Neighbors are slowing AI data-center construction in the US: $68 billion in projects stalled in one quarter

843 resident groups in 49 states oppose data center construction in the US. Only Hawaii is not covered.

Quarter over quarter. In January-March 2026, residents blocked or delayed more than 75 projects worth $130 billion, as many as in all of 2025. The April-June tally is different: 45 projects worth $68 billion, more than half of all new major builds that Data Center Watch recorded over those three months.

The number of groups has doubled. At the end of 2025, there were 396; by March 2026, already 833. Researchers call it a structural shift, not a spike.

In the first six weeks of 2026, more than 300 data center bills were introduced in state legislatures, and 14 states proposed a moratorium. Maine was one House vote away from a statewide ban. The US House of Representatives passed the Ratepayer Protection Act 417 to 3: it would require utilities to determine whether data centers should pay for grid infrastructure. The bill is stalled in the Senate.

A Gallup poll from 2 to 18 March 2026 explains the scale: 7 out of 10 Americans oppose an AI data center being built near their home, with 48% strongly opposed. A neighboring nuclear power plant is less frightening: 53% oppose one. 1000 adults were surveyed, with a margin of error of ±4 pp.

The count is maintained by Data Center Watch, a 10a Labs project. Since 2023, it has tracked projects of 50 MW or more in 28 states through local media, official documents, and social media. Its baseline report covering May 2024 to March 2025 is available as a free PDF; the quarterly cut for Q1 2026 costs $250, while project-by-project detail is provided on request.

Around 30 states have already introduced or proposed rules for data center siting, energy use, and water use.