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Anti-data-center groups expand influence, delaying projects nationwide

In states such as Missouri and Utah, organized opposition has helped push companies to rethink plans, including cutting a Utah project footprint by three quarters after resident protests and pressure from state lawmakers.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Commercial

Demand for data centers is continuing to rise, but Commercial Observer says a new stakeholder has emerged in the development process, one that does not take part in leases or cap tables, yet can materially shape outcomes. The outlet argues that opposition to new data center projects is no longer limited to small, local reactions, citing Missouri as an example where organized groups have amassed far more members than any other state in the country.

Commercial Observer also points to Utah, where Stratos data center plans were originally designed to cover an area roughly twice the size of Manhattan. After weeks of resident protests and a formal letter from the state Senate president, the company reduced the planned footprint by three quarters, with leadership acknowledging the rollout had been mishandled.

According to Commercial Observer, projects are increasingly being delayed, restructured, or canceled not because demand is weak, but because opposition is strong. The outlet adds that local groups are coordinating across states, and more than 100 communities have already enacted data center moratoriums independently, creating what it describes as a structural shift in how infrastructure gets approved.

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