Good newsLocal Data Centre Limits Win 44 of 45 Votes, and OpenAI Pledges Power Costs
In the 3 November elections, communities backed limits on data centers in nearly every local vote counted, and OpenAI pledged to pay for its own power. Whether the pledges bind anyone is not yet clear.
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Communities that voted on data centres on 3 November mostly chose limits. A count by Redbud Consulting, reported by PBS NewsHour with the Associated Press, tracked 47 referendums in 44 municipalities across 12 states. Restrictions passed in 44 of the 45 where counting was complete.
A second tally gives a similar picture. CNBC reports that voters backed restrictions or rejected pro-development measures in 40 of 41 local ballot measures across 10 states, citing Ballotpedia and its own additions. The two counts use different lists, so the totals differ, but they point the same way.
| Count | Measures | Restrictions or rejections |
|---|---|---|
| Redbud Consulting, via PBS | 45 with results | 44 |
| Ballotpedia and CNBC | 41 | 40 |
What voters got
The result gives residents a lever that most did not have. In Ohio, a county where Meta planned a 700,000-square-foot facility passed a ban on large data centres, TechCrunch reported. Communities across the state also voted heavily against building more.
The issue reached the top of the ticket. The AP says data centre opposition was part of the platforms of Democrats who ousted Republican governors in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Nevada and Iowa. Of the 34 governors the AP had called, 32 winners support stronger regulation or restrictions, and 12 support bans or moratoriums. Regulation itself was not on most ballots, so these are the positions candidates took, not laws passed.
In Wisconsin, governor-elect David Crowley now supports a moratorium and wants to end the state’s sales tax exemption for data centre operators. The proposals under discussion include disclosing water and energy use, requiring community support before projects proceed, and shielding ratepayers from the energy costs.
Why voters said no
An AP voter poll found about three-quarters of voters oppose a new data centre in their community, and opposition was a majority in both red and blue states. An NBC exit poll found almost 80% opposed to one in their neighbourhood, TechCrunch reported. The AP poll also found only about a quarter called data centres crucial to their vote, well below cost of living or government corruption.
CNBC says opposition grew over the summer on worries about environmental harm, utility bills and jobs. Campaigns spent more than $380 million on television ads that mentioned data centres, according to the media tracker AdImpact, and Democrats outspent Republicans on the topic by more than three to one.
The industry responds
OpenAI has published a framework of community commitments. CNBC says the company reaffirmed a pledge to cover the full cost of powering its data centres and to protect ratepayers. For centres it owns and operates, it says it will seek community input, publish construction plans, and avoid non-disclosure agreements with public officials.
These are the company’s own promises, and CNBC does not say they are binding or how they apply to partners. Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, told CNBC the framework has been in development since August and that he wants it ready when Congress returns in late January. CNBC adds that Meta, Microsoft and Google have outlined similar commitments.
What it means for you
If you live near a proposed site, the change is a say before ground is broken. Likely next steps, according to TechCrunch, include requiring data centres to pay for their own grid upgrades so that costs are not passed to neighbours. A federal bill from Senator Martin Heinrich, the GRID Savings Act, would keep grid costs from falling on communities.
The industry sees costs too. Dan Diorio of the Data Center Coalition warned, in the AP’s account, that enforced moratoriums could cost host communities tax revenue and payments from technology companies. The Nasdaq fell 11% below its all-time high on Thursday amid worries that higher borrowing costs could slow construction, and Goldman Sachs expects delays in Georgia and Texas, TechCrunch says.
TechCrunch also notes that a Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez bill would impose a national moratorium, and that some Democrats worry a blanket freeze could slow AI progress. A presidential veto is possible. For now, the clearest result is local: where people could vote, nearly all of them chose to have a say.
