Data centres become a US midterms issue as environmental and jobs concerns grow

Centre · 1Data centres have become a major issue ahead of the US midterm elections on 3 November, with both Republicans and Democrats coming out against their development, according to the BBC. 1 Centre · 1The BBC says the opposition puts data centre critics on a collision course with President Donald Trump, who has dismissed the pushback as a "sick conspiracy". 1 Centre · 1According to Data Center Map, there are about 12,250 data centres worldwide, up from around 8,000 in 2021, and the US has the most sites (4,767) and by far the largest capacity, with China second. 1

Centre · 1Concerns cited include heavy electricity use, water for cooling, rising carbon emissions, pressure on local grids that some fear could raise energy prices, noise and land take. Some 16 US states have proposed laws to ban or temporarily block new facilities. 1 Centre · 1As an example, the BBC cites xAI's Colossus 2 site, which will use 41 methane gas turbines; activists say this could "significantly increase" local air pollution, while local regulators say the turbines will meet air quality standards. 1 Centre · 1Supporters say data centres are critical to national security and AI development, and bring investment, tax revenue and jobs. A Brookings report cited by the BBC suggests they create local jobs, though fewer than industry advocates claim, with hyperscale sites having a bigger effect than colocation facilities. 1

Centre · 1Newsweek reports that the permanent jobs at data centres are often far fewer than the construction jobs promoted in proposals; in some cases a facility expected to support thousands of construction jobs may employ fewer than 10 percent of that number once operating. 2 Centre · 1Examples include Meta's El Paso, Texas project (more than 4,000 peak construction workers, over 300 permanent staff, part of a $10 billion investment) and Amazon's Shreveport, Louisiana campus (2,250 construction jobs and 750 full-time positions, with investment rising from $12 billion to $18 billion). 2 Centre · 1Microsoft expects its Pecos, Texas data centre to support over 6,000 construction jobs at peak and "hundreds of long-term operational roles"; Google's $1.5 billion Jackson County, Alabama expansion will bring over 1,000 contract jobs without a stated number of permanent ones. 2

Centre · 1Amazon's Roger Wehner told Newsweek its data centre investments supported more than 270,000 jobs across the US economy last year. Darrell West of the Brookings Institution said tax revenue, rather than employment, is the biggest local benefit, provided towns do not grant tax abatements. 2 Centre · 1The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that power-generation industries tied to rising electricity demand will add about 35,800 jobs through 2035, and that computing infrastructure and related industries will grow 25.1 percent, adding 120,400 jobs, so job gains may fall outside the facilities' own payrolls. 2 Centre · 1Tech firms are expected to spend a combined $765bn on AI infrastructure in 2026, topping $1tn next year, the BBC reports, even as the industry explores alternatives such as orbital or lunar data centres. 1