Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has set her sights on a new target: AI data centers.
The activist and consumer advocate has just recently launched the Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting website, which tracks AI data centers being built across the country. The project maps quite a few data centers that are already in operation and under construction. Users can submit AI data centers that are being built or proposed in their community as well.
"The RACE to build AI infrastructures is unfolding town by town across America," reads a statement by Brockovich on the website. "In some places, data centers are welcomed. In others, they are delayed, contested or abandoned altogether. This MAP captures the real-world footprint of that race — revealing patterns of growth, conflict and uncertainty."
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Data center construction has become a flashpoint in state and local politics, with some communities organizing to stop new construction. Environmental groups and the NAACP have also joined the fight.
Brockovich taking on AI data centers is significant.
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In the 90s, while working as a legal clerk, Brockovich discovered major corporate malfeasance from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). Brockovich uncovered that the company was covering up the contamination of the water in Hinkley, California. The legal battle that ensued resulted in PG&E paying out a historic $333 million settlement, which at the time was the largest direct-action lawsuit settlement in U.S. history.
Brockovich's story was turned into a movie, titled Erin Brockovich, with Julia Roberts portraying the activist. The film, which was released in 2000, was both a commercial and critical success. Roberts would go on to win an Oscar for her portrayal of Brockovich.
The current map detailing AI data center locations. Credit: Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting
The Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting website currently lists 33 operational data centers, 44 locations under construction, and 27 proposed facilities. There are also 2,716 data center locations submitted by users across the country.
The vast majority of AI data center reports are in Texas, with 612 reports. Sulfur Springs, TX, alone has 297 data center reports.
Users who submitted reports shared that the biggest concerns regarding AI data centers in their city involved water, electricity, and the overall health of the people in their community.
According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, large AI data centers can consume as much as 5 million gallons of water per day, or the equivalent of what a town with 10,000 to 50,000 people uses. Another report from the UK found that AI data centers "could emit nearly one million more tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than previously estimated."
The website also provides interesting events on its Community Impact page, showing how people can actually make a difference. According to the Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting website, more than 15 moratoria or pauses on AI data centers have been passed due to community backlash. In Festus, MO, four city council members were removed from office after an AI data center vote.