Community resistance and local bans spread across the West and beyond

Local opposition intensifying: Seattle moratorium (June 16 vote), Hillsboro pushback, The Dalles water use, Socorro uprising, New Mexico statewide push, Santa Fe County 18-month moratorium, Longmont ban, Monterey Park ban (86.3%), Pittsburg opposition (city holding virtual workshop July 30), Colorado Springs Project Taurus, WA Tri-Cities proposals face power limits (BPA NLSL, CETA), Iron County approval after pause, Bonner MT halt, Lowell MA 10-0, Texas rural ban call, San Antonio zoning gap, Taylor TX blocks citizen petition via state preemption, Grand County UT preemptive 180-day pause, Tacoma WA prohibition, Clackamas County OR studying attraction, El Segundo CA withdrawal. New: Boulder City, NV is fighting a BLM-approved data center on federal land adjacent to the city, a test of Trump's executive order streamlining permitting; the city was not consulted and environmental review was bypassed. Nevada City, CA faces a similar BLM vs. local control fight. Florence, AZ rezoned 1,619 acres from housing to tech campus, highlighting land competition. Design-focused mitigation strategies are being proposed for Western projects (Mesa, Las Vegas, Prineville, Quincy), but experts note design alone may not overcome core concerns. Water scarcity key driver: 2/3 of planned data centers in drought zones, AI water demand 73B gallons by 2028, 1,200B liters by 2030. A February survey shows 67% of planned facilities are in rural areas, with residents most concerned about electricity costs and farmland loss. Columbia Riverkeeper quantifies 100+ campuses, 4 GW in PNW. TS2 pulled Boulder City NV application. Food and Water Watch report urging NM moratorium. 7 California cities planning AI data centers. Oregon 29% rate hike under POWER Act. Labor shortages (87% MEP trades). Contractors using AI. Data centers have become a flash point in gubernatorial races (Texas Abbott flip-flop, Hinojosa attack; Pennsylvania). New opinion pieces argue data centers should be required to invest in local energy infrastructure. A Texas state representative op-ed calls for thoughtful planning. A special session request from Ag Commissioner Miller highlights legislative urgency. Gilbert, Arizona adopted stricter data center controls—banning potable water, requiring 650-ft setbacks, removing data centers from business park zoning. Utah's executive order broadening review criteria (per S&P Global roundup) adds a policy response to resistance. A pro-BPA op-ed from Rep. Newhouse argues the agency must power AI data centers, framing it as national security—potentially signaling federal pressure to ease constraints that have blocked Tri-Cities projects. Data center opponents staged 142 protests across 42 states in a single day, the most organized national opposition event. Texas hosted the most protests (18). Imperial County, CA water fight (260M gallons from Colorado River) highlights Western drought concerns. This validates the growing backlash and signals data centers will be a midterm issue. Nonpartisan anger is a key theme. A UT study projects data centers could consume 3-9% of Texas water by 2040, reinforcing drought-driven constraints. A national article on shrinking lakes (Great Salt Lake, Lake Mead) ties data center water use to iconic Western water bodies. A utility CEO opinion piece argues data centers can be grid modernization partners, citing an E3 study claiming no rate increases—a direct counter to the opposition narrative. A David Roberts piece argues the backlash is a trust problem, with potential win-win solutions being ignored. New: A detailed report highlights diesel generator pollution from Amazon's data centers in Eastern Oregon, adding air quality to the list of local concerns. A sponsored survey from Bloom Energy confirms community backlash and the shift to on-site power, projecting 1/3 of data centers will use on-site power by 2030. Latest: Pasco, WA has hit pause on new data centers with a proactive moratorium (no applications yet), consulting with Umatilla, Hermiston, and Boardman—reinforcing the Tri-Cities pattern of BPA/CETA constraints and regional learning. A new article on community rejection provides a key data point: projects face 6x higher cancellation rates when opposed, underscoring the power of local resistance. Today: A data center developer has filed a lawsuit to secure Colorado River water rights in Imperial County, CA, facing intense community opposition and a 45-day moratorium; the developer's background includes a strip club and dismissed charges, adding a controversial angle. Sabey Data Centers' 'going vertical' milestone at Umatilla shows buildout continues despite pushback. A Daily Yonder analysis maps rural data center development, noting 12% of in-progress projects in rural counties and growing opposition. Newest: A Hillsboro, OR lawsuit from 1000 Friends of Oregon challenges 17 data center tax break approvals rushed before the moratorium, with $84M in forgone taxes and farmland loss—a precedent-setting legal challenge to tax incentives. Spokane County, WA leaders held undisclosed talks with Apricus Energy for a 1,000 MW facility; a stay-at-home mom's records request exposed the backchannel, and Mayor Brown is pushing a moratorium. These reinforce the patterns of opaque developer-utility-commissioner relationships, community distrust, and growing local resistance across the West.