Data center development is on the rise across the country, with more than 1,500 new data centers planned across the U.S.. With energy costs continuing to skyrocket, voters of all stripes are as fed up with Big Tech as they are with Big Oil. Now, Republicans are trying to run away from their votes to give those same companies tax breaks instead of reining them in.
In addition to the lack of transparency, serious impacts on energy costs, noise, and water pollution, one of the less-discussed impacts is the potential dramatic increase in climate pollution depending on how data centers are powered. Right now, the rush to build data centers without environmental safeguards is keeping dirty energy (oil, coal and gas) in business, which fuels more climate change and air pollution. According to recent reports, dirty data center projects are posed to increase climate pollution from power plants by between 20% and 33%.
Communities are already feeling the pain—rising utility bills, more pollution, and daily quality-of-life hits—as fossil-fueled data centers multiply across the country. But the long-term danger is only just beginning. If every project is powered by gas or coal, the carbon pollution in the U.S. could soar by up to a third, slamming the brakes on climate progress and leading to more extreme weather. And let’s be honest, voters can’t expect Republican candidates bankrolled by Big Oil to put families and the future ahead of fossil fuel profits. If they could, they wouldn’t have handed data center companies $80 billion in tax breaks already.
