kolliden · Nov 4, 2026

Yes, cities should pause new large data centers until their costs are understood and covered.

6 reasons6 sources

What this position proposes

A temporary moratorium on new large facilities, as New York ordered in July 2026, while their effects on power prices, the grid and water are studied.

Reasons

1.
In the PJM grid, data center demand added an estimated $29.4 billion to capacity costs over the last four auctions, according to the grid's independent market monitor.
Those costs reach every household's bill.^[1]
1. Source 1: The Hill: Data center power costs in PJM · thehill.comOpen original
Objections
- No, cities should not restrict data centers beyond normal planning rules. · Leaves something out
  Data centers are only part of PJM's price rise. E3 estimates that about half of the 2025/26 capacity price increase came from load growth; the rest came from market design changes, plant retirements and supply constraints.^[1]
  1. Source 1: E3: Understanding the Drivers of Rising Electricity Rates and the Role of Data Centers (2026) · ethree.comOpen original
2.
Grids are already overloaded with requests.
New York had nearly 12 GW of data center load waiting in its interconnection queue, more than 8 GW of it filed in 2025 alone.^[1]
1. Source 1: Davis Polk: New York State enacts data center moratorium · davispolk.comOpen original
3.
Where data centers cluster, they take a large share of the grid.
In Ireland they used 23% of metered electricity in 2025, more than all urban households combined.^[1]
1. Source 1: The Irish Times: Data centres account for almost a quarter of Irish electricity usage in 2025 · irishtimes.comOpen original
4.
Communities are asked to decide without data.
Amazon does not report water use for its data centers, and Microsoft and Meta report only company-wide figures.^[1]
1. Source 1: The Conversation (via AIhub): Data centers consume massive amounts of water, companies rarely tell the public exactly how much · aihub.orgOpen original
Objections
- Allow them, but only if operators pay their full grid costs and meet strict conditions. · Doesn’t follow · Unsourced
  Missing data is an argument for mandatory reporting, not for a pause. A city can make disclosure of power and water use a condition of approval.
5.
Data centers bring few permanent jobs for the public money they often receive.
A Good Jobs First study found subsidies averaging about $1.95 million per permanent job across 11 large projects.^[1]
1. Source 1: DCD: US state subsidies pay $2 million per data center job · datacenterdynamics.comOpen original
Objections
- No, cities should not restrict data centers beyond normal planning rules. · Leaves something out · Unsourced
  The study dates from 2016, before the AI building boom, and counts only permanent operating jobs. It leaves out construction work and the property tax a data center pays once it runs.
6.
Water demand for cooling is set to grow fast.
US data centers used about 17 billion gallons of water directly for cooling in 2023, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory projects this could double or quadruple by 2028.^[1]
1. Source 1: The Conversation (via AIhub): Data centers consume massive amounts of water, companies rarely tell the public exactly how much · aihub.orgOpen original

Anyone can add a reason, an objection or a source here. You create a free account when you publish. Already have one? Sign in.