WRI: From Energy Use to Air Quality, the Many Ways Data Centers Affect US Communities

WRI: From Energy Use to Air Quality, the Many Ways Data Centers Affect US Communities

SOURCE: WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE · BY CARLA D. WALKER & IAN GOLDSMITH · PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 17, 2026

When the World Resources Institute — one of the world's leading environmental research organizations — publishes a comprehensive breakdown of how data centers are reshaping American communities, it's worth reading every word. Their piece, "From Energy Use to Air Quality, the Many Ways Data Centers Affect US Communities," is the clearest, most systematic account yet of what this buildout actually means for the people living in its path.

WRI's central argument is simple but powerful: the rise of data centers is all but inevitable, but the way it happens is not. Clear rules on energy procurement, water use, land siting, community engagement, and cost recovery will determine whether this growth strengthens local economies — or shifts risks onto residents.

The Scale: 3,900 Data Centers and Counting

WRI lays out the numbers that define the moment:

• 3,900+ data centers across the United States as of late January 2026 — nearly 37% of the world's total.
• Virginia is "the data center capital of the world," followed by Texas and California.
• The top 10 states account for roughly 60% of all data centers nationwide.
• A single modern AI data center can use as much power as 100,000 homes; many larger ones now being built are expected to consume up to 20 times that amount.

This isn't distributed growth. It's concentrated, hyperscale, and landing in a handful of communities that are expected to absorb the impacts on behalf of the entire digital economy.

1. Soaring Energy Demand

WRI cites two projections that should stop anyone in their tracks:

• The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that data centers could represent up to 12% of all U.S. electricity consumption by 2028.
• Grid Strategies estimates that up to 90 gigawatts (GW) of data centers could come online by 2030 — about 9 times New York City's peak summer demand joining the grid in less than five years.

This is driving real costs to real people. 2025 saw over $60 billion worth of rate increases nationwide, with Americans paying almost 10% more for electricity on average compared to 2024. WRI notes evidence that the need to procure and build new energy infrastructure for data centers contributed to price increases in at least one region — the Mid-Atlantic (PJM) — and warns that other regions could see the same if safeguards aren't put in place.

Some states are pushing back. AEP Ohio introduced a new rate schedule requiring data centers to pay for at least 85% of the energy they're subscribed for, regardless of how much they actually use. Oregon, Minnesota, and Missouri are also taking action to ensure data centers don't shift costs onto other ratepayers.

2. Water Consumption

WRI identifies water use as a top-of-mind concern for communities — and for good reason. Data centers require enormous volumes of water for cooling, and this demand is landing in regions already facing water stress. The piece emphasizes that water use isn't just an environmental issue; it's a competition issue, pitting data center cooling against agriculture, drinking water, and ecosystem health.

3. Air Quality

The article's title foregrounds air quality for a reason. Data centers don't just consume electricity — they run backup generators (often diesel), contribute to local air pollution, and the fossil fuel power plants built to serve them emit pollutants that degrade air quality in surrounding communities. WRI frames this as an equity issue: the communities bearing the air quality burden are often not the ones benefiting from the data center jobs.

4. Land Use

Hyperscale data centers can be "the size of hundreds of football fields." WRI notes that this scale of development reshapes local land use, displacing farmland, natural areas, and existing community infrastructure. The siting of these facilities — often fast-tracked by federal permitting directives and state tax incentives — is happening with limited public information about long-term impacts.

5-7. Community Engagement, Economic Benefits, and Governance

WRI's remaining impact areas center on the governance question: who gets a say, who benefits, and who bears the risk. The piece argues that data centers can bring investment and jobs — but only if clear rules ensure that costs and benefits are shared fairly. Without those rules, the default is that residents absorb the costs (higher bills, water stress, air pollution, land displacement) while the benefits (jobs, tax revenue) flow elsewhere.

This is the same framing the Brookings Institution used in its recent piece on the data center backlash as a "fight over AI power" — and the same framing The Economist used when it warned that "people of all political stripes are furious" about the buildout. When WRI, Brookings, and The Economist are all saying the same thing, the consensus is clear: the current trajectory is unsustainable, and communities are right to push back.

Why This WRI Piece Matters

What makes WRI's contribution unique is its practical, systematic approach. Rather than treating data center impacts as a single issue (energy, or water, or land), WRI breaks down the full picture — seven interconnected ways that data centers reshape community life — and points to emerging governance practices that can manage the trade-offs. This is a roadmap for policymakers and community advocates who want to ensure that data center growth doesn't come at the expense of the people living next door.

The message is clear: the data center boom is happening, but it doesn't have to happen to communities. It can happen with them — but only if communities demand a seat at the table and policymakers require it. The alternative is what we've been documenting on this site for over a year: ratepayers subsidizing the AI revolution, rural landscapes turned into industrial zones, and democratic accountability overridden by $140 million in super PAC money.

If your community is in the path of a data center — in Virginia, Texas, California, Ohio, or anywhere else — WRI's framework is a tool you can use. Environmental advocate Erin Brockovich is tracking over 8,000 community reports of data center impacts nationwide at brockovichdatacenter.com. Submit your report there, and share your story on our community forum.

The data center boom is inevitable. The way it happens is not. That's the fight.

Sources & Citations

• • WRI — Carla D. Walker & Ian Goldsmith, "From Energy Use to Air Quality, the Many Ways Data Centers Affect US Communities" (February 17, 2026; primary source)
• • IEA — Energy and AI (cited by WRI)
• • Grid Strategies — National Load Growth Report 2025 (cited by WRI)
• • Center for American Progress — Utility Rate Hikes Tracker (cited by WRI)
• • Brockovich Data Center Registry — Erin Brockovich's nationwide impact map
• • Related on this site: Brookings: Data Center Backlash Signals a Fight Over AI Power
• • Related on this site: The Economist: America's Data-Centre Backlash Puts the AI Boom at Risk

Source: World Resources Institute · By Carla D. Walker & Ian Goldsmith · Published February 17, 2026