Are Data Centers Really That Bad?
The short version: Reich's video says the quiet part loud: most Americans don't want data centers next door, and the noise, water, and power costs explain why.
Our Take
Robert Reich is asking the question we ask every day: are data centers really that bad? His answer lines up with what we've been documenting for months — the noise complaints, the water drawdowns, the electricity demand that shows up on your bill whether you asked for it or not. When 70% of Americans say they don't want these facilities in their community, that's not NIMBYism, that's people who've done the math on what a hyperscale campus actually costs them in quality of life.
The moratorium idea will strike some as extreme, but it's really just a demand for the pause button most communities never got. These deals get signed by state officials and utility commissions before residents even know a project is coming, locked in with tax breaks and "confidential" power agreements that outlast any single election cycle. By the time the substation upgrades and water permits show up in public filings, the leverage is already gone.
We credit Reich for putting this in front of a bigger audience than most watchdog reporting ever reaches. If you want to see whether one of these projects is headed for your zip code, check our facility map, and if you're ready to push back before the contracts are final, our take-action page has the tools to do it.
This is GridWatch the USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Robert Reich, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.