Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country

niemanlab.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 346 posts

Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country

#161

Post by cootsnuck »

tptacek wrote: post #103
ajross wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, the wastewater issues can be real in some environments. It's not a completely insane idea and like all things can be reasonably discussed and mitigated. It's not like these things have the ecological impact of steel foundries or fruit orchards, but they're not parks either. I do think the tech industry would be wise to do more outreach and less sneering, though. Freakouts about AI (which ultimately is what th…

I don't see it that way at all, but then I'm a housing activist, and I've seen fiercer opposition to a 4-story apartment building than to some of these data centers. People just like opposing development. It's very satisfying! When I see a protest over a golf course opening, I'll take data center water use concerns seriously. The data centers the industry wants are all going to get built. People are being hypnotized…

> The data centers the industry wants are all going to get built.

If that was the case then why are the majority of data center projects getting scrapped?

https://gizmodo.com/data-center-project-cancellations-quadru...

Why are insiders saying they only expect about 10% of data center projects to ever be completed?

Why is 2026 already shaping up to have less than half of planned data centers break ground on construction?

Local community opposition is a big driver but so is permitting and infra procurement.

https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/energy-power-supply/why-...

All of this is inconvenient to big tech's "inevitability" narratives.

Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country

#162

Post by ToValueFunfetti »

pesus wrote: post #124
ronsor wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I do think the tech industry would be wise to do more outreach and less sneering, though. Freakouts about AI (which ultimately is what this is) aren't "rational" but they're eminently "reasonable". A lot of the "sneering" I see from everyone who isn't an investor or an executive is a consequence of resistance to outreach. It's very difficult to discuss subjects with people when many now interpret factual explanatio…

Maybe the issue is the "reassurance" is identical to propaganda and manipulation. It definitely doesn't help that the companies having to "reassure" people have aligned themselves with so many others that have been pushing propaganda to manipulate others for some time now. Nor does it help that many of the same companies that need to "reassure" people are also actively doing the opposite - see the billboards bragging…

Reassurance is identical to propaganda and manipulation insofar as all attempt to convey beliefs. Reassurance, here, should be apparently different in that it conveys true information. In the history of mankind, it has never been easier to discern between true and false information.

If people want to throw up their hands and start believing whatever feels right, they are permitted to do so. Though they have a duty not to as citizens of a democracy, they have the right to actively pursue policies based on falsehoods. Let's not pretend it's a reasonable or respectable reaction to seeing billboards.

If somebody does want to give up on research and working out the truth, please actually give up and say you don't know. Stop coming to the city council meetings and plastering "millions of gallons" on even the social medias where that's surprising.

Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country

#163

Post by Papazsazsa »

zhivota wrote: post #84
Papazsazsa wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I don't know that local control is an unalloyed good. The interstate highway system would never have been built if we followed this as a principle, for example. For another example, Californian voters consistently vote for state level increases in housing, yet locally consistently vote against increasing housing in their community. At some point national and state level goals must supercede local control if progress…

The Federal-Aid Highway Act was built with local consent in most places, and modified by local control where consent failed.

Also there's no evidence that more data centers = "progress".

Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country

#164

Post by cootsnuck »

mmmeff wrote: post #158
cootsnuck wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Heat. 9 GW puts off a staggering amount of heat. In an already arid environment. What's the worst that can happen? https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2026/05/07/utahs-dat...

You're right, we should build it in a third world country instead!

I'd argue we don't need to build a 9 GW data center anywhere. But that's just me.

Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country

#165

Post by hunterpayne »

pesus wrote: post #124
ronsor wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I do think the tech industry would be wise to do more outreach and less sneering, though. Freakouts about AI (which ultimately is what this is) aren't "rational" but they're eminently "reasonable". A lot of the "sneering" I see from everyone who isn't an investor or an executive is a consequence of resistance to outreach. It's very difficult to discuss subjects with people when many now interpret factual explanatio…

Maybe the issue is the "reassurance" is identical to propaganda and manipulation. It definitely doesn't help that the companies having to "reassure" people have aligned themselves with so many others that have been pushing propaganda to manipulate others for some time now. Nor does it help that many of the same companies that need to "reassure" people are also actively doing the opposite - see the billboards bragging…

I think the marketing about not hiring humans is mostly what it is. There are also foreign entities actively spreading propaganda. But their claims are so wildly insane they get shot down pretty quickly. So it isn't just about messaging. It is about not being hated. If they hate you, the truth doesn't really matter.

Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country

#166

Post by aschla »

runtime_terror wrote: post #119
aschla wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a zoning issue the local residents should take up with their town/city.

But isn't the parent post implying objections to datacenters is just "populist brainrot"?

The average person's inattention to nuance could be labeled as "populist brainrot" in this case, and the cases of poor zoning could be used as examples of the issues with datacenters that the average person does not evaluate with the proper attention to nuance.

Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country

#167

Post by Papazsazsa »

delichon wrote: post #68
Papazsazsa wrote: post #59

I love this. Yeah there's some FUD out there about water usage and whatnot, but using the internet to spread actual awareness about local concerns is a fine demonstration of free speech at work. If slop is more expensive to produce, maybe there will be less of it clogging up the digital commons.

Unfortunately Sturgeon's Law predates AI.

Sturgeon's Law measures ratio, not volume :\

Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country

#168

Post by doodlebugging »

ashdksnndck wrote: post #142
ajross wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, the wastewater issues can be real in some environments. It's not a completely insane idea and like all things can be reasonably discussed and mitigated. It's not like these things have the ecological impact of steel foundries or fruit orchards, but they're not parks either. I do think the tech industry would be wise to do more outreach and less sneering, though. Freakouts about AI (which ultimately is what th…

> I do think the tech industry would be wise to do more outreach and less sneering, though. The industry is actually doing real work on water issues in response to these complaints. Big tech companies are funding projects that will allow them to replenish more water than their datacenters consume. This isn’t actually that hard of a goal for them to meet, because as we know, the amount of water we’re talking about isn…

>...the amount of water we’re talking about isn’t much on a national scale.

Water issues are always local issues. There is no national water distribution system or national aquifer.

>this will mean companies making some positive change in the communities where they build datacenters.

This will remain to be seen. So far, if it had worked out that way then there would be less vocal opposition to these data centers. Local perception seems to be that there will be nuisance to dangerous noise levels; heat islands which can cause local disruptions to weather events; closed-door agreements to build this infrastructure instead of open community involvement in the process; and other issues including concerns about excessive water usage especially in areas where there are already troubling water availability trends due to other forms of development.

>when more natural gas and coal plants are coming online.

Here in NTexas, the availability of and proximity to natural gas compression stations is key to data center siting from the ones that I have monitored. Plans seem to include construction of gas turbine generators to power the new data centers and these generators are sited on parcels very close to existing compressor stations and high-voltage power lines and small or medium local lakes.

Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country

#169

Post by [deleted] »

no-name-here wrote: post #141
jmye wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this a serious comment? No one, in an environmental discussion, ignores how much water beef needs. It’s a central part of most vegan/vegetarian commentary. But this is a conversation about data centers. It would be great if you had the capability of staying even vaguely on topic instead of spinning off into “what about” bullshit.

1. Beef uses trillions of gallons of water per year, while data centers use billions - data center water use is nowhere remotely as much as beef. 2. Despite beef using far more water, is it getting anywhere remotely as much coverage as data center water use? 3. Senators like Sanders proposed stopping data center construction nationwide - have senators proposed similar nationwide bans for beef?

[deleted]

Re: Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country

#170

Post by cratermoon »

tptacek wrote: post #157
cratermoon wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I really think advocating against building data centers in Box Elder County Utah kind of gives away the whole game here. The impact logic is so clearly motivated. Have you ever been there? Or even near there? Like, driven from San Francisco to the East Coast at one point? It's a literal wasteland. It is like being on the moon.

I knew someone would come out and say that. To answer your question, I have driven through, multiple times. I suggest starting with Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire to raise your awareness.
Post reply on HN