Organized opposition to data center installation across the United States
217 movements tracked — 188 local, 27 state, 2 national. | Data through 2026-05-31. Page rendered 2026-06-01.
Each marker is a documented opposition movement. Click a marker for its timeline, the groups involved, and links to the verified news sources behind every claim. Use the filters to narrow by state, status, or level. National-level movements have no map location and are listed in the box just below the map. For a quick descriptive analysis, see this page.
State-level movements are placed at the state’s geographic centroid.
National-level action
Each map marker encodes its status by both color and a distinct symbol:
Event types give the primary role of a dated event in the timeline; the event description keeps the finer source-specific detail.
| Code | Meaning | Example coded event |
|---|---|---|
start |
Start - The controversy first becomes public, or organized opposition first appears. | Colleton County SC Lowcountry data center opposition (2025-12) Resident and church-organized opposition emerges against a gigawatt-scale data center proposal in the SC Lowcountry |
public_action |
Public action - Residents, groups, officials, or advocates act publicly outside courts and elections. | New Brunswick NJ data center canceled after protest (2026-02-19) NJ B.U.R.N. organizes Stop The Data Center protest outside New Brunswick City Hall; Climate Revolution NJ and NJ NAAC... |
legal_action |
Legal action - Courts, attorneys, legal appeals, injunctions, settlements, or formal legal threats enter the conflict. | Taylor TX Blueprint Data Centers parkland lawsuit (2025-09) Pamela Griffin and three siblings and Carrie D'Anna file lawsuit against Blueprint Data Centers; judge issues tempora... |
electoral_action |
Electoral action - The conflict moves through elections, recalls, referenda, ballot petitions, or election outcomes. | Warrenton VA Amazon data center fight (2024-11) Prince William Times frames Warrenton election results as a referendum on Amazon data center; pro-data-center council... |
regulation_proposed |
Regulation proposed - A bill, ordinance, moratorium, zoning change, ratepayer rule, or other regulatory step is introduced, drafted, debated, or requested. | Federal AI Data Center Moratorium Act (2026-03) Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez announce the AI Data Center Moratorium Act |
regulation_passed |
Regulation passed - A law, ordinance, zoning rule, regulatory decision, or non-siting permit/ratepayer decision is adopted. | Mason MI public opposition to data center zoning ordinance (2026-02-03) Mason City Council votes 5-2 to pass data center zoning framework regulating noise (55dB limit) setbacks and screenin... |
regulation_failed |
Regulation failed - A bill, ordinance, moratorium, referendum petition, amendment, or regulatory effort is rejected, vetoed, withdrawn, or procedurally blocked. | Maine LD 307 data center moratorium (vetoed) (2026-04-29) Gov. Mills vetoed LD 307; House failed to override (20-11 short of two-thirds); Mills signed an executive order creat... |
project_blocked |
Project blocked - The data center plan is stopped, withdrawn, canceled, denied, or loses its necessary local pathway. | Chesterton IN Provident data center cancellation (2024-06) Times of Northwest Indiana reports Provident pulled the $1.3B Chesterton proposal in the face of sustained local oppo... |
project_delayed |
Project delayed - The project timeline is slowed without a final cancellation, including moratoria, tabling, deferrals, pauses, or postponed votes. | Denver Colorado data center moratorium (2026-05-18) Denver City Council votes unanimously for one-year moratorium on new data center construction; Councilmember Parady c... |
project_approved |
Project approved - The data center project, rezoning, site plan, bond, or key siting approval advances despite opposition. | Fort Worth TX Rock Creek data center opposition (2024-09-12) |
other |
Other - A relevant event that does not fit the above categories. | Metrobloks Indianapolis Martindale-Brightwood data center opposition (2026-04) Multiple shots fired into the home of District Councilor Ron Gibson in early April after his support for Metrobloks d... |
This tracker is a living dataset, and it gets stronger with community input. Know of a local, state, or national data center opposition movement that isn’t listed here — or have a correction or an additional source for an existing entry? Please get in touch: to.jaewook.lee at gmail
When reporting a movement, it would be very helpful to include: where it is (county and state), when it began, any key dates (hearings, votes, bills, protests), the groups or officials involved, and at least one link to a news article or official record so the entry can be verified.
Research collaborations are also very welcome – especially if you have expertise in topics like American political economy, environmental politics, or social movements. Please feel free to reach out with ideas or contributions.
If you use this tracker in research or reporting, please cite it as:
@misc{lee2026dctracker,
author = {Lee, Jaewook},
title = {Data Center Opposition Tracker: Organized Opposition to
Data Center Installation Across the United States},
year = {2026},
version = {1.0},
howpublished = {\url{https://jwklee.github.io/data-center-opposition-tracker/tracker.html}},
note = {Data through 2026-05-31.
Contact: to.jaewook.lee@gmail.com}
}