New polling shows AI data centers are unpopular nationwide, Philadelphia is fighting proposed builds near a former oil refinery site, and U.S. data centers could burn more gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035.
A New York Times/Siena poll confirms what local fights have been signaling for months: voters broadly oppose new data center construction in their communities, and politicians are starting to respond. Philadelphia is the latest flashpoint, with officials floating construction in a neighborhood still scarred by a defunct oil refinery — reigniting environmental justice concerns that have already stalled projects elsewhere.
The energy math is getting harder to ignore too. Analysts project U.S. data centers could consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035 as AI compute demand keeps climbing, raising the stakes for utilities, grid operators, and the companies racing to site new campuses.
Every hyperscaler's growth model assumes data center capacity keeps scaling on schedule — this is now a political and permitting risk, not just a capital planning one. Operators locking in AI infrastructure bets need to price in community opposition and energy-grid constraints, not just chip supply.
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