The Big Data Breach

In the blink of an eye, artificial intelligence has gone from speculative geekspeak to the skeleton key capable of unlocking our collective future. More things rely on AI each day... from companies executing exotic financial trades to capitulating grandmas who finally start uploading to the cloud.

Of course, their records and photos aren't actually floating in the sky. Such information is stored on computer servers in gargantuan data centers that make Costco warehouses look like kiosks. These tech building complexes devour raw land by the parcel. With the stroke of a politician's pen, hundreds or thousands of acres become no-go zones for 99.99999% of humanity.

Worse still, data centers have a voracious appetite for electricity, water, and other resources. Taken as a whole, the AI revolution is quickly becoming America's #1 environmental problem.

These Numbers Don't Compute

Right now, Meta is in the process of constructing two massive data centers, including one outside of Shreveport that's slated to cover a spot on the map roughly the size of Manhattan (2,250 acres). Over in southern Arizona, Amazon is poised to spend $3.6 billion on Project Blue... even after the concept was heroically rejected by the Tucson Council earlier this month. Yup, the developers et al admit they'll simply find a site beyond city limits willing to let them suck up almost 300 million gallons of H20 per year and utilize as much power as 100,000+ residents. Real robber baron stuff!

While these facilities are more high-profile than other AI hubs, they aren't atypical. Insane levels of water and electricity consumption are the definitive norm in this industry. Complexes demand 300,000 to four million gallons of water daily. Experts have pegged data center grid usage at slightly under 10% of the total megawatts generated nationwide. Going forward, every dozen or so new data centers will necessitate another gigawatt of extra capacity in the system. *

It can be difficult to comprehend amounts of this magnitude. For that reason, it might be easier to get granular about a single data center war erupting on the edge of Davis, WV...

Malware Detected

Tucker County, West Virginia is home to the Canaan Valley, a National Natural Landmark famous for lush forests and the Blackwater River (pictured above). Toward its northern border sit the neighboring communities of Davis and Thomas, each with populations hovering around 600. Zoom in behind a landfill near where the twin towns meet, and you'll find a piece of undeveloped land that threatens to change everything about life in this area.

Paperwork was filed to get the ball rolling on what could end up being a 10,000-acre compound for a data center connected to its own power plant. [Yes, such a footprint would dwarf Meta's monstrosity!] That means in addition to the incalculable water needs, the venture would tap into who knows how many cubic feet of natural gas annually. ** Furthermore, it'd require stockpiling 30 million gallons of diesel for the backup generators. Oh, and don't forget the emissions (maybe three million tons of carbon dioxide per annum) and a laundry list of other possible pollutants, ranging from particulates to irritants of the noise and light variety.

As you can imagine, plenty of citizens there are not very keen on the idea. In short order, they organized Tucker United, a coalition designed to fend off the potential for environmental upheaval. What they have been able to accomplish in mere months is truly impressive. But will it be enough when tangling with an arcane maze of bureaucratic proceedings... not to mention the whispers that there's no guarantee the project will not affect the area's aquifer? ***

While they have some political allies on their side -- including Davis mayor Al Tomson -- they're fighting a battle that goes all the way to the governor's mansion. This isn't hyperbole. Data centers are literally Governor Patrick Morrisey's pet issue, as evidenced by his vocal cheerleading for HB 2014, the divisive bill he ushered through the State Capitol. In a nutshell, this certified microgrid measure (that he signed into law on 5/1/25) strips away local control to clear the path for 'progress.' Municipalities and counties are forbidden from saying no to this category! Any proactive steps they enact to deter future big data investment will be futile, too. On top of that, the state plans to siphon off 70% of the tax windfall associated with these activities. Ergo, millions of dollars that traditionally would have been earmarked for schools and services in the vicinity of the places bearing AI burdens will instead be extracted by Charleston.

It's this blatant exploitation that brought retired utility lineman Frank Slider off the sidelines. As a lifelong West Virginian who has called Tucker County home for a decade, he is well aware of "the historical progression of this area from untouched wilderness to devastated post-industrial landscape to a recovering area with thousands of acres of public lands." Despite regarding himself "a blue-collar guy (who) earned (his) living by the sweat of (his) brow like the Bible says," Slider understands that today's Canaan Valley is dependent on a "thriving tourist economy."

That moderate position puts him at odds with data center defenders, who insist that the promised increase in jobs trumps all. While it's hard to condemn folks sincerely committed to employment for Tucker's next generation, their enthusiasm appears to be severely misguided. Strictly speaking, the lion's share of those roles won't exist once the construction phase ends. The handful that remain will presumably consist of hourly wage roles for janitors and security guards.

Whether they've figured this out or not doesn't stop them from snapping at individuals aligned with Tucker United. As Slider put it, "the other side are framing it like there are these transplants, there are these lefties... saying like, well, get rid of your iPhone. You're on the internet.... No, no, no, no, no. (They're) missing the point. This (project) is not for us. 99.999% of this data will be used by Amazon, ChatGPT, all that BS."

When push comes to shove, Slider's faction is unquestionably better organized. At a recent West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection forum related to the first of many applications for the looming microgrid, not one of the 325 or so attendees testified in favor of approval. That type of turnout at a procedural affair would be phenomenal anywhere, let alone when it's in a sparsely populated region and is outwardly unanimous to boot.

Now here's the bad news: their motivated group can pack an auditorium and still be told by regulators that nothing those men and women do will convince the agency to rule in their favor. [Eventually, permits always get approved, according to Country Roads News' crack reporting. Layer on top of that the chilling effect HB 2014 will have and it's a veritable double whammy.] When combined with elected officials lecturing them about decorum right before giving lackluster previews of the county commission's intentions, it can be downright depressing. ****

System Error

The ongoing saga in Tucker County demonstrates how consistently diligent people must be to beat back digital overlords and their greenback-hungry minions. Even then, the deck is stacked against commoners in ways that would make casinos blush. For instance, if it wasn't for the eagle eyes of one WV woman scanning cryptic legal notices, the combat in Davis would've kicked off with its taxpayers in the dark...

Oregonians are sleepwalking through a similar situation, if my hunch is correct. In July, the state passed microgrid legislation allowing the formation of districts with "unique land-use regulations." In characteristic fashion, the media uncritically gave its audience the impression that this was wise contingency policy... leaving out how AI purveyors would benefit from such a move.

Once you see how the sausage is made, it's tough to unsee.

Big Tech will assert that the precious liquid gargled by its operations won't ruin watersheds. Should we believe that narrative when the sector's 'nontoxic' methods involve waste treatment? Kind of a leap given AI scholars want to award Mother Earth badges to the titans who, in essence, privatize the rain. [Ditto authors and outlets eager to run de facto PR that masks the ugly realities.]

Ready for a universal wake-up call? Just because you live hundreds of miles away from the closest server farm doesn't spare you from the havoc they wreak. At minimum, electricity bills skyrocket. In Columbus, Ohio, customers will need to shell out over $240 extra each year to keep the lights on. According to an independent monitor, they have data centers to thank for that. Worst case scenario? The grid gets overloaded due to poor planning, tantalizing lobbying efforts, and politicians' inability to say no to growth.

[If that happens, prepare for a second round of price hikes, plus a heaping portion of blame aimed at the vast majority of us trying to not freeze in January and/or not melt in July. *****]

Reboot Required

Nevertheless, the cyber parade marches on. The prospect of increased tax revenue is, by and large, too tempting to pass up. What functionaries often lose sight of is that dollar projections on spreadsheets are not the same as money in the bank. Stories have begun to surface about the data center world challenging property tax assessments in court. In the ultimate twist, governments are going deeper in the hole to get firms with market caps in the trillions to pay up.

Um, since these complexes are saddled with an array of negative externalities and only offer two shaky local benefits (coffer cash and jobs) why don't decision makers recommend a moratorium? And why aren't there significantly more reformers -- especially major environmental nonprofits -- on the frontlines? These basic inquiries deserve answers and action.

One final thought... the international brain trust professes that the USA will wither if it falls behind in the AI race. Are we positive they are right? Sure, we don't want to handicap domains like network security or medicine. Be that as it may, do we really need AI in every facet of our lives? As an illustration, search engines drain ten times the electricity when delivering artificial intelligence results. Considering that we all got along fine under the previous framework, couldn't gateways like Google make AI a bonus feature that requires opting in?

Until our leaders concede the need for a nuanced approach to data, it's up to us to demand it.

Note: the post above may contain commentary reflecting the author's opinion.

This site does not render legal advice, nor does it intend to replace legal advice.

Special thanks to Shaena Crossland . As an active Tucker United member, Davis business owner, and full-time Tucker County resident, her background help has been invaluable.

* For context, Loudon County, Virginia currently has over 150 data center venues alone.

** A Davis source stressed this site is so desirable because it has a preexisting 30" high-pressure gas transmission line running through it. Another man (from Parsons, WV) swore the proposed location also offers the dual advantages of: (1) leftover effluent water in an abandoned mine there and (2) desirable temperatures that are 10-15 degrees colder than western Tucker County or nearby Grant County.

*** Locals also repeated to me that the project rep allegedly won't engage in person until after certain permits are approved. Not encouraging... nor a huge surprise from an out-of-state concern with the equivalent of a brick wall for a website.

**** In a later chat with Frank Slider, he informed me of a conversation he had with a pol about his 250ft well vis-a-vis the aquifer. Supposedly, the authority he spoke with shut down the topic with the line, "We ain't got no control over nothing."

***** That'll only be the tip of the iceberg. At some point, they'll limit your internet use. Academia is already teeing that foolishness up.