THIS IS LOCAL GOVERNMENT, NOT ABSTRACT TECH POLICY
You don't have to understand AI to understand what an AI data center does to a town. It draws down the water table. It strains the power grid. It runs generators and cooling systems around the clock. And more often than not, the deal gets signed before residents ever hear about it — because local officials frequently sign non-disclosure agreements with the companies building them. People find out when the excavators show up.
This is the assignment in practice: policy becomes the conditions women live under. Water access, utility bills, air and noise near your home, whether your town council answered to residents or to a developer — these are local decisions, made by people whose names you should know.
THE MAP
Brockovich Data Center Reporting
Erin Brockovich's crowd-sourced, self-reported map of AI data centers operating, under construction, or proposed across the U.S. Residents flag concerns directly — water use, energy strain, e-waste, health, noise. It's not a complete registry, and it says so. It's real people, self-reporting what's happening where they live. Look up your area. If there's a data center near you and it's not on the map, report it.
Communities Making a Difference
Proof this is winnable. Real examples of residents, planning boards, and city councils that pushed back — projects canceled, moratoriums enacted, bans passed. This didn't happen because people were angry on the internet. It happened because people showed up to public meetings and knew who to hold accountable.
WHAT TO DO WITH THIS
Check the map for your zip code. If something's happening near you, find out who's deciding it — that's usually your county commissioners, city council, or planning board, not Congress. Use How to Research Your Candidates to find out who represents you locally, and start asking questions in public, on the record.