Data center opposition in 2026 moves from local fights to policy pressure

Data center opposition in 2026 is showing up in national polling, local project disputes and state policy proposals as AI infrastructure construction expands. Gallup found that 71% of U.S. adults opposed an AI data center being built in their own area, while separate trackers have counted billions of dollars in delayed or canceled projects.

The figures measure different things and do not create one national total. But together they show that developers face a more contentious local process around facilities that demand large amounts of land, power and, in some cases, water.

Gallup's March 2-18 survey of 1,000 U.S. adults found 48% were strongly opposed to local AI data-center construction. Just 7% strongly favored it. The poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Opposition crossed party lines, although its intensity differed. Gallup reported strong opposition from 56% of Democrats, 48% of independents and 39% of Republicans. The survey found 71% opposition to a local data center, compared with 53% opposition to a nuclear power plant nearby.

Why are communities opposing data centers?

In Gallup's follow-up web-panel responses, opponents most often raised resource use. Half cited excessive use of resources, with 18% specifically mentioning water and 18% energy. Other respondents pointed to pollution or noise, quality-of-life effects such as traffic and land use, and possible higher utility bills or taxpayer costs. Some also objected to AI itself.

Supporters made a different case. Two-thirds cited economic benefits, according to Gallup, and 55% specifically named job opportunities. Thirteen percent mentioned tax revenue. Those are supporter views, rather than a finding that individual projects deliver those outcomes.

Project delays and policy proposals are rising

Data Center Watch, a project of AI intelligence firm 10a Labs, told NBC News it counted at least 75 U.S. data-center projects worth about $130 billion that were blocked or delayed between January and March. The group said this was its highest quarterly total since it began tracking in 2023. It also counted 833 active opposition groups in 49 states by March, up from 396 at the end of 2025.

That tracker is not a government inventory, and its three-month estimate should not be combined with Carbon Direct's separate, longer-period review. Carbon Direct identified at least 46 AI data-center projects across 20 states, valued collectively at $170 billion, that were publicly delayed or canceled after community opposition from January 2024 through May 2026, Route Fifty reported. Carbon Direct said transparency around ownership, nondisclosure agreements, and water and power requirements was the most commonly cited issue in those cases.

Data Center Watch also reported moratorium proposals in 14 states during the first quarter and more than 300 state bills introduced in the first six weeks of 2026. NBC reported in June that none of those proposals had then become law and that Maine Gov. Janet Mills had vetoed one in April. Separately, The Register reported that New York enacted a moratorium aimed at hyperscale facilities able to consume at least 50 MW, while Route Fifty reported that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a statewide moratorium.

The conflict is not confined to the U.S. In London, protesters objected to a redevelopment proposal near Brick Lane that includes a 5,200-square-meter data center designed for 5.2 MW of IT capacity, The Register reported. Developers won appeals after a public inquiry, even as the UK government pursues AI Growth Zones intended to streamline data-center development. For operators, the pattern is clear enough: local concerns over infrastructure and disclosure now need to be addressed before a project reaches a planning hearing.

This story draws on original reporting from The Register.