What's the Deal with Data Centers?

With the rapidly increasing use of AI technology there's been a lot of discussion, confusion, and even fear around the impending influx of data centers and the potential consequences for EJ communities.

Data centers are buildings that hold a collection of computers and their systems used for processing, storing and sharing data. They have already existed, however, it’s the number and size of them that's quickly changing. These changes threaten how marginalized communities are impacted by the increased used of artificial intelligence (ai) and the expansion of data centers. The expansion of ai technology is more than people downloading ai chatbots. It includes the increased integration of ai in our day-to-day from filtering our emails to curating our social media feeds and even the steps we follow as we use navigation to drive more often than map-questing or simply remembering our routes.

How we manage these rapidly increasing changes are what advocates, especially concerning EJ communities, are most concerned with. Understanding that Environmental Justice (EJ) communities usually BIPOC, low income neighborhoods are where companies often choose to locate the most toxic and chemically polluted aspects of their operations. For example: factories, waste sites, coal burning plants, manufacturing and fuel suppliers that spew particulate matter, soot, dust, toxins and into pollutants into the atmosphere. As a result, EJ areas are often characterized by higher instances of childhood asthma and adults with cancer. Advocates residing in EJ areas see a direct correlation between the distance of manufacturing sites to their communities with the higher instances of sickness and disease experienced in their communities. Data centers exacerbate this problem. 

The NY Times reports the devastating effects the Meta's Data Center had on a town in Newton County, Georgia. After building the $750 million facility, local homeowners saw that their well water supply, located just 1,000 ft. away from Meta's new data center, went dry. The elderly couply featured in the NYTimes story, Beverly and Jeff Morris, noticed that water dependant appliances from their dishwasher to their toilet, stopped working just months after construction site began on the data center.   

Stories like these are increasignly becoming more and more prevelant across the country brewing fears as councilmembers and commissioners contiually approve new data center opperations without community input. Detroit has taken the center stage as a $7 billion data center is progressing in service of Open Ai and another has has been proposed in Dundee Township, all while residents fight against a nuclear weapon science data center costing $1.2 billion in Ypsilanti. Not only do residents fear negative impacts to the day-to-day home life, but they're also deeply concerned with how these rapid changes will impact their pocketbooks. Is it possible to put such a large strain on an already strained energy infrustracture without increased costs? An already strong opposition against utility companies is justifiably cautious.

How can residents ensure that their energy costs aren't going towards subsidizing data centers that they don't want? Utility leaders and commussioners have promised this won't happen, but as rate increases on residential ratepayers are proposed it's critical that residential ratepayers hold officials accountable to this promise. Make sure you stay plugged in with intervenors like We Want Green Too to ensure you're aware of regulatory changes and can participate opportunities to demonstrate your position as soon as they arise.