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I believe the best argument would be "be good neighbors now before you're regulated and zoned out." Consider Texas... one would think that they'd be one of the

by shagie 9d ago

I believe the best argument would be "be good neighbors now before you're regulated and zoned out." Consider Texas... one would think that they'd be one of the more business friendly areas. https://www.businessinsider.com/greg-abbott-texas-data-centers-backlash-2026-8 https://www.businessinsider.com/greg-abbott-texas-data-cente... ( https://archive.ph/1bsVF https://archive.ph/1bsVF ) > The AI industry is reaping what it sows, as far as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is concerned. > Abbott said the sharp criticism Americans are lobbing at AI data centers is well-earned during an interview on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. > "They basically dug their own grave for the problem that's been caused for them, and that's why they got the backlash they deserve," Abbott said. > ... > Abbott was initially an ardent supporter of AI data center projects in Texas for their economic benefit. The giant server warehouses can generate jobs during construction and provide tax windfalls to local communities. However, Texans from Abilene to Sulphur Springs have taken hard stances against them, forcing Abbott to change his tune. > Abbott has introduced new standards for AI data center projects in Texas, including instructing the state's utility commission and electrical grid operator to protect residents from infrastructure costs. He's also suggested a ban on data center developments in rural Texas, and that projects must undergo an audit before moving forward. Its a "this is going to hit construction" and if its done now trying to mitigate things or if it is going to be getting local city councils getting thrown out until there's one that can pull the permits... or a governor who needs to make a stance to get elected. Those regulations requiring mitigation are going to happen and it's a "do it now as new construction or be required to do it in three years" as retrofits. New construction and making an effort to mitigate it will likely be the less expensive way over the next decade... but its not the cheapest way to build it today.

johnsmith1840 9d ago
Hard to argue against this. In a world of perfectly rational actors you could say "it's still better than the coal plant" but your point is true for the real world and makes much more sense. Clearly it's the cost AI leaders will have to pay after spending years telling everyone they will die and lose their jobs. They wanted the publicity and with it comes what they sow. Suprised and glad you responded.
- shagie 9d ago
  I'm not against AI data centers in principle. And I do believe that the water argument is incorrect in some areas. However, I do understand the argument that can reasonably be made for data centers in some places. I'm personally more concerned about grid stability, power infrastructure upgrade costs being passed on to existing rate payers before the data center turns on a light bulb, and the impact that direct power consumption has on alternating current quality. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-ai-power-home-appliances/ https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-ai-power-home-applia... An earlier comment was "one broken pipe?" ... consider one downed power line. https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/25/one-fallen-power-line-exposed-a-growing-ai-data-center-problem-heres-how-to-fix-it/ https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/25/one-fallen-power-line-expo... > A power line went down outside of Washington, DC, this week. Normally, the grid would only need a few seconds to recover from such an event. But this one took more than 10 minutes because data centers stopped drawing over 3 gigawatts’ worth of power nearly simultaneously. > The event caused voltage across the PJM grid to spike from Northern Virginia to Chicago, according to data collected by Ting Labs, a startup that runs an IoT sensor network out of people’s electrical sockets. > The event didn’t cause a blackout, but it did cause lights across the region to flicker. The incident demonstrated the effect that data centers can have on the grid — an outcome that experts believe will become more frequent.

by shagie 9d ago

johnsmith1840 9d ago

Hard to argue against this. In a world of perfectly rational actors you could say "it's still better than the coal plant" but your point is true for the real world and makes much more sense. Clearly it's the cost AI leaders will have to pay after spending years telling everyone they will die and lose their jobs. They wanted the publicity and with it comes what they sow. Suprised and glad you responded.

shagie 9d ago
I'm not against AI data centers in principle. And I do believe that the water argument is incorrect in some areas. However, I do understand the argument that can reasonably be made for data centers in some places. I'm personally more concerned about grid stability, power infrastructure upgrade costs being passed on to existing rate payers before the data center turns on a light bulb, and the impact that direct power consumption has on alternating current quality. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-ai-power-home-appliances/ https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-ai-power-home-applia... An earlier comment was "one broken pipe?" ... consider one downed power line. https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/25/one-fallen-power-line-exposed-a-growing-ai-data-center-problem-heres-how-to-fix-it/ https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/25/one-fallen-power-line-expo... > A power line went down outside of Washington, DC, this week. Normally, the grid would only need a few seconds to recover from such an event. But this one took more than 10 minutes because data centers stopped drawing over 3 gigawatts’ worth of power nearly simultaneously. > The event caused voltage across the PJM grid to spike from Northern Virginia to Chicago, according to data collected by Ting Labs, a startup that runs an IoT sensor network out of people’s electrical sockets. > The event didn’t cause a blackout, but it did cause lights across the region to flicker. The incident demonstrated the effect that data centers can have on the grid — an outcome that experts believe will become more frequent.