of wind. My take on the building of so many data centers is that they are about greed, with zero concern for the people of the area or the destruction of the environment.
Greed rules. One has to wonder how the city officials got paid off. We understand the water shortage and that costs will rise. Elected officials no longer make decisions for the benefit of their constituents. Follow the leader - a hateful POTUS inspires all too many
We actually elected a decent mayor, but I don't know who all the city council people are. IMO it is totally stupid to build a water hog in the desert. Supposedly data centers are good for jobs, but from what I've been reading they are not really. The other thing I just realized is that one way we use water in the warmer months is with our evaporative cooler, which keeps our dry air moist (which I need) plus the bleed-off hose waters some of my plants. Given that our summer temps are at least in the 90s and triple digits, and we are old, we can't afford to not cool our house. But who knows what will happen to the water here? I'm sick of the greed and the apparent insecurity which drives it.
And you hardly even mentioned the climate/clean energy consequences of hyper scale data centers, especially those that have their own “behind the meter” power generation unconnected to the grid. Usually diesel or natural gas, they pump out climate pollutants. My state, Nevada, was making steady progress in meeting its state-constitution mandated renewable portfolio standard by 2030, but if all the proposed data centers powered by fossil fuels are built, that standard will be unreachable. Hello to more drought, wildfires, shrinking snowpack.
Bernie Sanders and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez have introduced the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Center Moratorium Act, legislation that would enact a reasonable pause to the development of AI to ensure the safety of humanity.
Even if a data center used solar, wind or a combination of both, there's still the water usage. Colorado is semi arid. We don't have water to spare in a good snowpack year. We're in the middle of a severe drought. We don't need to use precious water for data centers. Our lawns are dying. Consumers are cutting back on water usage. A corporation should never be allowed to take water from people and agriculture!
As one who lives on the Rio Grande (El Paso, TX), I can tell you that agriculture takes a huge toll on our water supply. Most of the water goes to agriculture before it ever gets to us. Since we are full-blown arid, in the Chihuahuan desert, I can't figure out how a data center would get the water it needs, especially since it would make water unaffordable for the average El Pasoan.
I've been seeing this with my own eyes this year as I drive rural northern Ohio and Indiana between Cleveland and Chicago. (I never take the turnpike: privatization has made it too expensive and besides, I can stop at farmers markets and wildlife preserves) "No Data Center" Signs are everywhere. You know what else I noticed on my trip a few weeks ago. ALL of the Trump signs and flags have disappeared.
Yes...when jobs are promised, rural Ohio should be wary. In exchange for few permanent jobs, they'd be giving up the character of their rural communities.
How many mega data centers do we actually need? Who has done an analysis? Why can't we have a good independent study to determine when enough is enough? It seems like this is going into overbuilding hyperdrive by the corporations.
We definitely need more information before anymore are actually built.
Thanks for though breakdown; even though l has difficulty following it, l know it’s a critical issue!
"... will generate 35,000 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent operating positions once complete."
that's 35,000 temporary construction jobs and then only 2,500 operating positions ... right?
and those permanent jobs will only be open to locals who quickly get trained for high tech jobs.
so, big union, how is that going to offset the water, power, and other costs to the members being left behind in dying towns? planning to unionize the tech workers that move in?
Has anyone asked "When water supply or energy is diminished for any reason, which entity is punished (cut off) first, the people or the data center? It should be addressed up front.
The irony of big unions going all-in when these companies despise unions, and the biggest projects are in right-to-wotk states, or very anti-union states. And largely promoted by a party that what's to end unions overall.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" - on paper, ultimatelt, and in campaign coffers too, no doubt.
And "We are David, Big Tech is Goliath ": https://zabethsue.substack.com/p/letter-to-columbia-county-pennsylvania-d0f?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=s27m1
I am also following this issue and writing about it: https://zabethsue.substack.com/p/demand-a-moratorium-on-data-centers?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=s27m1
Hold Republicans accountable for power rate increases and pollution from data centers. These overlay data centers and the harm they're causing with the elected rep from that district.
Mapping the Virginia Data Centers that tripped the power grid & the billionaires behind them.
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/07/28/virginia-data-centers-power-grid-crash/
The Cost Of AI: Mapping data center power, water demands and tax cuts for billionaires
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/05/18/mapping-ai-data-center-power-water-demands-tax-breaks/
Stratos AI Data Center: Mapping The Deadly Environmental Cost of Utah’s 9GW Data Center
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/05/14/stratos-project-environmental-utah-ai-datacenter-impact-map
Do you live near an old nuclear facility where Republicans are putting an AI data center?
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/08/16/ai-data-centers-nuclear-sites-map/
Bezos’ Amazon AI Data Center Could Be Top U.S. Polluter: Mapping the pollution zone
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/08/09/bezos-amazon-texas-data-center-pollution/
Handouts for Data Center billionaires to jack up your power bill? Follow their grift with this map of 1,590 data centers.
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/05/31/data-center-coalition-lobbies-for-ai-billionaires/
Mapping water contamination in Georgia from Zuckerberg’s AI Data Center
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/05/22/mapping-meta-data-center-georgia-water/
Data centers, tech really, has become a curse on all our lives. Whether it's SM's antisocial impact on humanity, or Flock and other surveillance tech destroying our privacy and freedom, or tech's central role in driving inequality while building an oligarchy, or AI taking our human agency and jobs, while hyperscaling environmental damage in a world that's obviously, clearly, indisputably reeling from human caused climate change.
We have to fight back before it's too late.
As one who lives in El Paso, I need to comment on the water needs of a data center. We are in the DESERT. We don't get a lot of rain or other water. Most of the water from the Rio Grande goes to agriculture, so its water levels are not high by the time it gets to us. The city of El Paso has at least 675,000 residents, and we are right across the Mexico border with Ciudad Juarez, a city of 2,000,000 people. Our city council seems to think a data center would be good for the city. That is a far cry from reality, especially if our utility bills go up. El Paso is largely a low income city. Water has already gotten significantly more expensive without a data center. A data center could get electricity from solar and/or windmills. We have plenty of sunshine and plenty of wind. My take on the building of so many data centers is that they are about greed, with zero concern for the people of the area or the destruction of the environment.
Greed rules. One has to wonder how the city officials got paid off. We understand the water shortage and that costs will rise. Elected officials no longer make decisions for the benefit of their constituents. Follow the leader - a hateful POTUS inspires all too many
We actually elected a decent mayor, but I don't know who all the city council people are. IMO it is totally stupid to build a water hog in the desert. Supposedly data centers are good for jobs, but from what I've been reading they are not really. The other thing I just realized is that one way we use water in the warmer months is with our evaporative cooler, which keeps our dry air moist (which I need) plus the bleed-off hose waters some of my plants. Given that our summer temps are at least in the 90s and triple digits, and we are old, we can't afford to not cool our house. But who knows what will happen to the water here? I'm sick of the greed and the apparent insecurity which drives it.
And you hardly even mentioned the climate/clean energy consequences of hyper scale data centers, especially those that have their own “behind the meter” power generation unconnected to the grid. Usually diesel or natural gas, they pump out climate pollutants. My state, Nevada, was making steady progress in meeting its state-constitution mandated renewable portfolio standard by 2030, but if all the proposed data centers powered by fossil fuels are built, that standard will be unreachable. Hello to more drought, wildfires, shrinking snowpack.
And for what? To allow the rich to get richer?
Bernie Sanders and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez have introduced the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Center Moratorium Act, legislation that would enact a reasonable pause to the development of AI to ensure the safety of humanity.
Even if a data center used solar, wind or a combination of both, there's still the water usage. Colorado is semi arid. We don't have water to spare in a good snowpack year. We're in the middle of a severe drought. We don't need to use precious water for data centers. Our lawns are dying. Consumers are cutting back on water usage. A corporation should never be allowed to take water from people and agriculture!
I’m not for any of this, but I heard in a podcast that the data centers will be a closed loop water system.
Is this true?
As one who lives on the Rio Grande (El Paso, TX), I can tell you that agriculture takes a huge toll on our water supply. Most of the water goes to agriculture before it ever gets to us. Since we are full-blown arid, in the Chihuahuan desert, I can't figure out how a data center would get the water it needs, especially since it would make water unaffordable for the average El Pasoan.
I've been seeing this with my own eyes this year as I drive rural northern Ohio and Indiana between Cleveland and Chicago. (I never take the turnpike: privatization has made it too expensive and besides, I can stop at farmers markets and wildlife preserves) "No Data Center" Signs are everywhere. You know what else I noticed on my trip a few weeks ago. ALL of the Trump signs and flags have disappeared.
Hopefully that bodes well for Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton!
Yes...when jobs are promised, rural Ohio should be wary. In exchange for few permanent jobs, they'd be giving up the character of their rural communities.
This is a nightmare and the billionaires simply don’t care.
"Donald Trump remains their (data centers) biggest champion."
Well of course he is; they gave him tens of millions of dollars, and you get what you pay for, if you're paying him enough. But it's got to be a lot.
How many mega data centers do we actually need? Who has done an analysis? Why can't we have a good independent study to determine when enough is enough? It seems like this is going into overbuilding hyperdrive by the corporations.
We definitely need more information before anymore are actually built.