This article was originally published by The Empowerment Alliance and is re-published here with permission.
The current populist trend that has settled across much of the nation has led to citizens increasingly pushing back – through protests or referendums – on decisions made by their elected leaders.
For instance, the stand taken in community after community in opposition to solar fields replacing farmland has been a case of average Americans being a step ahead of their local officials.
People are increasingly realizing that if there were no more utility-scale solar farms or clusters of wind turbines built, our energy needs would continue to be met – with the added bonus of no more tax subsidies or radical government policies forcing people to choose “alternatives” over the tried-and-true sources most people prefer.
Lately, the ire of many communities has been directed at data centers springing up to power the artificial intelligence boom. But unlike “alternative” energy sources, it is in the national security interest of the U.S. to be the world’s data center pacemaker.
The fear expressed by many Americans is reflective of the healthy level of concern that historically accompanies any revolutionary technology. Many observers have noted that the worries about data centers echo the fears of late 19th and early 20th century citizens when power lines transmitting electricity began to be rapidly installed across the United States. While many people welcomed the innovation, there was widespread concern about their safety and efficacy.
Countless sources recount how people initially complained about unsightly power lines being strung from pole to pole across urban landscapes and rural agricultural regions. When arc wires broke loose, the resulting fireworks inspired both awe and a healthy dose of fear in onlookers – it was often believed that the wires contained something akin to greased lightning. Some medical experts warned about the possible health impacts of power lines. That fear even re-emerged a century later.
“In the late 1980s, palpable dread gripped parts of the country after reports that clusters of cancer had developed among children whose families lived near high-voltage power lines,” as recounted in a New York Times story. “Parents in those places panicked at the very thought that an object that made so much of modern life possible — an electrical distribution line — was a potential menace to their loved ones.”
But even in the face of opposition and fear, there was no going back. Electricity represented a giant leap forward in the advancement of modern society. Now, Americans are wrestling with another rapidly emerging technology, with evident resistance.
In Wilmington, Ohio, “A group of Clinton County homeowners is asking a federal judge to block a proposed $4 billion Amazon data center” based on concerns about “noise, diesel emissions, increased power demand, water usage, and potential declines in nearby property values,” according to WLWT.
In Virginia Beach, Va., the city council “unanimously agreed to reject future large-scale data center development in the city, following months of public opposition from residents who packed meetings to voice their concerns,” WTKR reported.
In Nottingham, N.H., an online petition opposing a data center “had accumulated thousands of signatures, and protesters were preparing signs decrying the proposal,” according to Valley News. The applicant, Hampton, N.H. businessman Tom Moulton, said the response surprised him. “I kind of didn’t expect this at all, to be honest with you. It’s kind of taken on a life of its own. I’m very surprised, a little disappointed.” He has withdrawn the application for now.
Moulton should not have been so surprised. A recent Gallup poll found that “seven in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half, 48%, who are strongly opposed. Barely a quarter favor these projects, with 7% strongly in favor.”
The poll found that “half of opponents mention data centers’ excessive use of resources including 18% each mentioning their use of water and energy. Sixteen percent mention a related environmental concern of pollution, including noise pollution and air and water pollution.”
To counter concerns about power drains, many data centers are building their own gas-fired plants to generate dedicated electricity, a smart move that should help allay concerns.
The most revealing phrase in the Gallup poll was that Americans oppose the centers “in their local area,” a typical NIMBY (not in my backyard) attitude that often emerges on various topics.
People realize the need or inevitability of certain things; they just don’t want it in their neighborhood.
But as with past fears about electricity, such opposition is likely to fade as time goes by and Americans begin to come to terms with both the inescapability of the technology and the consequences of allowing a foreign country, particularly China, to outpace the U.S. in AI advancement.
As the Center for a New American Security notes, it’s crucial that the U.S. works to “crowd out China’s expanding sphere of technology influence and ensure the AI transition is underpinned by trusted democratic technologies.”
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) sounded the alarm after a hearing last summer, warning, “The message coming out of this briefing was clear—the U.S. must win this AI race, and the fundamental pillar for success is out-computing our adversary. To that end, vigorous export controls that maintain the U.S. infrastructure lead are critical for stymying China’s advance…”
We can live without another solar field or a new cluster of wind turbines. What we really need to fear – economically and militarily – is losing the AI race to China. For the safety and security of our children and grandchildren, Americans must welcome a future that is arriving now – even when it’s in our own backyard.
Gary Abernathy is a longtime newspaper editor, reporter and columnist. He was a contributing columnist for the Washington Post from 2017-2023 and a frequent guest analyst across numerous media platforms. He is a contributing opinion columnist for The Empowerment Alliance, which advocates for realistic approaches to energy consumption and environmental conservation.
