Tracking Local Opposition to U.S. Data Centers w/ Data Center Watch | REPLAY

Research evidence excerpt

Tracking Local Opposition to U.S. Data Centers w/ Data Center Watch | REPLAY

Global | Washington Strategy June 18, 2026

Opposition typically emerges before or duringTracking Local Opposition to U.S. Data Centers

zoning and permitting decisions

The Lifecycle of Data Center Oppositionw/ Data Center Watch | REPLAY

Continuing our work on politics around AI and data centers (here,here & here),

we hosted Miquel Vila, Lead Researcher at Data Center Watch. KTs:1) 75+ data

center projects worth $130bn were blocked or delayed in Q1 2026; 2) Opposition

.

has expanded beyond local disputes to anti-AI sentiment; 3) Permitting process Source:Center WatchJefferies Presentation by Miquel Vila, 10aLabs/Data

is the key catalyst; 4) Opposition doubled w/ 600k+ petition signatures; 5)

Bipartisan politics is turning data center opposition into a policy risk.

1) Data center opposition is accelerating and becoming a structural constraint on AI

infrastructure (see here & here). At least 75 data center projects worth $130bn were blocked

($53bn) or delayed ($76bn) in Q1 2026, matching the scale of all of 2025 in just three months. Aniket Shah, PhD * | Head of Sust. &

Opposition is now present in 49 states and is no longer confined to local "not-in-my-backyard" Transition Strategy

concerns, reflecting a structural shift in how projects face resistance across the U.S. +1 (212) 323-3976 | ashah14@jefferies.com

Yujin Kim * | Sust. & Transition Strategy

2) Opposition has expanded to broader anti-AI sentiment. While early resistance was driven by Associate

community-level concerns around large industrial projects, a growing share now reflects national +1 (212) 778-8314 | ykim4@jefferies.com

narratives about AI risks, with data centers viewed as the physical embodiment of AI.