If you're suspicious about the impact of data centers on the environment, energy costs or general quality of life, there is a good chance the average American agrees with you. According to a new report, this widespread opposition to data centers is bearing more real-world results than ever.

Data center opponents managed to block or delay nearly $130 billion worth of projects in the first quarter of this year, according to a study from Data Center Watch. The findings, first shared with NBC News, mean that the first quarter of 2026 was the most successful quarter on record for blocking data center developments since the group started tracking them in 2023.

Data Center Watch chalked up the change to how “communities have internalized an opposition playbook” and how “legislative sessions introduced formal regulatory uncertainty.”

The organization, which is part of AI intelligence firm 10a Labs, also pointed to how the sheer number of active opposition groups has grown sharply, doubling year-on-year to 833 across 49 states. In comparison, $156 billion worth of projects were blocked in the whole of 2025.

The report estimates that 300 state data center bills were filed in the first six weeks of 2026, with statewide moratorium proposals introduced in 14 states. In April, Maine narrowly failed to become the first state in history to impose a statewide data center ban, after Gov. Janet Mills vetoed the bill.

Major data center-related protests are showing no signs of disappearing. In May, hundreds gathered outside the Utah State Capitol building, protesting the Stratos Project, a proposed 40,000-acre data center campus set to be built in Box Elder County.

Some parties have argued that anti data center sentiment is being encouraged from outside the US. Earlier this week, a group of Republican lawmakers signed a letter arguing that foreign adversaries, including Chinese Communist Party-backed entities, are “bankrolling the disinformation campaign that seeks to block critical infrastructure” necessary for AI development, such as data centers. The letter was addressed to the co-chairs of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and FBI Director Kash Patel.

However, social analytics firm Graphika, a social media analytics company, told Wired that it hasn't seen any evidence of foreign manipulation from their social media monitoring.

By: DocMemory
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