Erin Brockovich Maps 142 AI Datacentres After 7,005 Community Complaints
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 29
Erin Brockovich Maps 142 AI Datacentres After 7,005 Community Complaints
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 29
Summary
3,862 people responded within a month to Brockovich’s April callout, helping her build an open-source map showing 142 US AI datacentres—33 operating, 68 under construction and 41 proposed.
7,005 reports logged by June 24 describe projects residents say were approved with little notice, often amid zoning changes, nondisclosure agreements and limited environmental review.
5 million gallons of water a day can be needed to cool the largest sites, Brockovich said, while Guardian analysis found two-thirds of planned US datacentres are in drought-stricken areas.
79 US municipalities have issued moratoriums, but some have faced developer lawsuits exceeding $100 million; Hill County, Texas, backed down after a $100 million damages claim.
Brockovich is pushing case-by-case pauses and stronger local scrutiny, arguing opposition is bipartisan and part of a wider global backlash as places such as Dublin already restrict new datacentres.