Erin Brockovich takes aim at rapid growth of AI data centres with new project

Erin Brockovich, the renowned consumer counselor and environmental activistic, is at present background her sights on AI information centres with a new website that maps their growth across the U.S. And asks residents to report their concerns. 

Brockovich's efforts to build a case against Pacific Gas & Electric Company over groundwater contamination in Hinkley, Calif., inspired 2000's Erin Brockovich, the Oscar-winning film starring Julia Roberts, and resulted in one of the largest class-action settlements in U.S. History.

Her latest project, Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting, maps major AI data centres in the U.S. That are either operational or under construction while also providing links to news coverage of various projects across the country and how some communities are rallying against them.

The site also has a form where people can submit information about what they've experienced in their communities where data centres have been built, are under construction or are being proposed. 

In a Substack post about the project, Brockovich said that while she's not entirely against AI data centres, communities across the country have raised concerns about the environmental impacts of the centres and a lack of consultation from developers.

"Some communities have welcomed these facilities after genuine public engagement, honest disclosure of impacts, and real negotiation of community benefits. When that happens, that’s democracy working the way it should," she wrote. 

"What is not acceptable is the pattern our map documents: projects announced after permits are already secured, developers who don’t return calls, local officials who signed NDAs before their neighbors knew a project was being considered."

Since the site's launch on April 27, Brockovich says they have received more than 3,800 reports from people raising concerns about the data centres.

"They’re watching their utility bills climb, finding sick animals they can’t explain, and worrying about the long-term impacts on their health and property values. These complaints are not small. They show a national pattern," she wrote.

"When you hear about issues in one community here or there, it looks bad. But when you line these communities up side by side, you see the larger picture."

Brockovich's project comes amid mounting resistance to AI data centres in North America, particularly in the United States. 

The AI data centre boom is coming to Canada — and it’s thirsty

Last month, a data centre slated to be built in Box Elder County, Utah, and backed by celebrity Canadian investor Kevin O'Leary, made national headlines after facing fierce opposition from some residents. They pushed for the project's future to be put to a vote — though their effort ultimately failed.

Some planned AI data centres have faced pushback in Canada, too. 

Hundreds of people marched through Vancouver at the end of May to protest two planned AI data centres in the city. 

In Olds, Alta., a local group of residents has banded together to stop a proposed data centre from being built in the town of about 10,000 residents over concerns about potential health impacts, noise pollution and emissions.

Senior writer

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