New Analysis Finds Over 90% of Public Comments Oppose Data Center Projects
A newly highlighted collection of local-government meeting comments shows widespread opposition to data center construction, with water use and community impacts drawing more attention than AI itself.
Technology news
A data collection project examining public responses to proposed US data centers reports that 90.5% of the comments it analyzed expressed opposition. The figures come from American Sentiment, a project operated by San Francisco-based Prophecy Gov, and were examined in a November 2 report by Tom's Hardware. The analysis offers a closer look at the objections facing developers as investment in computing infrastructure accelerates.
According to the published figures, the project analyzed 10,202 public comments spanning 417 local governments and 906 public meetings across 48 states during 2026. Positive comments represented approximately 7% of the sample, while another 2.5% consisted of questions rather than clear expressions of support or opposition. The project also reports that 73% of the meetings examined had no speakers supporting a data center proposal.
The complaints were not primarily framed as objections to artificial intelligence. Only 21% of comments mentioned AI, according to the analysis. Water consumption appeared as the most common concern, alongside potential effects on local quality of life and perceived shortcomings in transparency. These findings suggest that local disputes frequently center on the practical consequences of construction and operation rather than opposition to computing technology in principle.
The report also identifies differences between communities. Residents in rural areas more frequently raised questions about farmland, property rights, and changes to community character. Urban and suburban commenters more often focused on government transparency, pollution, and utility costs. The analysis additionally reported similar opposition rates across politically different counties.
The figures require careful interpretation. Comments made at public meetings are not a representative national opinion poll, and people motivated to oppose a project may be more likely to participate. The dataset therefore describes sentiment among the comments collected, not the views of 90.5% of Americans. Even with that limitation, the newly published breakdown illustrates how developers increasingly face scrutiny over water, infrastructure, and local benefits when seeking approval for large computing facilities.