Data center developers, the buildings that house the servers needed for The AI / news, could face a more restrictive construction environment. In the US midterm elections, voters across the country elected candidates favoring moratoriums and approved ballot measures that complicate the expansion of these infrastructures, a setback for one of the pillars of the AI industry.
According to an NBC News poll conducted on election day, 76% of voters surveyed said they were opposed to data centers in their community. Dozens of local communities voted directly to limit their development. According to a site compiled by Redbud Consulting, out of 45 local ballot measures nationwide, 33 restrict the development of these facilities.
Moratoriums in Texas and Maine
In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa will succeed Republican Greg Abbott as governor, a notable shift in a state with the second-highest number of planned data centers. Hinojosa supports a statewide moratorium, while Abbott, who had welcomed the expansion of these facilities, announced an audit this summer that could slow their connection to the power grid.
Democrat James Talarico also won the Senate race against Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both wanted to eliminate certain tax exemptions and make data centers bear their own energy infrastructure costs. Talarico additionally emphasizes the environmental impact of these sites and sharing their profits with the public, while Paxton focused his message on excluding Chinese technologies.
In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Susan Collins for the Senate. The state Assembly had passed what would have been the nation’s first data center moratorium, but the governor vetoed it. Jackson supported a statewide moratorium, while Collins opposed it while calling for more local control.
More nuanced positions elsewhere
In Ohio, Sherrod Brown reclaimed his former Senate seat from Republican Jon Husted, whom he had called the ‘face of data centers.’ Brown has not called for a moratorium but states that developers should not get tax breaks or a green light without local consultation.
In Pennsylvania, Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro was reelected. He signed an executive order banning non-disclosure agreements for data center projects and removed AI data center projects from the fast-track process. His Republican rival Stacy Garrity supports a development pause of up to three years.
In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won the Senate race against former Republican Representative Mike Rogers. El-Sayed argues for a pause on new projects ‘until we can do it safely and with federal protections.’ In Illinois, Democrat William Lawrence was leading the House race against Republican Tom Barrett, with 92% of votes counted, according to NBC News, which had not yet called the race.
