Opposition to new data centers is intensifying across the United States as communities, lawmakers, investors and lenders focus on electricity rates, water consumption, grid investment, limited long-term job creation and local impacts. Build American AI, backed by Leading the Future super PAC funders including Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, will spend millions of dollars defending construction in Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin. Annenberg Public Policy Center polling of 1,320 U.S. adults found that 61% opposed new data centers in their area from June 16 to July 19, up from 49% in February and March. Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel said the company would serve hyperscalers only if existing customers’ rates were protected, while JD Vance supports requiring major AI facilities to add generation and help fund grid upgrades. A proposed Pike County, Ohio, campus led by SB Energy would pair 10 GW of data center capacity with 10 GW of generation, including 9.2 GW from natural gas, and an estimated $4.2 billion in privately funded grid upgrades. New York has imposed a one-year moratorium on large new facilities, Texas has paused approvals, and several cities have enacted bans. Data Center Watch counted 75 projects worth roughly $130 billion blocked or delayed in the first quarter of 2026, a trend lenders have begun treating as credit risk. The dispute also echoes opposition to Bitcoin mining as miners lease power and interconnection rights to AI companies.