Our Power and Data Center Decisions: A Roadmap to Holding Data Centers Accountable
Data centers are quickly becoming one of the most talked about issues in our communities. With nearly 5,500 data centers currently online in the U.S., this represents half of the world's total AI infrastructure. It's no wonder that the question "How are data centers impacting us?" has become a defining question for today.
These facilities influence everything: our water, our air, our land, our utility bills, and the very stability of our energy grid. Because they touch so many parts of our lives, we have to know where the decisions are being made and how our voices can shape what comes next.
The Local Frontlines: Where Rezoning and Resources Begin
The fight for environmental justice often starts in small rooms with local officials. This is where data center decisions meet real-world impact.
Planning Commissions: This is where the future of your neighborhood is reshaped. By showing up, we remind commissioners that data center approvals aren't just business deals, but they are climate justice decisions.
Agricultural Commissioners: In rural communities, these boards hold the keys to water rights and land use. We must remind them that when farmland is traded for energy-intensive hubs, these decisions impact water for communities, air quality, utility bills, and food in our homes.
Water Boards: AI data centers can use millions of gallons of water daily. In an era of climate crisis, we must ensure frontline communities aren't paying the price for Big Tech's cooling needs.
City and County Councils: These are the places to demand transparency. We can push for local ordinances that set hard limits on noise, water use, and renewable energy requirements.
The Regulatory Watchdogs: Protecting Our Health and Utility Bills
When energy demands rise, who pays the bill? And who breathes the toxins?
Public Service and Utility Commissions: These bodies decide who profits and who pays. The NAACP has a broader Make Polluters Pay campaign framework so that massive energy demands don't drive up costs for ordinary ratepayers.
Air Permit Boards and Health Departments: These boards have both the responsibility and the authority to protect public health. While it is not utilized as often as it should be, denying permits for dirty data centers should not be seen as a radical decision.
FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission): FERC governs our interstate electricity. Without oversight, data centers could push our grids to the brink or keep outdated coal plants running. The NAACP recently intervened in a FERC case to stop exactly this kind of regression.
State and Federal Leadership: Setting the Standard
From the Governor's mansion to the White House, our leaders have the authority to prioritize people over "fast-tracked" projects.
State Legislatures: Through efforts like the State Legislative Advocacy Month, advocates are pushing statewide standards that ensure data centers contribute to sustainability rather than undermining it.
Governors' Offices: Governors can direct agencies to prioritize transparency. During Earth Month and every month, we must call on them to lead with moral clarity rather than simply cutting ribbons on projects that leave communities behind.
Congress and Federal Agencies: With the newly formed Environmental Justice Caucus, we have a fresh opportunity to push for federal tax incentives linked to environmental standards. We must also hold the White House accountable when promises, like the "Ratepayer Pledge", lacks legal enforceability to protect our communities.
The Power of Accountability: Lessons from the Field
When these systems fail us, the courts remain a cornerstone for justice. We are already seeing this power in action. And this list is not exhaustive of all the people and bodies involved with decision-making.
In Southaven, Mississippi, the NAACP is using many of these areas for pushing back. When xAI attempted to expand its use of methane gas turbines for a second data center, community members mobilized, attended hearings, submitted comments, and the NAACP refused to accept rushed decisions, such as holding a final air permit decision hearing on Election Day, that silenced community voices. The NAACP's notice of intent to sue xAI also highlights that we will continue to utilize legal accountability that is rooted in community mobilization, policy levers, and public education to ensure that communities' voices are represented in many venues.
During Earth Month, as the nation reflects on how to shape a sustainable future, we must remember that environmental and climate justice, fair process, and community power and governance should be at the bedrock of any data center decision.
A Vision for the Future
During Earth Month, as we reflect on a sustainable future, let's remember that community power and fair process must be the bedrock of every decision to Stop Dirty Data.
Now is the time to engage. Testify at your local council, organize your neighbors, and demand that our communities do not become "dumping grounds" for dirty data centers. We can move forward technologically without regressing on environmental justice and public health.
Let's make sure both can thrive.