Thousands of American citizens are rising up in opposition to AI data centers in their communities. Their actions are based completely on personal experience and concerns with how these huge facilities affect their lives and the culture of their communities. Thousands of acres of vital farmland are being put under roof affecting rural economies. Noise pollution caused by loud throbbing sounds from the equipment in the centers is disrupting once-peaceful neighborhoods. Massive water and electrical use to feed the centers is causing damage to power grids and local community needs. Life is changing and people are upset.
As a result, in just the past few months opposition to the data centers has become the largest, fastest growing, and most effective grassroots movement I’ve ever experienced in my decades of activism. Polls show 70% of Americans are opposed to these massive facilities. Action has been taken in forty states to delay if not ban the building of more than 50% of these facilities. Hundreds of residents are showing up in local city council meetings and state capital rallies demanding that their elected representatives take action to protect their way of life. In some communities citizens have managed to remove from office those elected officials who have ignored their pleas.
As the opposition has grown the corporate forces behind the data centers have started to panic, desperate to stop this never-before-experienced opposition. They have vast fortunes to promote their position and influence local and state politicians. It has always worked before. A few dollars in the right pockets and a reasoned argument should do the trick. What are their strongest points to push the argument? Hear is their thought pattern: of course, we must beat China in the development of AI. “The nation which leads in AI will rule the world!” So that says it all — China is the villain that must be defeated. Next, the logical argument is that it must be the radical Left which is behind these protests designed to stop AI development for American security! Yep – let’s go with that! And, of course, with that argument then the Conservatives will eat it up and help us stop this crazy communist-supported opposition to our data centers!
And so, it begins. Suddenly reports have emerged that China is paying for the opposition to the data centers. How else could it have grown so fast. China is obviously bussing their supporters to these opposition rallies.
In the cities locally elected representatives are telling their citizens that data centers will bring jobs and property tax money to build local prosperity. Building data centers, they say, show that we have a strong workforce and an infrastructure for the future. Plus, they contend we need the data centers to keep your computers and cell phones communicating on social media. We all need this technology, they assure us! However, even if the local officials might agree that there are some problems with the data centers, local elected representatives tell us there is nothing they can do because non-elected boards and commissions have told them so. Another fear is that they must go along or the corporations will sue the city.
In addition, during controlled public meetings, in which local citizens are not allowed to speak or challenge the corporate spokesmen, they assure us that their facilities now have new processes that no longer use so very much water and electricity – that’s just old news. There you go – problem solved – let’s just get back to building the future.
Well, unfortunately not one of these statements is true. I have been working across the nation with local citizens involved in opposition to the data centers. There is absolutely no evidence of China money or organized Leftist protesters being bussed in to protest data centers. If that were happening the protest rallies would not be the well-mannered, non-violent meetings of people who just want their position to be heard. If any money is being spent by the corporations to buy support, then it might be finding its way into some politician’s pocket – but certainly not into the hands of the local citizens who are suffering from the destruction of their lives. One report entitled “Grassroots Revolt or Manufactured Panic” posted on the social media page X turned out to have been written by someone our research says was possibly paid substantial money by George Soros to help spread the misinformation about the protesters. Get the picture?
Let’s get to the truth.
Let’s start with the water usage. Amazon, one of the largest producers of data centers, just published a report admitting its facilities used 2.5 billion gallons of water last year. However, some experts have stated that it was as much as 40 times higher, perhaps up to 6.25 billion gallons when all usage is included.
We’ve all heard the radical environmentalists claiming that cattle herds are causing great damage to water supplies in rural areas. However, compare this fact to the data centers – a cow consumes about 35 gallons of water a day. At the water use levels Amazon is admitting to, then one data center is using about the same as 140,000 cows – per day!
This is the same water local communities depend on for drinking. Many communities are finding their once pure water to be contaminated. Meanwhile reports are coming from many communities that citizens are suffering from poor water pressure as they turn on the faucet and nothing comes out during their everyday lives. Those citizens are turning up at local city council meetings to protest the data centers.
How about all that electricity the data centers are reported to be using. The promoters tell us they don’t really use that much because those are old figures and they have new technology to cut back on electrical use. One chart making the rounds shows that it takes more water to produce watermelons than the data center uses. Well, here’s some reality: In the Lake Tahoe, Nevada area nearly 50,000 people have been told that their utility will stop providing power to them, because it’s redirecting that power to data centers. In Indiana, an $11billion Amazon data center will use as much power as one million residential homes. In Utah, the proposed 40,000 acre data center will use as much electricity as the whole state now uses. Now add those figures to the fact that many areas hold multiple data centers, perhaps as many as five or ten maybe more, as in New Albany, Ohio. Now do the math. How long can the power grid tolerate this massive use? Goldman Sachs is projecting that data center electricity demand could rise by 165% by 2030. This is why local residents are turning up at city council meetings to protest the data centers.
Data Centers will bring jobs, property taxes, and prosperity to the community? It’s been widely reported that AI is a killer of jobs, replacing both white collar management positions and blue-collar assembly jobs with robots. But will the data centers provide a break from such destruction of the local economy? No. Data centers provide next to nothing in the way of permanent jobs. Yes, they create many for the construction, but that’s just temporary. Once built, most data centers, no matter the size, provide very few jobs, perhaps 25-50. Some less. In Virginia, a report shows the data centers provide one permanent job for every $54 million invested. Oracle recently sent an email to 30,000 employees, telling them they no longer have jobs. The excuse is that the savings in payroll will supply the company with $8 to $10 billion to be used on data centers. Mark Zuckleberg just took similar action, eliminating about 8,000 jobs. This will eventually lead to the destruction of America’s economy. Oh, but we will get lots of new money for the community from property taxes on the data centers – nope. Most local governments are providing property tax breaks to encourage the corporations to build there. This is why people are protesting the data centers.
The fact is, most people are protesting the data centers because of how they are (or will be) affecting their personal property values. Imagine you live in a beautiful, quiet area. Suddenly you learn a massive data center is being built within 400 yards of your house. Or you live in a nice neighborhood with several hundred homes or townhouses and now one is being built right on the edge of your street. As it goes into operation there is a constant loud humming from the equipment inside. Science is now reporting that these centers are changing the atmosphere in the neighborhoods, especially when multiple centers are gathered together. AI data centers can cause climate warming of their surrounding areas by as much as 9.1degrees C. The environment, the peace and property values are all affected. Yet, no panic from Greta Thunberg. “How dare you!”
What about that fear from local officials that they can’t defend your community development and property rights because the Data Center companies will sue? Bull! Lawsuits are not one-way deals. Just because someone sues does not mean they win. Let the corporations file suit. If they are violating your property rights or forcing a change of your way of life or creating danger – they are in violation. You win against their suit! How about the claim that it’s their right to do anything they want on their property? The fact is no one has a right to do anything on their property if it causes damage to others or their quality of life! Those are called nuisance lawsuits, and they have helped property owners against bad neighbors since the beginning of human settlements. Use that counterattack to fight back. Defeat a few of their suits and they will stop that tactic. The law is with you.
Keep in mind what the real reason that these massive data centers are being built. I don’t disagree with the fact that we need much of this technology for the military, and there are some good developments concerning healthcare and a few other details. But 5,000 of them are not necessary to keep up with China which currently has only about 500 and are much smaller than those in America. And it has nothing to do with updating your internet and social media capabilities. We have been doing just fine with that for over two decades.
Why, then is the nation being subjected to this assault? Total surveillance of everything taking place in the nation. Well beyond military purposes, the full data center purpose is to collect and store every single piece of information that makes up human society. That includes everyone’s biometrics, every daily action, every bank account transaction, every purchase, who you associate with, what you own, where you travel, and much more. A quote from Oracle founder Larry Ellison says it all, a vast AI-fueled surveillance system can ensure “citizens will be on their best behavior.” In other words, AI will enable a vast surveillance system that can monitor citizens. All parked in the technical cloud. To collect and store such a huge amount of information requires a massive amount of equipment and space. Can it be any clearer?
Uncontrolled AI and its side effects may be the greatest threat to freedom any generation of Americans have ever faced. This is your time to lead the fight to stop it. You now have the basic facts. Reduce the building of the data centers and you will reduce the threat of AI. Stand firm and don’t stop until you win. Control the building of data centers and you will control AI.
Yes, you are up against powerful forces. Understand, the pro-data center forces greatest fear now is a dedicated and well-organized local opposition armed with the truth. That’s because they know we can win. It’s equally important that you don’t fall for the fallacy that you can rely on one political savior to win the fight for you. You must stand for YOUR rights, arm in arm with your equally dedicated neighbors.
As the fight to protect our nation’s free market economy, our private property, and personal choice – the three pillars of freedom, we freedom fighters are being labeled as “anti-technology Luddites who are stopping progress!” I’m shocked to experience criticism from long-dedicated conservative associates who are accepting the corporate attack on our liberties as “progress.”
For thirty-five years I have been sounding the alarm about the growing global force determined to gain control of our lives as they eliminate our national sovereignty and culture. As the Southern Poverty Law Center produced four separate reports on me using the labels of conspiracy theorist and domestic terrorist, every single thing I warned about has come true. Now, today, as I’m using the same determination to expose these technocracy threats of AI, I’m now being labeled an anti-tech extremist and a Luddite by my own government and even some long-time conservative allies. Well, now tell me I am wrong!
Author Tom DeWeese is founder and president of the American Policy Center and is an internationally recognized expert on the issue of Sustainable Development and its attack on private property. He is author of three books, including Now Tell Me I Was Wrong, ERASE, and Sustainable: the WAR on Free Enterprise, Private Property, and Individuals.
As a result, in just the past few months opposition to the data centers has become the largest, fastest growing, and most effective grassroots movement I’ve ever experienced in my decades of activism. Polls show 70% of Americans are opposed to these massive facilities. Action has been taken in forty states to delay if not ban the building of more than 50% of these facilities. Hundreds of residents are showing up in local city council meetings and state capital rallies demanding that their elected representatives take action to protect their way of life. In some communities citizens have managed to remove from office those elected officials who have ignored their pleas.
As the opposition has grown the corporate forces behind the data centers have started to panic, desperate to stop this never-before-experienced opposition. They have vast fortunes to promote their position and influence local and state politicians. It has always worked before. A few dollars in the right pockets and a reasoned argument should do the trick. What are their strongest points to push the argument? Hear is their thought pattern: of course, we must beat China in the development of AI. “The nation which leads in AI will rule the world!” So that says it all — China is the villain that must be defeated. Next, the logical argument is that it must be the radical Left which is behind these protests designed to stop AI development for American security! Yep – let’s go with that! And, of course, with that argument then the Conservatives will eat it up and help us stop this crazy communist-supported opposition to our data centers!
And so, it begins. Suddenly reports have emerged that China is paying for the opposition to the data centers. How else could it have grown so fast. China is obviously bussing their supporters to these opposition rallies.
In the cities locally elected representatives are telling their citizens that data centers will bring jobs and property tax money to build local prosperity. Building data centers, they say, show that we have a strong workforce and an infrastructure for the future. Plus, they contend we need the data centers to keep your computers and cell phones communicating on social media. We all need this technology, they assure us! However, even if the local officials might agree that there are some problems with the data centers, local elected representatives tell us there is nothing they can do because non-elected boards and commissions have told them so. Another fear is that they must go along or the corporations will sue the city.
In addition, during controlled public meetings, in which local citizens are not allowed to speak or challenge the corporate spokesmen, they assure us that their facilities now have new processes that no longer use so very much water and electricity – that’s just old news. There you go – problem solved – let’s just get back to building the future.
Well, unfortunately not one of these statements is true. I have been working across the nation with local citizens involved in opposition to the data centers. There is absolutely no evidence of China money or organized Leftist protesters being bussed in to protest data centers. If that were happening the protest rallies would not be the well-mannered, non-violent meetings of people who just want their position to be heard. If any money is being spent by the corporations to buy support, then it might be finding its way into some politician’s pocket – but certainly not into the hands of the local citizens who are suffering from the destruction of their lives. One report entitled “Grassroots Revolt or Manufactured Panic” posted on the social media page X turned out to have been written by someone our research says was possibly paid substantial money by George Soros to help spread the misinformation about the protesters. Get the picture?
Let’s get to the truth.
Let’s start with the water usage. Amazon, one of the largest producers of data centers, just published a report admitting its facilities used 2.5 billion gallons of water last year. However, some experts have stated that it was as much as 40 times higher, perhaps up to 6.25 billion gallons when all usage is included.
We’ve all heard the radical environmentalists claiming that cattle herds are causing great damage to water supplies in rural areas. However, compare this fact to the data centers – a cow consumes about 35 gallons of water a day. At the water use levels Amazon is admitting to, then one data center is using about the same as 140,000 cows – per day!
This is the same water local communities depend on for drinking. Many communities are finding their once pure water to be contaminated. Meanwhile reports are coming from many communities that citizens are suffering from poor water pressure as they turn on the faucet and nothing comes out during their everyday lives. Those citizens are turning up at local city council meetings to protest the data centers.
How about all that electricity the data centers are reported to be using. The promoters tell us they don’t really use that much because those are old figures and they have new technology to cut back on electrical use. One chart making the rounds shows that it takes more water to produce watermelons than the data center uses. Well, here’s some reality: In the Lake Tahoe, Nevada area nearly 50,000 people have been told that their utility will stop providing power to them, because it’s redirecting that power to data centers. In Indiana, an $11billion Amazon data center will use as much power as one million residential homes. In Utah, the proposed 40,000 acre data center will use as much electricity as the whole state now uses. Now add those figures to the fact that many areas hold multiple data centers, perhaps as many as five or ten maybe more, as in New Albany, Ohio. Now do the math. How long can the power grid tolerate this massive use? Goldman Sachs is projecting that data center electricity demand could rise by 165% by 2030. This is why local residents are turning up at city council meetings to protest the data centers.
Data Centers will bring jobs, property taxes, and prosperity to the community? It’s been widely reported that AI is a killer of jobs, replacing both white collar management positions and blue-collar assembly jobs with robots. But will the data centers provide a break from such destruction of the local economy? No. Data centers provide next to nothing in the way of permanent jobs. Yes, they create many for the construction, but that’s just temporary. Once built, most data centers, no matter the size, provide very few jobs, perhaps 25-50. Some less. In Virginia, a report shows the data centers provide one permanent job for every $54 million invested. Oracle recently sent an email to 30,000 employees, telling them they no longer have jobs. The excuse is that the savings in payroll will supply the company with $8 to $10 billion to be used on data centers. Mark Zuckleberg just took similar action, eliminating about 8,000 jobs. This will eventually lead to the destruction of America’s economy. Oh, but we will get lots of new money for the community from property taxes on the data centers – nope. Most local governments are providing property tax breaks to encourage the corporations to build there. This is why people are protesting the data centers.
The fact is, most people are protesting the data centers because of how they are (or will be) affecting their personal property values. Imagine you live in a beautiful, quiet area. Suddenly you learn a massive data center is being built within 400 yards of your house. Or you live in a nice neighborhood with several hundred homes or townhouses and now one is being built right on the edge of your street. As it goes into operation there is a constant loud humming from the equipment inside. Science is now reporting that these centers are changing the atmosphere in the neighborhoods, especially when multiple centers are gathered together. AI data centers can cause climate warming of their surrounding areas by as much as 9.1degrees C. The environment, the peace and property values are all affected. Yet, no panic from Greta Thunberg. “How dare you!”
What about that fear from local officials that they can’t defend your community development and property rights because the Data Center companies will sue? Bull! Lawsuits are not one-way deals. Just because someone sues does not mean they win. Let the corporations file suit. If they are violating your property rights or forcing a change of your way of life or creating danger – they are in violation. You win against their suit! How about the claim that it’s their right to do anything they want on their property? The fact is no one has a right to do anything on their property if it causes damage to others or their quality of life! Those are called nuisance lawsuits, and they have helped property owners against bad neighbors since the beginning of human settlements. Use that counterattack to fight back. Defeat a few of their suits and they will stop that tactic. The law is with you.
Keep in mind what the real reason that these massive data centers are being built. I don’t disagree with the fact that we need much of this technology for the military, and there are some good developments concerning healthcare and a few other details. But 5,000 of them are not necessary to keep up with China which currently has only about 500 and are much smaller than those in America. And it has nothing to do with updating your internet and social media capabilities. We have been doing just fine with that for over two decades.
Why, then is the nation being subjected to this assault? Total surveillance of everything taking place in the nation. Well beyond military purposes, the full data center purpose is to collect and store every single piece of information that makes up human society. That includes everyone’s biometrics, every daily action, every bank account transaction, every purchase, who you associate with, what you own, where you travel, and much more. A quote from Oracle founder Larry Ellison says it all, a vast AI-fueled surveillance system can ensure “citizens will be on their best behavior.” In other words, AI will enable a vast surveillance system that can monitor citizens. All parked in the technical cloud. To collect and store such a huge amount of information requires a massive amount of equipment and space. Can it be any clearer?
Uncontrolled AI and its side effects may be the greatest threat to freedom any generation of Americans have ever faced. This is your time to lead the fight to stop it. You now have the basic facts. Reduce the building of the data centers and you will reduce the threat of AI. Stand firm and don’t stop until you win. Control the building of data centers and you will control AI.
Yes, you are up against powerful forces. Understand, the pro-data center forces greatest fear now is a dedicated and well-organized local opposition armed with the truth. That’s because they know we can win. It’s equally important that you don’t fall for the fallacy that you can rely on one political savior to win the fight for you. You must stand for YOUR rights, arm in arm with your equally dedicated neighbors.
As the fight to protect our nation’s free market economy, our private property, and personal choice – the three pillars of freedom, we freedom fighters are being labeled as “anti-technology Luddites who are stopping progress!” I’m shocked to experience criticism from long-dedicated conservative associates who are accepting the corporate attack on our liberties as “progress.”
For thirty-five years I have been sounding the alarm about the growing global force determined to gain control of our lives as they eliminate our national sovereignty and culture. As the Southern Poverty Law Center produced four separate reports on me using the labels of conspiracy theorist and domestic terrorist, every single thing I warned about has come true. Now, today, as I’m using the same determination to expose these technocracy threats of AI, I’m now being labeled an anti-tech extremist and a Luddite by my own government and even some long-time conservative allies. Well, now tell me I am wrong!
Author Tom DeWeese is founder and president of the American Policy Center and is an internationally recognized expert on the issue of Sustainable Development and its attack on private property. He is author of three books, including Now Tell Me I Was Wrong, ERASE, and Sustainable: the WAR on Free Enterprise, Private Property, and Individuals.
