A strange trend has been manifesting across the industry. Data centers – usually thought of as quiet, clean neighbors that provide an economic boom to rural areas – are getting the kind of not-in-my-back-yard pushback usually reserved for shopping malls and homeless shelters.
Here are just a few recent examples:
- Amsterdam: A planned data center for Facebook parent Meta was canceled due to environmental concerns;
- Northern Virginia: The commonwealth has the highest density of data centers in the United States, but residents in Loudon, Prince William, and Culpeper counties are pushing back on proposals due to environmental concerns, as well as proximity to historic sites;
