New York just became the first state in the country to sign a moratorium on data centers. I want you to sit with that, because it tells you everything about the two paths in front of us. One path builds the infrastructure that runs the next fifty years of the American economy. The other talks itself into a moral panic, bans the future, and then acts surprised when the jobs and the money show up in somebody else’s state. I am here to defend the data centers, and I want to walk you through why, because most of the fear you are hearing is manufactured.
Yes. Pooh Bear and Commie China is behind all of this agitprop.
I wonder how many data centers are using reuse water. You know, the stuff they water golf courses with and run through toilets in large arenas...and they put up signs that say not to drink the water in the commode.
Many times commercial electric usage subsidizes more heavily-regulated, lower-rate residential use. Businesses have to pay more--and not just in the rate per kWh--to get the service they need.
My Facebook 'feed' is half pages making ridiculous claims about the harms of data centers, expecially here in Indiana. OBVIOUSLY - the Chinese want to stir ignoramuses to inhibit American build out. Thank you EE for pushing back (how can I help?)
It all makes sense now. And I’ve seen one of our DCs just outside of Atlanta (Metro) off I-20. I must admit, it’s actually a sharp-looking building… HUGE, but sharp. Looks like a very modern upscale recreation center. As a truck driver, I get a chance to see a lot of things that otherwise wouldn’t catch my eye. In my personal vehicle, my little pickup truck 🛻, I never noticed it. Then I had a run to make, and I was in my big rig; I saw this awesome looking recreation center — at least, that’s what I thought. I drove up the road to it (thankfully, the road it sits off of is trucker friendly), and… YOWZA!! I had no idea what I was looking at, so I started asking questions, and that’s when I learned it was a data center. Apparently had been there for a while, too! I said to myself, “Well, alrighty then!” I liked the fact it was built in a very industrial area… it just fits!
Great article. Erick has explained the truth re/data centers in a way that everyone can understand. Thank you Erick for providing the truth about data centers!!
'Did Georgia Power use eminent domain to acquire land in Coweta County Georgia to supply power to a data center?'
Here is the response from Microsoft CoPilot.
Yes — based on multiple credible news reports, Georgia Power has used eminent domain (or threatened its use) in Coweta County to acquire land for a transmission line whose primary purpose is supplying power to data centers.
Here is response from ChatGPT:
Yes, but with an important distinction. Georgia Power used, or threatened to use, eminent domain to obtain homes, land, and easements in Coweta County for the Ashley Park-Wansley transmission project. Georgia Power said the 35-mile line would serve regional growth and grid reliability, including data centers, manufacturing, businesses, and residents - not one data center exclusively.
The clearest reported case involved Ansley Brown's family home. The family said it agreed to sell because Georgia Power threatened condemnation; Georgia Power characterized eminent domain as a last resort and said it negotiated in good faith. Reporting indicates the broader line crosses more than 300 parcels, while roughly 20 to 30 homes could be demolished.
So, the precise conclusion is: Georgia Power exercised eminent-domain authority to facilitate a transmission line substantially driven by data-center electricity demand, but described the project as serving multiple customers and broader grid needs. Whether each affected Coweta parcel was formally condemned or sold under the threat of condemnation varies by property.
These data centers baffle me somewhat. I see both sides, and don’t truly know which is right. What usually is the case is that there is truth to both sides and the good and bad is based on feeling more than fact. Paulding County is protesting one of them at an abandoned cement or concrete facility. My question is, did they protest the business that was originally there? I imagine many of the arguments that the protesters are making now would be applicable to the old facility. I don’t want support something with my tax dollars that I don’t get more benefit from. I don’t want to be stuck with a facility that is abandoned and I have to deal with. I don’t want anything funded and run by the Chinese. That said, I don’t want to run business away like the NY governor is doing. There has to be a way to get to the bottom of the truth and make an informed decision. I don’t see the data centers as a fundamentally bad or evil, but there are risks that need to be dealt with. All or Nothing is not a good business plan. The Chinese don’t want us to build them and are funding the opposition. If water is a problem then trust the experts. If our power bills is an issue, hold the politicians feet to the fire. These centers will be built somewhere! I don’t want to be left out!
Erick - Thank you for this article. I have been waiting for someone with a following to say this. The "problems" that Data Centers create can be handled but losing this to China is unforgiveable. We have already made ourselves so dependent on a potential adversary that we have become weaker due to it. American ingenuity will solve the problems but we need to be the leader in this technology. Keep building.
Everybody talks about saving data to "the cloud," as if it is somewhere in the sky. All you have to do is look at your data center. That's where the cloud is.
Agreed. Some people complained when railroads expanded and tied our continental states together. Some people complained when dams were built to create reservoirs both for flood control and hydropower generation. Some people complained during the 1950s and 1960s when neighborhoods were torn down to expand steel mills. Progress and complaints go hand in hand for some folks. Provided the governments doing the land condemnation act wisely and pay fairly, we will all likely be better off for what's happening with data centers.
Been there, done that: The Mall of Georgia was built next door to our former house some years ago. Property values immediately increased; we sold at a profit and moved deeper into the Georgia mountains.
I was actually on the fence about the introduction of more data centers, but after your exacting interpretation and explanation of the hysteria surrounding the creation of more data centers, I'm on board. Thanks for the read, Erick!
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ANTeYMF3a/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Environmental damage ^^^^
Yes. Pooh Bear and Commie China is behind all of this agitprop.
I wonder how many data centers are using reuse water. You know, the stuff they water golf courses with and run through toilets in large arenas...and they put up signs that say not to drink the water in the commode.
Many times commercial electric usage subsidizes more heavily-regulated, lower-rate residential use. Businesses have to pay more--and not just in the rate per kWh--to get the service they need.
My Facebook 'feed' is half pages making ridiculous claims about the harms of data centers, expecially here in Indiana. OBVIOUSLY - the Chinese want to stir ignoramuses to inhibit American build out. Thank you EE for pushing back (how can I help?)
Power usage and water consumption are the two issues that are flaunted with no data to back up the claims. Thank you for showing another side.
It all makes sense now. And I’ve seen one of our DCs just outside of Atlanta (Metro) off I-20. I must admit, it’s actually a sharp-looking building… HUGE, but sharp. Looks like a very modern upscale recreation center. As a truck driver, I get a chance to see a lot of things that otherwise wouldn’t catch my eye. In my personal vehicle, my little pickup truck 🛻, I never noticed it. Then I had a run to make, and I was in my big rig; I saw this awesome looking recreation center — at least, that’s what I thought. I drove up the road to it (thankfully, the road it sits off of is trucker friendly), and… YOWZA!! I had no idea what I was looking at, so I started asking questions, and that’s when I learned it was a data center. Apparently had been there for a while, too! I said to myself, “Well, alrighty then!” I liked the fact it was built in a very industrial area… it just fits!
Great article. Erick has explained the truth re/data centers in a way that everyone can understand. Thank you Erick for providing the truth about data centers!!
Thanks for the update:
'Did Georgia Power use eminent domain to acquire land in Coweta County Georgia to supply power to a data center?'
Here is the response from Microsoft CoPilot.
Yes — based on multiple credible news reports, Georgia Power has used eminent domain (or threatened its use) in Coweta County to acquire land for a transmission line whose primary purpose is supplying power to data centers.
Here is response from ChatGPT:
Yes, but with an important distinction. Georgia Power used, or threatened to use, eminent domain to obtain homes, land, and easements in Coweta County for the Ashley Park-Wansley transmission project. Georgia Power said the 35-mile line would serve regional growth and grid reliability, including data centers, manufacturing, businesses, and residents - not one data center exclusively.
The clearest reported case involved Ansley Brown's family home. The family said it agreed to sell because Georgia Power threatened condemnation; Georgia Power characterized eminent domain as a last resort and said it negotiated in good faith. Reporting indicates the broader line crosses more than 300 parcels, while roughly 20 to 30 homes could be demolished.
So, the precise conclusion is: Georgia Power exercised eminent-domain authority to facilitate a transmission line substantially driven by data-center electricity demand, but described the project as serving multiple customers and broader grid needs. Whether each affected Coweta parcel was formally condemned or sold under the threat of condemnation varies by property.
Erick, you generate a good bit of conversation today with the topic of Data Centers.
I wanted to thank you for using my comment for your Four Things to Remember: “Loose lips sink ships.”Thanks.”
These data centers baffle me somewhat. I see both sides, and don’t truly know which is right. What usually is the case is that there is truth to both sides and the good and bad is based on feeling more than fact. Paulding County is protesting one of them at an abandoned cement or concrete facility. My question is, did they protest the business that was originally there? I imagine many of the arguments that the protesters are making now would be applicable to the old facility. I don’t want support something with my tax dollars that I don’t get more benefit from. I don’t want to be stuck with a facility that is abandoned and I have to deal with. I don’t want anything funded and run by the Chinese. That said, I don’t want to run business away like the NY governor is doing. There has to be a way to get to the bottom of the truth and make an informed decision. I don’t see the data centers as a fundamentally bad or evil, but there are risks that need to be dealt with. All or Nothing is not a good business plan. The Chinese don’t want us to build them and are funding the opposition. If water is a problem then trust the experts. If our power bills is an issue, hold the politicians feet to the fire. These centers will be built somewhere! I don’t want to be left out!
Clouds ☁️, Data Centers and power 🔋 grids oh my..... Build baby build....
Erick - Thank you for this article. I have been waiting for someone with a following to say this. The "problems" that Data Centers create can be handled but losing this to China is unforgiveable. We have already made ourselves so dependent on a potential adversary that we have become weaker due to it. American ingenuity will solve the problems but we need to be the leader in this technology. Keep building.
Hot topic Erick!
Everybody talks about saving data to "the cloud," as if it is somewhere in the sky. All you have to do is look at your data center. That's where the cloud is.
Agreed. Some people complained when railroads expanded and tied our continental states together. Some people complained when dams were built to create reservoirs both for flood control and hydropower generation. Some people complained during the 1950s and 1960s when neighborhoods were torn down to expand steel mills. Progress and complaints go hand in hand for some folks. Provided the governments doing the land condemnation act wisely and pay fairly, we will all likely be better off for what's happening with data centers.
When the data center is built next door to your house, you will become "some people."
Been there, done that: The Mall of Georgia was built next door to our former house some years ago. Property values immediately increased; we sold at a profit and moved deeper into the Georgia mountains.
I was actually on the fence about the introduction of more data centers, but after your exacting interpretation and explanation of the hysteria surrounding the creation of more data centers, I'm on board. Thanks for the read, Erick!
Good article, Erick. Thanks for presenting the other side of the hysteria.