As push for AI data centers grows, communities fight back

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Communities across the country are pushing back against AI data centers. A recent poll by Heatmap News, a digital news company that covers climate change, found 52% of Americans oppose or strongly oppose building a data center near where they live, while 28% would support it. According to the Heatmap analysis, 99 of the 770 planned data centers it tracked in 2025 are now being contested. Abre’ Conner, director of the NAACP Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, works with communities organizing against large-scale data centers, and says the issue is becoming increasingly political as the midterm elections approach. PBS News’ Addy Briley explores how communities are responding to proposed AI data centers. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newshour/

Published 2026-04-29 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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