Key facts
- Conservative farmers and environmental groups are forming unlikely coalitions to oppose AI data center development across the U.S.
- Concerns include loss of farmland, dwindling water supplies, and rising electricity bills.
- Cass County, Nebraska, has implemented a 12-month moratorium on data center development.
- A large data center complex, Project Jupiter, is planned in New Mexico, raising significant water supply concerns.
- Landowners are sometimes offered up to four times the typical price for their land by developers.
In rural areas across the United States, a growing movement is emerging to oppose the rapid development of artificial intelligence data centers, uniting diverse groups that typically hold opposing political views. Conservative farmers concerned about losing farmland and water resources are finding common cause with environmental organizations like the Sierra Club. These unlikely coalitions are voicing worries about dwindling water supplies, rising electricity bills, and the transformation of small towns into computing hubs.
In Murdock, Nebraska, residents, including fifth-generation farmer Judy Stroy, have expressed fears that the land acquisition for data centers threatens the nation's food source. Cass County officials have responded by approving a 12-month moratorium on data center development, potentially impacting Tenaska's plans for a large power generation facility and data center. CyrusOne also controls significant acreage in the area, though no project has been announced.
Landowners are often tempted by lucrative offers from developers, sometimes four times the typical agricultural land value, especially as farming becomes more expensive. Despite these financial incentives, community leaders and activists are urging caution. In New Mexico, concerns are mounting over Project Jupiter, a proposed $165 billion data center complex, due to the state's severe drought conditions and critically low reservoir levels.
Supporters, including President Donald Trump and some union leaders, highlight the potential for job creation, economic growth, and the U.S. maintaining technological supremacy over China. However, the speed of development has fueled opposition, forcing elected officials to navigate a complex political landscape ahead of the midterm elections.