Local governments enact data center limits while 1,416 projects advance nationwide

Local governments across the Midwest and East Coast have placed new limits on data center construction as residents protest projects in their communities. A map compiled by Datawrapper shows clusters of moratoriums, permanent bans, and other restrictions concentrated in those regions. Some jurisdictions have issued temporary halts while others have banned construction outright.

Business Insider reported that 1,416 data centers were already built or approved for construction across 45 states and Washington, DC, in 2025. The facilities house servers that power AI products from companies including Anthropic and OpenAI. A photograph from a planning meeting in upstate New York shows residents holding signs that call for a data center moratorium.

Protesters have attended community meetings, started petitions, and filed lawsuits in recent months. The Trump administration accelerated federal permitting for data center projects in 2025 and directed US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to provide financial support for certain developments.

The administration also backed the Stargate project, a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank.

A Pew Research Center survey earlier in 2026 found that the more Americans learn about data centers, the worse they feel about them. Critics have raised concerns over effects on water resources, electricity costs, air quality, traffic, and noise in rural areas where many projects are sited.

Supporters argue the centers will create jobs and help the United States compete with China in AI development.