As Heat Wave Spreads Across the US, Data Centers Strain Electrical Grids

A heat wave is spreading across the U.S. this week that will affect over 250 million people from the Midwest to the East Coast. Last week, a heat dome covered much of Europe, causing over 1,300 excess deaths. This week, a new heat dome is bringing record-shattering heat to two thirds of the U.S. population, affecting areas that normally do not see such high temperatures.
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Poll: Two-Thirds of Voters Say Climate Crisis Is Causing Utility Bills to Go Up

A new poll demonstrates that nearly two-thirds of registered voters across the U.S. believe the climate crisis is contributing to increases in their home utility bills. The survey, conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communications and published earlier this week, also notes that, ahead of the 2026 midterms, there is a strong preference among the American electorate for candidates…
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The Fight Against AI Data Centers Is the Newest Frontier of Global Class Warfare

The relentless drive by Big Tech corporations to expand data center construction to every continent has sparked a growing movement of mass resistance. From the United States to Ireland, from Chile to Malaysia, grassroots communities are protesting water depletion, soaring utility bills, air and noise pollution, and environmental destruction. Behind the data center boom is the artificial…
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Everybody Hates Data Centers

Between 4,000 and 5,000 data centers are actively humming in the U.S. right now, draining energy and, in the case of some of the hyperscale ones, consuming as much as 5 million gallons of water per day. Even this does not satisfy the demand cultivated by the tech industry, however: At least 3,000 more data centers are under construction or planned, prompting a diverse grassroots mobilization…
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Michigan Governor Joins AI CEOs at Ceremony for Controversial Data Center

On Monday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined tech CEOs and businessmen at a groundbreaking ceremony for a $16 billion data center in rural Michigan. The data center — the first OpenAI data center in the Midwest — is already under construction, despite facing pushback from local residents. It is located in Saline Township, a rural agricultural community just 10 miles southwest of Ann Arbor…
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As Cities Try to Regulate Data Centers, More States Work to Block Their Efforts

An increasing number of states are pursuing legislation aimed at preventing local municipalities from regulating data centers and artificial intelligence (AI), legal advocates warn, all but ensuring their construction. This “preemption legislation” truncates efforts led by residents to counter the rapid expansion of facilities that have been widely criticized for everything from noise pollution to…
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