Page, Arizona – Doug Herrera still lives in the house his father built, even though his father died of cancer some time ago. Herrera wonders if this disease could be linked to pollutants from nearby uranium mining. Now he worries that a possible new neighbor — a proposed $10 billion mega data center — could put his health at risk.
“I’m a patriot, but I’m totally against the data center,” said Herrera, 64, from his front porch near a yard sign that reads “No Data Centers.”
“There will be light pollution, noise pollution. The temperature will rise,” he said.
Page is a gateway to iconic southwestern landscapes of dry desert dotted with Joshua trees and towering red rock formations. While the city council approves the sale of land for a data center, the developer needs zoning and other approvals. Residents concerned about possible health effects signed petitions and mobilized to oppose construction.
Those Boom in data centers is divided communities like Page and drives future construction into a Flash point in the midterm elections. The leading candidates in the close race for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District are at odds over any new centers there, and the state attorney general has called for a pause on new permits and buildings.
Emerging Research in Data Centers’ possible health effects adds grist to the various state struggles, giving ammunition to Democrats and some Republicans who have broken party ranks to oppose the widespread complexes.
It also put some incumbent politicians who supported the expansion of the data center in unexpectedly vulnerable positions in reliably red states like Ohio and Texas, where the megabuildings now operate by the hundreds.
“Two years ago, a lot of these data centers went up and there was no organized, vigilant opposition,” said Lee Hannah, a political science professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
“This opposition has gained ground so quickly that decisions made a year ago by local officials or state governments to get behind a data center suddenly end careers.”
The hyperscale centers house infrastructure to power AIwith servers spread over tens of thousands of square meters or more. The city of Page has approved the sale of 500 acres for the proposed data center, although the location of that acreage has not been decided. The area sits on open land with blackbrush and native grasses near Horseshoe Bend, an iconic curve of the Colorado River that has long been popular with tourists.
The data centers waste electricity and rely on backup gas generators during times of peak energy demand. The resulting air pollution is linked to heart conditions, respiratory problems, and increased cancer risks, according to a number of environmental studies.
Emissions from the centers could cause nearly 1,300 deaths annually by 2030 and an annual public health burden of more than $20 billion in 2028, based on models led by researchers at the University of California-Riverside.
Cooling components can contain what are called forever chemicals, synthetic substances that accumulate in human tissue, according to advocacy and environmental groups. And the hum and whine of generators and heating and air conditioning systems can exceed 90 decibels, which can damage hearing.
The data centers are lit for operations and security, creating light pollution that can increase the risk of chronic disease, the groups say. The mega-facilities also create what are known as data heat islands, which are higher temperature zones caused by intense energy demands.
“We’re just starting to see the very early edge of the wave of research on the health impacts of data centers,” said Alison Steele, executive director of the Environmental Health Project, a nonprofit public health organization. “By the time we have a significant volume of research, it will be too late because the decisions are being made now.”
A trade group for the data center industry said a review of the largest data center market – Virginia – found that the use of backup power sources, including diesel generators, is minimal, and that existing state and federal regulations limit potential emissions or impacts.
“Data centers are committed to being responsible partners where they operate,” said Dan Diorio, executive vice president of public policy and government affairs at the Data Center Coalition.
It cuts across politics
Mounting concerns about data centers are dividing candidates and pitting some GOP candidates against President Trump, who supports the construction of the facilities as vital to economic growth.
Two out of 3 Americans oppose the construction of new data centers in the United States, according to an October Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.
Such political standoffs are largely occurring in states that Mr. Trump won in 2024, where the most new data center capacity has been proposed. About 1,400 data centers operate in the United States, and an additional 2,000-plus are planned.
Sixty percent of data center capacity under construction is in states Mr. Trump won by five percentage points or more, according to Cleanview, a market intelligence firm. Excluding Virginia, 92% are in states the president won.
Hannah said the uptick in construction put Mr. Trump’s coalition at particular risk because data centers are often built in rural areas where the president often enjoys an insurmountable margin of support.
“This is where most of the data centers are going,” Hannah said. “They go to red states because Republicans are less critical of the economic opportunities. If it promises jobs and money, they’re all in.”
In Page, signs opposite building pepper in front of farms.
Opposition to more data centers in the state could pose political risks for GOP House candidate Jay Feely, who won his primary with an endorsement from Mr. Trump. He says they are key to keeping up with China. Democratic opponent Amish Shah wants a break for new construction in her district.
The House seat they are vying for is considered competitive, and the contest could be decisive in determining which party gains House control after the Nov. 3 midterms.
In Arizona, 57% of registered voters oppose the construction of larger data centers, according to an August opt-in online survey of 1,040 registered voters by Noble Predictive Insights.
More than costs
Photos from around the nation of politicians at groundbreaking ceremonies for data centers that took place a year or two ago are now campaign fodder.
That has become a big problem for some elected leaders in Ohio, where more than a dozen local referendums or initiatives related to the construction of facilities appear on ballots – the most of any state.
The issue has forced its way to the top of the state’s marquee U.S. Senate race. Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, hopes to return to Congress with pointed attacks against Republican Sen. Jon Husted on this matter.
About $2.5 billion in state and local tax breaks over the past decade prompted Meta, Amazon, Google and other tech companies to set up dozens of data centers across Ohio. That boom has spurred protests across the state, organized by local residents who worry about the structures’ health, environmental and financial impact.
Brown put the blame on Husted directly with ads airing far and wide across Ohio calling him “the face of data centers.”
“They eat up our farmland, suck up our water and use up our energy,” Brown says in a recent video.
A memo circulated by the National Republican Senatorial Committee in August and obtained by Politico described Brown’s criticisms as a major problem for Husted.
“More than anything else in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck,” warns Aug. 18.
Husted deflected this criticism by framing the construction of data centers as a local issue. More recently, he said he wants to ensure that companies building data centers pay for infrastructure costs, including energy.
In a statement, Husted spokesman Tom Evans reiterated that point, saying the senator believes “data centers should remain a local decision.”
It’s not just costs that voters care about. An early-October opt-in survey of 1,650 Ohio adults by Ohio Northern University and SurveyUSA found that 55% were against the construction of the data center. About two-thirds had a negative opinion about the impact of data centers on their community’s environment, and about half said the same about their impact on quality of life.
Opponents of data centers cite noiseAir and water pollution as a concern, according to a Gallup poll. Americans are more against computer centers in their area than nuclear power plants.
Air pollution comes out Gas turbines and diesel generators, which are linked to cardiovascular problems, asthma and other health risks. Cooling system chemicals, heavy metals, and construction runoff can enter water supplies or rivers.
“When they are burned and fueled with diesel, they emit a lot of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, and these pollutants can travel around the community and downwind,” said Shaolei Ren, an electrical and computer engineering professor at the University of California-Riverside.
On Page, residents voted the mayor in July in connection with the council’s approval of the land sale for the data center. The opponents of the data centers say it is a warning to the candidates in the mid-term elections who support the new construction.
Some residents in this picturesque town of about 7,000 people remain concerned about the health effects they could face if the project goes ahead. Jan Boehme lives in a neighborhood close to the planned site. From her front lawn with its “No Data Center” sign, she said she’s worried a data center could become her new neighbor — and cause damage like hearing loss.
“We are against it,” she said. “There are a lot of houses in this area, and I’m worried about all the noise.”
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