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Data Center Backlash Reaches Statehouses as Consumer Opposition Stiffens

8/27/2026

Fewer than 30% of Americans say they support a data center being built in their community, and that number has pushed what was once a niche policy issue into one of the more contested topics of the midterm election cycle.

Three states have moved to restrict or audit new development. The industry's central problem is a communications failure it created itself. State action tightens the map Texas Gov.

Greg Abbott issued a pause on new data center projects, ordering a statewide grid audit to verify that facilities meet consumer demands.

Georgia took a different angle: the Georgia Public Service Commission adopted rules barring costs associated with serving data centers from being shifted onto residential customers and small businesses.

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