US and UK Communities Fight Large-Scale Data Center Expansion

Communities across the United States and England are mobilizing against the expansion of large-scale data centers, citing concerns over water depletion, noise pollution, and environmental degradation. In Ohio, the grassroots campaign ConserveOhio is seeking a state constitutional amendment to ban facilities consuming more than 25 megawatts of energy per month. The group has collected over 105,000 signatures for a proposed November 2027 ballot, following secretive land acquisitions in Adams and Brown counties.

At the local level in Ohio, the Woodsdale and Trenton Environmental Resistance (W.A.T.E.R.) group submitted a petition to place a similar charter amendment on Trenton's November ballot. This effort targets future facilities exceeding 25 megawatts, though it cannot halt the already approved Project Mila. Similarly, the Salix City Council in Iowa voted 3-2 to proceed with a conceptual one-year moratorium on large-scale data centers following concerns from residents and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska regarding aquifer protection.

Opposition extends to Lubbock, Texas, where the group Citizens of Lubbock Against Data Centers is gathering signatures to force a city council vote on a development pause. In the United Kingdom, nearly 5,000 people have signed a petition against the Norwich Apex Data Centre in Norfolk. While developers claim the facility will use a closed-loop water system and green energy, local residents continue to challenge the project's environmental impact.