$130 Billion in AI Data Centers Blocked or Delayed in Just Three Months

$130 Billion in AI Data Centers Blocked or Delayed in Just Three Months

The resistance is working. A new report from Data Center Watch reveals that roughly $130 billion in AI data center projects across the U.S. were blocked or delayed in the first quarter of 2026 alone — at least 75 projects nationwide from January through March.

That's the most recorded in a three-month period since the group began tracking in 2023, according to NBC News. For context: in just those three months, the total number and value of data centers blocked or delayed was nearly equal to the total for the entirety of 2025.

Seven in 10 Americans Oppose Data Centers in Their Area

The momentum behind these blockages isn't coming from nowhere. A Gallup poll released in May found that seven in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers in their area — nearly half of them strongly opposed. And the number of active grassroots opposition groups has more than doubled, from 396 at the end of 2025 to 833 by March, now spanning 49 states, per the Data Center Watch report.

Why Communities Keep Voting Big Tech Down

As WSLS 10 News reports, the reasoning is largely the same nationwide, including right here in Virginia:

• Higher electricity bills required to cover grid upgrades for hyperscalers like Amazon and Google
• Millions of gallons of water needed for cooling
• Potential negative environmental impacts

Industry proponents argue the concerns are hyperbolized and point to potential economic benefits. But the data — and the ballot box — keep telling a different story.

Lawmakers Are Catching Up

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle introduced more than 300 data center bills in the first six weeks of 2026, and 14 states proposed moratoriums on new construction.

Maine nearly became the first state in U.S. history to impose a statewide data center ban. However, as the Associated Press reported, Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature that would have instituted a moratorium of more than a year on data centers above a certain size. She cited the lack of an exemption for a project in the town of Jay that she said would bring needed jobs to a community hit hard by the closure of a local mill.

Virginia: Ground Zero for the Fight

In Southwest and Central Virginia, a wave of data centers has been proposed, including one of the largest in Botetourt County, which has been at the center of controversy for some time. Google officially announced plans to advance the project back in March.

More recently, the Roanoke City Council took proactive action, unanimously passing a new ordinance that sets rules for where and how data centers can be built — before a single developer has come knocking. City leaders confirmed to 10 News that no data center has been proposed to Roanoke yet, but the ordinance aims to set the process for if and when that day comes.

The Bottom Line

The narrative that data center opposition is a fringe concern is officially dead. $130 billion in stalled projects, 833 active opposition groups across 49 states, 300+ bills introduced in six weeks, and a Gallup poll showing 70% public opposition — this is a mainstream, bipartisan, nationwide movement.

Every community that shows up to a zoning hearing, every lawmaker who files a moratorium bill, and every resident who asks where the water is coming from is part of why that $130 billion number exists. The cloud is not invisible. And it is no longer unstoppable.

Sources: WSLS 10 News · Data Center Watch (Q1 2026 Report) · NBC News · Gallup · Associated Press · PR Newswire