Welcome to the third issue of the Stop Bad Data Centers bi-weekly newsletter. Welcome to the hundreds of leaders around the country who have recently subscribed to this newsletter, and to the many leaders who are sharing updates and engaging in the online network.
This bi-weekly newsletter is a new project from Halt the Harm Network to provide an overview to all subscribers. For more regular updates and meetups, join the topic in Halt the Harm Network.
What We’re Following
Data Center Energy Demand Should be Contested
A new article from Climate & Community Institute is out now. In it, author Winston Yao argues that the rapid growth in data center energy demand shouldn’t be treated as inevitable. Instead of only figuring out how to supply more electricity, it calls for questioning which kinds of demand should be prioritized in the first place—and who benefits from it.
New Data Center Fight Guide from the Data Center Working Group
The Athena Coalition, the AI Now Institute, Free Press, Good Jobs First, Kairos Fellowship, and others have release a crowdsourced guide designed to support community members and organizations launch or join data center fights. It’s an absolutely beginner friendly guide that covers everything from understanding what data centers are, to research and policy resources, and lots more.
Learn more about the project and the Data Center Working Group here.
The Dangers of Data Centers
Dr. Elan Justice Pavlinich highlights the health risks data centers pose to nearby communities, including noise, light, and air pollution. These impacts fall hardest on those most vulnerable—children, pregnant people, older adults, and individuals with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions. The burden is not evenly shared: low-income and Black communities are disproportionately affected, particularly where the power plants supplying data centers are sited nearby.
Event Recap
The Economics of Data Center Tax Incentives: Who Really Benefits?
Communities across the country are increasingly being asked to offer large tax breaks and subsidies to attract data centers, often promoted as drivers of economic growth. But do these deals actually deliver meaningful benefits to the public?
A recent discussion with economist Dr. Nathan Jensen of UT Austin explored the economics and politics behind these incentive packages—why governments offer them, who ultimately benefits, and what the trade-offs mean for public resources and accountability. The conversation raised important questions about transparency and whether these agreements truly serve local communities.
Do You Wanna Win? Data Center Organizing 201
As data centers rapidly expand across the country, many communities are grappling with their impacts on electricity use, water resources, land use, and public budgets. While these projects are often promoted as economic development, they also raise important questions about local costs and benefits.
A recent session with Kairos Fellowship focused on how communities can respond—highlighting strategies for identifying projects early, organizing locally, and building campaigns that push for transparency and accountability. The discussion emphasized that residents have tools and leverage to shape how (and whether) these developments move forward.
Gateway 5: Financing and Credit
BDC Fellow Tamara Saltman hosted the fifth session in our Gateway Webinar Series on March 18.
This session focused on data center financing and credit, and how understanding the financial side of projects can help communities more effectively reduce harm.
We explored how data centers are financed, where financial risk sits as projects move from proposal to operation, and how these investments intersect with ESG commitments. For many participants, this was new territory—but it’s a critical layer of the process that can strengthen organizing and advocacy.
Paired with local concerns like noise, air and water impacts, infrastructure costs, and utility rates, this knowledge can help communities make clearer, more strategic cases in their campaigns.
You can read Tamara’s full recap, check out additional resources, or ask questions over in the network.
Upcoming Events
Join an Upcoming Webinar or Meetup
Here are the events you’ll find in the Halt the Harm Network. If you have an event to share, please reply or submit an event here.
Closing Comment
If you haven’t joined one of our live sessions yet, we hope you will. These gatherings are a chance to share what’s unfolding in real time, learn from others facing similar challenges, and get clearer on what strategies are actually working.
Your questions and on-the-ground experiences help shape the conversation and strengthen the collective knowledge we’re building together.
No one is navigating this alone—and the more we connect, the more effective we can be.
Speaking of connecting, if there’s someone you know who would like to be part of this work, please share this email with them.
With appreciation,
Elissa and the HHN Team
P.S. If you have on-the-ground stories or evidence about data center impacts, please reply.
One of my projects is to catalog and organize materials for the network, so reach out anytime.
We’re especially looking for what you’re seeing related to water, air, noise, and any concerns about chemicals and chemical storage on-site. These local details help other communities prepare and act earlier.