US midterms: Data centre expansions spark backlash across political divide

World

Rising electricity costs, environmental concerns and the spread of large data centres are becoming campaign issues in closely contested congressional races in Pennsylvania.

New: You can now listen to articles.

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

30 Oct 2026 06:14PM

PENNSYLVANIA: Opposition to artificial intelligence data centres is bringing some Republican and Democratic voters together ahead of the United States midterm elections, amid concerns over rising electricity bills and the impact on local communities.

The debate is playing out in the northeastern state of Pennsylvania, where President Donald Trump and Democratic governor Josh Shapiro welcomed an announcement of US$90 billion in energy and AI-related investment in July 2025. 

More than 90 data centres were planned across the state, but over a quarter of the projects have since been stopped or delayed following local opposition.

THE COST OF DATA CENTRE EXPANSION

Data centres require substantial electricity to power servers and cooling systems, while facilities that use water-based cooling can consume large amounts of water.

Residents have raised concerns about higher electricity bills, water pollution and the impact of data centres on the landscape. They have also questioned tax breaks for developments that create relatively few permanent jobs.

Viola Byerly, who lives opposite a data centre development that is proceeding, accused politicians of failing to represent residents' interests.

"There's flip-flopping when you look at what they're willing to say out loud in public, but not what's going on behind the scenes," she told CNA.

Referring to the development near her home, she added: "This particular data centre was fast-tracked by Shapiro. They're not fighting for us."

In August, Shapiro tightened regulations on data centre development, including removing AI projects from the state's fast-track permitting programme.

A KEY BATTLEGROUND ISSUE

In northeastern Pennsylvania, the controversy is playing out in one of the country's most closely contested congressional races. 

Paige Cognetti, the Democratic mayor of Scranton, is challenging Republican incumbent Rob Bresnahan for Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District seat in the US House of Representatives.

Data centres have featured in both candidates' campaigns.

Cognetti has accused Bresnahan of supporting data centre developments across northeastern Pennsylvania while holding investments in companies linked to the industry.

She has called for developers to cover their own infrastructure costs, receive no special tax breaks and hire local union workers.

Bresnahan, meanwhile, has highlighted his efforts to give local communities greater control over data centre developments, although he has previously welcomed such projects as potential drivers of economic growth.

In June, he introduced a bill aimed at protecting municipalities from federal lawsuits by developers seeking to overturn decisions rejecting data centre proposals.

RESIDENTS PUSH BACK AGAINST CASH OFFERS

Another Pennsylvania resident, Erika Cook, is fighting a proposed data centre that has already been rejected but developers continue to pursue the project.

Developers have offered residents US$10,000 per household in a bid to secure support for the facility.

Cook questioned whether the money would make a meaningful difference to locals.

"What is that going to do for you? It's going to get you a quarter of a roof. There's not enough for a down payment on a house or anything significant," she said.

She also criticised the response of politicians across party lines, although she acknowledged that some representatives have supported residents' opposition to the development.

“This is not a party problem. This is a government problem," Cook said.

"This is a politician problem across the board … Not saying anything can be just as complicit as being the one doing it."

Other residents in the area also rejected the proposed payout, saying it was insufficient to compensate them for the development's impact.

Some also expressed broader concerns about data centres, including fears that the facilities could be used to monitor people's online activities.

POLITICAL DIVIDES BEGIN TO BLUR

Chris Borick, a professor of political science at Lehigh University, said the protests are bringing together people who would usually not find themselves on the same side of a political issue.

"It creates alliances and coalitions that don't fall neatly into the partisan divides that we're so familiar with in American politics," he said.

"You see this at the local level. You go to meetings and watch the protest against data centres, and you'll see folks that could be wearing a MAGA hat and next to them, someone … looking classically liberal."

MAGA refers to Trump's Make America Great Again political movement.

Borick suggested that AI's growing influence on society could also reshape political allegiances.

"Maybe something as transformative as AI in terms of its impact in our lives, our economies, our ways of living, might have an equally transformative impact on how we realign politically,” he said. 

With Americans heading to the polls on Nov 3, opposition to data centres is testing how candidates from both parties respond to local concerns over AI-related investment.

The debate could extend to the 2028 presidential race, when candidates will face questions about how they plan to manage AI's growing role in American life.

Source: CNA/mp(dn)