Opposition to the construction of data centres supporting artificial\nintelligence (AI) is growing in the United States. The latest\ndevelopment saw residents of Monterey Park, California, decisively\napprove a ban on data centre development in their area through a vote\nheld on Tuesday (2\/6). As of Wednesday (3\/6) local time, approximately\n86% of the counted votes supported the prohibition policy, making\nMonterey Park one of the first cities in the US to ratify an anti-data\ncentre referendum.<\/p>\n
The decision comes amid rising public concern over the environmental\nimpact of AI infrastructure. Data centres, which form the backbone of\ninternet services and AI development, are known to require massive\namounts of electricity and water to operate thousands of servers.<\/p>\n
Monterey Park Mayor Elizabeth Yang stated that the vote\u2019s outcome\ncould potentially encourage other cities to take similar steps. \u2018Many\nother cities that are facing data centre development proposals will\nlikely follow this lead. Data centres have a bad reputation in many\nareas across the country, especially those built in residential\nneighbourhoods,\u2019 she said, as quoted by Politico on Friday\n(5\/6\/2026).<\/p>\n
The city government stated the policy aims to protect air quality,\ndrinking water resources, and public health. Additionally, the ban is\nexpected to prevent increases in electricity and water rates for local\nresidents.<\/p>\n
The referendum originated from public opposition to a data centre\ndevelopment plan by Australian company DigiCo Infrastructure REIT.\nResidents assessed that the facility would significantly increase\nelectricity and water consumption and cause air pollution from the use\nof backup diesel generators.<\/p>\n
\u2018We do not want any data centres built in our area,\u2019 said San Gabriel\nValley Progressive Action volunteer Amy J. Wong.<\/p>\n
Activist groups then urged the city council to impose a moratorium on\ndata centre construction and put the prohibition proposal on the ballot.\nAfter that step was taken, DigiCo ultimately withdrew its project\nproposal.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the data centre industry warned that the ban could\nimpact the local investment climate. Data Center Coalition State Policy\nDirector Khara Boender said such a policy risks hindering incoming\ninvestment and job creation. According to Boender, a data centre ban\ncould send a signal that a region is closed to large-scale economic\ndevelopment projects.<\/p>\n
Rejection of data centre construction is not only occurring in\nCalifornia. Several community groups in Ohio, Georgia, Maryland, and\nUtah are also beginning to campaign for similar restrictions amid the\nrapid development of AI infrastructure across various regions of the\nUnited States.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the New York State legislature is reportedly considering a\none-year moratorium on new large-scale data centre construction. For\nenvironmental activists, the victory in Monterey Park serves as an\nimportant momentum to broaden the rejection movement against data centre\nprojects across various regions of the United States.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-residents-begin-rejecting-data-centres-amid-soaring-electricity-and-water-bills-1780663954", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }