by Rachel Curry
RegenAll friends,
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I live in Lancaster, a small city within a county of the same name that’s known for its horse-and-buggy traffic, manure smells and America’s longest-running and best 🙌 historic farmer’s market. But if dissidents don’t get their way, it’ll also be known for a massive data center entering the county.
I write a lot about AI—how it’s changing our world from every imaginable angle, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse—and I use digital products that integrate AI, including Qwoted, Otter, and Motion. However, as a proud writer, my chatbot usage is basically nil.
The truth is that AI’s infrastructural demands are poised to drive a 165% increase in data center power pull by 2030, hence the booming data center industry. According to Food & Water Watch, these data centers require annual resources of:
💧 720 billion gallons of water to cool overworked AI servers (that’s enough water to meet the indoor needs of 18.5 million US households)
💡 300 terawatt-hours of energy (which could power 28+ million US households)
A case study on resistance
My local daily (which, full disclosure, I also freelance for) informed residents in July that a data center would likely be coming to town. Back in February, the city covertly approved the project, citing it “wouldn’t require zoning or land development approval to proceed, since it uses the footprint of an existing building in a suburban manufacturing zoning district, where city officials have determined data centers are allowed.”
When the public got word that there’d be no public hearings, they took action.
At the city council meeting following the announcement, residents commented on issues like noise, pollution, energy use and natural resource use.
Lancaster’s mayor said the impact on the city’s water system would be faint, with the data center prioritizing alternatives like nuclear and geothermal cooling. But that remains uncertain and water could still possibly be a huge resource for the planned $6 billion data center, not to mention the 72 planned backup diesel generators for the facility. Meanwhile, the city has said that all steps will be transparent from here on out, but residents worry about the legitimacy of those claims given how they’ve acted so far.
The latest dish: New ordinances are underway to redefine how the city can go about data center approvals moving forward, and zoning hearings landed on the schedule as a result of public outcry for resident rights. However, the developer of the data center filed a lawsuit on the grounds of already approved use, and a judge ordered a cancellation of the hearing to give time to hear them out. In the meantime, residents continued to voice their opposition, and the city solicitor will construct a draft ordinance for zoning requirements specific to data centers. One resident even posed a draft himself, citing “new data centers built in the city would be required to use 100% renewable energy and require a community benefits agreement as a condition of approval.”
The reality is that this kind of situation is happening all over the country—if not the world. AI has its place, residents suggest, but maybe that place is not right at home (and if it is, it better have the best interest of residents in mind).
Rachel Curry is a journalist based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, contributing to publications like CNBC and LNP. Her work focuses on finance and technology on a global scale, as well as local issues impacting her community. See more of her work at www.writingsofrachel.com, and contact her at hi@writingsofrachel.com or linkedin.com/in/rachelcurry95.
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