Goodyear and Buckeye, Arizona: Tract proposal

In Goodyear and Buckeye, Arizona, a $14 billion project by developer Tract was withdrawn after local authorities blocked necessary rezoning in response to pressure from resident organizers. Opponents' stiff resistance is due to concerns over building heights, noise pollution, and the potential strain on local utilities. However, the company announced a revised project near the Buckeye airport in August 2024, with the backing of local officials and the mayor.^[11]

Peculiar, Missouri: Diode Ventures Harper Road Technology Park proposal

In Peculiar, Missouri, residents from the group "Peaceful Peculiar" organized to stop a data center proposal from Diode Ventures called Harper Road Technology Park.

Citing concerns around noise and light pollution, health, environmental impacts, jobs, property values, and energy use, organizers attended local planning and zoning meetings in large numbers and lobbied councilors to reject the proposal. Ultimately, the city council unanimously rejected the proposal in September 2024.^[12]

Chesterton, Indiana: Provident Realty Advisors proposal

In Chesterton, Indiana, the Texas-based company Provident Reality Advisors applied for a $1.3 billion construction of a data center complex on the Brassie Golf Club property. Provident Realty Advisors wanted to purchase the 200 acres owned by PPM Chesterton LLC in 2024 order to build a data center complex, with eight buildings and an end user of a hyperscaler. The Town Council of Chesterton released a statement saying that they would never support this project, at least not at the scale and location it was planned for. They cited fears of added noise for locals, electrical or water management concerns, the intrusiveness of a data center built next to houses, and more. Provident released a statement shortly after rescinding their plan, because it was clear than the town of Chesterton would not support them.^[13][14]

Cascade Locks, Oregon: Roundhouse Digital Infrastructure proposal

Startup data center developer Roundhouse Digital Infrastructure had planned to build out a 10-megawatt data center using a vacant industrial building and nearby 10-acre site in the Port of Cascade Locks, Oregon. After significant organized community opposition, the project was abandoned.^[15]

Fort Worth, Texas: WUSF 5 Rock Creek East proposal

In September 2024, the City Council of Fort Worth, Texas approved a zoning change that would allow construction of a data center. In responses, neighbors mounted opposition citing concerns about traffic, light pollution, energy consumption, water use, and noise issues if the data center were to be built. In response to extensive public comments opposing a tax break for the data center, a city councilor withdrew his motion to approve the tax break. As of April, 2026, the future of the project is still uncertain.^[16]

Santa Clara, California: GI partners proposal

GI partners sought to build a new AI data center in Santa Clara, California, which is already home to many data centers, by acquiring a conditional permit use that would have allowed the developer to knock down a property and replace it with a data center.^[17] To obtain this permit they were required to go before members of the Planning Commission. Ultimately, the project was delayed with the Planning Commission requiring GI partners to do more public outreach.

Salem, Oregon: Verrus proposal

A $5.1 billion dollar data center proposal was discussed at a Salem City Council meeting.^[18] Verrus company representatives left the meeting after learning protestors brought a guillotine to a demonstration outside the meeting. The city council voted unanimously to develop a moratorium policy on future data center proposals to be presented by December 2026. ^[19]

Virginia

Municipal actions

Many cities have passed resolutions establishing moratoriums. On April 8, 2026, voters in the Wisconsin town of Port Washington approved a ballot referendum limiting the construction of data centers, the first such referendum in the country.^[29] The city council of Holyoke, Massachusetts voted 9-4 to ban the construction of any AI data centers using more than 12 Megawatts of power.^[30] Monterey Park City Council passed three ordinances banning data center development^[31], and in June 2026, residents voted 90% in favor of banning data center development in their community.^[32] Seattle City Council voted in June 2026 to approve a one-year moratorium on data center development.^[33] Socorro City, New Mexico adopted a one-year moratorium also in June.^[34]

State-level actions

As of July 2026, state legislation limiting or proposing moratoriums on data centers has been introduced in fifteen states, with legislation passing in one state, failing in six states and being vetoed in one.^[35][36] On April 15, 2026, the Maine state legislature passed a moratorium on new data centers pending further assessments, and a few days later Governor Janet Mills vetoed the legislation.^[37][38] On June 4, 2026, the New York State Legislature passed legislation that would impose a one-year moratorium on new large data centers.^[39]

On July 14, Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order establishing the first statewide data-center moratorium in the United States. The order paused certain state environmental permits for data centers capable of consuming 50 megawatts or more while state regulators develop environmental standards.^[40]

On August 10, the governor of Texas announced a moratorium on approval of new data centers^[41] until an audit of connections to the state's electric grid is completed.

Federal-level actions

Several pieces of legislation have been introduced that could restrict AI data centers, but none have yet advanced out of committees to a vote^[42] that could turn them into law:

• Clean Cloud Act (November 2025): would set an emissions performance standard for electricity used by cryptomining facilities and data centers and utilize revenue generated to help save on utility bills.^[43]
• Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act (March 2026): would restrict construction of AI data centers that have peak power loads in excess of 20 megawatts or liquid cooling systems as well as facilities used for developing and operating AI models at scale until Congress passes comprehensive AI legislation. ^[44]
• Data Center Tax Accountability and Disclosure Act (July 2026): would require large AI data centers to publicly disclose key information about their energy and water consuption, emissions, backup generation and other operational impacts, as well as restrict the use of a tax break related to capital expenses.^[45][46]
• Ratepayer Protection Act (July 2026): would require states to consider adopting a federal standard directing data centers to pay the full cost of new power generation and transmission upgrades needed to serve them.^[47]
• Protecting Ratepayers Act (July 2026): would require that new and existing data centers to get their energy and water from independent sources. ^[47]
• No AI Data Centers on Federal Lands Act (July 2026): would permanently bar AI data centers on federal land.
• Data Center Bill of Rights (August 2026): would establish a set of authorities for local communities to reject the construction of data centers.^[48]