Data & Society report reveals deep roots of US data center opposition
New ethnographic research shows Pennsylvania residents' rejection of AI infrastructure stems from historical industrial trauma, not misinformation.
What to know
- A Data & Society report identifies industrial trauma—coal mining, oil refining, steel manufacturing, fracking—as the root cause of Pennsylvania residents' data center opposition, contradicting industry claims that opposition stems from foreign interference.
- More than 60% of Americans oppose new data centers in their communities, with $68 billion in projects disrupted by local resistance in Q2 2026.
- Governor Shapiro reversed his 2025 support for the infrastructure, imposing new requirements and removing data center projects from regulatory fast-tracks by September 2026.
- Philadelphia residents and environmental justice groups are organizing against potential data center sites in neighborhoods already burdened by a now-defunct oil refinery that operated until 2019.
Data center opposition is justified by communities' historical experience with industrial harms and broken promises of economic benefit.
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“People in Pennsylvania especially have incredible experience with industrial change, have deep lineages of industrial trauma, enough to sniff when things don't feel right to them.”
Maia Woluchem · Bluesky ↗
The issue deserves critical examination; there are multiple valid reasons communities oppose data centers beyond simplistic narratives.
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“I have several.”
crozilla · Bluesky ↗
“One of the strengths of ethnography and doing research on the ground for an extended period of time is piercing the bubble of AI hype. People are making sense of the dissonances between AI being the next inevitable industrial revolution, and fears about AI.”
Livia Garofalo, Data & Society researcher · TechCrunch ↗ · Sep 21
Maia Woluchem Data & Society program director, report coauthorLivia Garofalo Data & Society researcher, report coauthor
Josh Shapiro Pennsylvania GovernorShawmar Pitts Grays Ferry resident, managing co-director of Philly ThriveSonya Sanders Philly Thrive board president, Grays Ferry resident
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Governor Shapiro reverses course, imposing new data center restrictions
A year after promoting $90 billion in data center investment, Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro signed an order imposing new requirements on data center projects and removing them from regulatory fast-track initiatives, signaling a shift in political sentiment.
“People in Pennsylvania especially have incredible experience with industrial change, have deep lineages of industrial trauma, enough to sniff when things don't feel right to them.”
— Maia Woluchem, Data & Society program director, report coauthor · source -
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“People in Pennsylvania especially have incredible experience with industrial change, have deep lineages of industrial trauma, enough to sniff when things don’t feel right to them,” report coauthor @mwoluchem.bsky.social tells @techcrunch.com.
2 more of the top 3 · 5 posts in this stretch
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"One of the strengths of ethnography and doing research on the ground for an extended period of time is piercing the bubble of AI hype," says report coauthor @livgar.bsky.social, explaining the team's approach to understanding data center opposition.
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TechCrunch AI: Data Center Wars: Infrastructure Bottlenecks and Regulatory Pushback Threaten AI Expansion Link: https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/22/everyone-can-find-a-reason-to-dislike-data-center-construction/ | Context:
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Data & Society publishes ethnographic study of Pennsylvania data center resistance
A nonprofit Data & Society report based on 18 months of interviews with 44 Pennsylvanians between 2024 and 2026 finds that opposition to data centers is rooted in residents' historical experience with industrialization, including coal mining, oil refining, steel manufacturing, and fracking. Researchers argue the industry's assertion that AI is 'inevitable' has resonated poorly precisely because of this industrial trauma.
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first by Mastodon, 1d ago · also TechCrunch
1 more headline
- Everyone can find a reason to dislike data center construction TechCrunch · 1d ago
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National outcry against data center construction has spread to Philadelphia, where officials suggested possible construction in ... #Techcrunch #breakingnews #news #othur
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background
Philadelphia emerges as flashpoint for data center opposition — National outcry against data center construction spreads to Philadelphia, where city officials have identified two potential sites—one in Northeast Philadelphia and another in the Grays Ferry neighborhood, already burdened by a now-defunct oil refinery that operated until 2019.
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background
Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro promotes $90 billion in data center investment — Governor Josh Shapiro headlined a July 2025 summit celebrating $90 billion in planned data center and AI infrastructure investment in Pennsylvania, positioning the projects as key to economic development.
What people are saying 1 voices from 1 site · best of 7 · verbatim
- Sep 22
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I have several. Everyone can find a reason to dislike data center construction | TechCrunch