Data centers: Three reasons to hit the brakes
Data centers: Three reasons to hit the brakes
- Sun, Sep 13 2026 at 10:20 AM
Mark M,
Massive, sprawling data centers are consuming huge amounts of power, water and land -- and the surge to build more is accelerating.
Right now, the U.S. has more than 4,000 data centers in operation. Nearly 3,000 more are in the works.1
While artificial intelligence offers incredible potential, it also presents equally significant challenges. To realize this potential in a thoughtful, sustainable way, we need to put the brakes on the construction of large data centers. Let's take a look at three reasons why:
As it turns out, data centers are major energy hogs. In fact, the largest data centers can consume as much energy as 100,000 homes.2
As utilities scramble to meet a data center's massive energy demands, some are proposing to keep open or even re-open fossil fuel-powered power plants. Burning fossil fuels to meet our energy needs creates air pollution that threatens our health. It also releases planet-warming gases into the atmosphere.3,4
Data centers have an unquenchable thirst for water.
One data center can consume up to 5 million gallons of water a day. That's the amount of water a small city uses daily.5
When a single data center draws as much water as 50,000 residents, it competes with residential, commercial and agricultural needs. It also threatens municipal water reserves. To make matters even worse, some data centers are being proposed in places that are already facing significant water shortages.6
Data centers aren't considerate neighbors.
The humming of cooling systems, the rumbling of diesel generators and the whirring of fans can be heard for hundreds of feet from the data center itself. In fact, noise near data centers can reach levels equivalent to that of a garbage disposal.7
Living alongside this relentless mechanical drone can fundamentally shatter a community's peace, quality of life and health. In one community, residents who lived near a loud data center experienced migraines, hearing loss, vertigo and elevated blood pressure.8
We can tap into AI's promise without destroying our planet and our health -- but only if we take the time to get it right.
That's why WISPIRG and our national network are calling for a two-year freeze on new data centers with a capacity of 50 megawatts. This moratorium would give us the space we need to balance AI's promise with its impacts on our environment, health and wellbeing.
Thank you,
Faye Park
President, National Office
1. Alex Fitzpatrick, "America's data center growth hot spots, mapped", Axios, last accessed August 24, 2026.
2. Jon Gorey, "Data Drain: The Land and Water Impacts of the AI Boom," Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, October 17, 2025.
3. Quentin Good and Kylie Hanson, "Data center energy use is giving old, dirty power plants a new lease on life", Frontier Group, October 8, 2025.
4. Johanna Neumann, "What is dirty energy?" Environment America Research & Policy Center, July 14, 2026.
5. Miguel Yañez-Barnuevo, "Data Centers and Water Consumption," Environmental and Energy Study Institute, June 25, 2025.
6. Alejandra Martinez, "Hundreds of data centers are coming to Texas. Here's what you need to know," Houston Public Media, June 26, 2026.
7. Colleen Deguzman, "A North Texas community will vote to form a city in an effort to quiet down a crypto mine," The Texas Tribune, October 9, 2025.
8. Colleen Deguzman, "A North Texas community will vote to form a city in an effort to quiet down a crypto mine," The Texas Tribune, October 9, 2025.
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