Data center backlash unites left and right

Plans for AI data centers are drawing resistance from coalitions that cut across party lines, with farmers, environmental groups and local residents warning that rapid development could consume farmland, strain water supplies and push up electricity costs. In Murdock, Neb., population around 275, conservative farmers and the state Sierra Club chapter opposed data center growth even as labor leaders argued the projects could bring jobs.

Cass County officials approved a 12-month moratorium that could affect Tenaska’s exploration of power generation tied to large loads, potentially including development on 1,300-plus acres. CyrusOne controls nearly 400 acres near Plattsmouth, though no project has been announced. In New Mexico, Oracle’s Project Jupiter, a $165 billion complex near the Mexican border, has triggered worries over drought and agricultural water needs after the state’s largest reservoir fell to 1.3% capacity.

Oracle has pledged $50 million for water and wastewater systems, estimated savings of 21 million gallons annually through farming sensors, and projected $4.7 billion in taxes, more than 7,000 construction jobs and 1,500 long-term jobs. Still, courts halted authorization for a new well while a legal challenge proceeds. Nationally, Donald Trump and some unions promote data centers as strategic infrastructure, while governors in New York, Pennsylvania and Texas have slowed or tightened approvals amid voter backlash.