I just got back from Take Back Tech 3 in Atlanta, and I’m still sitting with it. I left feeling like I’d spent a few days inside conversations that should be happening everywhere, but still aren’t: conversations about technology, power, extraction, and justice. And about who’s expected to absorb the costs of “progress” when industries move faster than oversight.
This Thursday’s event is just one example of the many personal impacts that data centers can have on someone’s life. We’ll be joined by organizer Jessica Sharp, who unknowingly closed on a new home the day before zoning was completed for a data center only 200 feet from her property line.
It’s hard to hear stories like Jessica’s over and over, and yet I still left the conference with a lot of hope. There was so much creativity woven into the organizing—art, storytelling, joy, and imagination.
It was a reminder that movements aren’t only built through policy fights. They’re also built through the work of helping each other imagine a different future before it exists.
There’s a full recap of Take Back Tech 3 up in the network. Check it out here.
Alright, let’s get into this week’s updates.
This bi-weekly newsletter is a new project from Halt the Harm Network. For more regular updates and meetups on data center organizing, request access to the Stop Bad Data Centers group inside the HHN community space.
What We’re Following
Emergency grid alert issued for East Coast as heat soars
PJM Interconnection LLC., the grid operator serving 13 states from Washington, D.C. to Chicago, declared a low-level energy emergency during a recent May heat wave, as rising electricity demand (including from data centers) pushed the system toward its limits. In response, the U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order allowing backup generators at data centers to come online to help prevent blackouts.
For more context, see this reporting in The Independent.
A utility mega-merger is all about data centers
NextEra Energy (parent of Florida Power & Light) is looking to buy Dominion in a $67B deal that critics say is less about “synergy” and more about locking in a dominant position in the data center boom. Dominion is the hometown utility for Northern Virginia, the largest concentration of data centers in the world. Analysts say the merger would help NextEra accelerate its own data center ambitions by tapping Dominion’s relationships and infrastructure buildout pipeline.
Weekly U.S. Data Centers Tracker Snapshot
FracTracker just launched a new weekly snapshot of the U.S. Data Center Tracker highlighting newly documented facilities, hyperscale proposals, and major governance and resistance developments tied to the rapid expansion of data centers nationwide.
This week’s update includes 13 newly added facilities, 1.45 GW of newly proposed capacity, and 6 newly identified hyperscale projects, plus major updates from TX, IN, WV, VA, MI, and PA. Notable highlights include new hyperscale proposals in Texas and Indiana, legal setbacks for Virginia’s Prince William Digital Gateway project, and ongoing community resistance in Michigan and Pennsylvania. New snapshots drop every Monday.
Check out this week’s snapshot here.
Upcoming Events
All event replays can be found in the Recordings Space in the HHN Network.
200 Feet Away: One Family’s Unexpected Fight Against a Data Center
When Jessica Sharp learned a 4-million-square-foot AWS hyperscale data center campus had been approved practically in her backyard, she didn’t just panic—she organized. In this conversation, Jessica (Wilmington Residents for Responsible Development) and community advocate Quintin Koger Kidd share how Wilmington residents uncovered secrecy and NDAs, navigated zoning and shifting state rules, and built a broader fight for transparency and accountability. Plus, they’ll share practical advice for anyone just beginning their own data center battle.
Building a National Movement to Fight AI Data Centers: Organizing Training Series
The Data Center Working Group, Kairos Fellowship, and Fight Oligarchy team are offering a five-part training series to support organizing and campaign efforts to stop the expansion of data centers.
Each session covers key skills and techniques to help groups build winning coalitions, strategies, and campaigns. Sessions have a progressive structure with each workshop building upon the previous one, as well as individual workshops can be taken as standalones. This series is part of the larger work of building a movement to advance an alternative vision of a society where our communities determine their own economies and futures.
The next session is May 26th.
Data Center Water Rights & Environmental Permits (Intervention Gateway 3)
Because data centers generate massive heat, developers often need millions of gallons of water for cooling, plus approvals tied to stormwater, wetlands impacts, and pollution controls (including permits connected to backup generators). These review processes can trigger formal comment periods and technical requirements companies can’t simply skip, making Gateway 3 a key moment for community scrutiny.
Join Network Fellow Tamara Saltman for the next Gateway session on water rights and environmental permits. Bring your questions, local context, and anything you’re seeing on the ground so we can learn from each other and build shared strategy.
Register for the working session here.
Event Recap
Gateway 2: Power and Utility Connection
Network Fellow Tamar Saltman facilitated the second in a series of working sessions on the 7 gateways of influence to stop bad data centers. The last session focused on Gateway 2, Power and Utility Interconnection.
For this session, guest Tanya Palwaski from Elevated Engagement joined the group to discuss if, when, and how to get involved with utility regulation issues.
You can read Tamara’s full recap here.
Or head to the website and check out the newly updated Gateway 2 resources and campaign playbook.
Become a HHN Fellow
Halt the Harm Network is looking to add a Communications and Amplification Fellow to our team.
This fellowship exists to make sure the wins already happening in the Halt the Harm Network get heard.
The core job is to book, place, and amplify HHN’s people and work by getting them on the right podcasts, into the right newsletters, and in front of the right creators so our strategies and victories travel farther, faster.
Click here to learn more and apply for the fellowship.
Closing Comment
If there’s one thing I’m taking with me this week, it’s that the data center boom is not just a local land use story—it’s a systems story. It runs through our power grids, our water infrastructure, and our regulatory agencies.
But every new proposal is an invitation to connect with others who have been through it before. If you’re in the early days of a fight, you don’t have to do it alone. Keep bringing your questions, your local intel, and your hard-earned lessons into this network. We’re building the map as we go.
More soon,
Elissa
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.