Erin Brockovich: 4,000 People Asked Me To Investigate Data Centers. Here's What I Found.

Summary

Jon Favreau frames the data-center debate as more than a clash between innovation and resistance. Data centers support everyday internet services, and the rapid growth of AI is driving demand for many more facilities. But hyperscale projects can take up large areas of land and require substantial electricity, water, and new infrastructure. Favreau argues that dismissing opponents as anti-progress or victims of foreign disinformation ignores real community concerns and the lack of public input.

Erin Brockovich says her investigation began after residents in Pennsylvania sent her clusters of complaints about proposed AI data centers. She launched the Brockovich Data Center Reporting map; its website crashed twice on the first day, and submissions soon came from cities and counties across every U.S. state. She says people most often described feeling blindsided: projects were advanced or approved before residents knew about them, sometimes under local-government nondisclosure agreements. Brockovich says the secrecy—more than any single environmental concern—has undermined trust and made residents feel excluded from decisions affecting their communities.

Community concerns

• Water: Residents want to know how much water a project will use and whether it could affect wells, farms, livestock, or local water supplies. Brockovich cautions that “closed-loop” cooling may reduce water use at a facility while shifting some demand elsewhere through electricity generation.
• Electricity and bills: Large facilities may require power plants, transmission lines, substations, and other grid upgrades. Brockovich argues that companies, rather than ordinary customers, should pay the additional costs. She says some residents have reported sharp increases in their utility bills.
• Noise, pollution, and land use: Residents have described round-the-clock noise and lights, concerns about generators and fuel leaks, and the conversion of farmland or natural areas. Brockovich also relays reports of effects on homes, wildlife, and livestock.
• Local economic trade-offs: Data centers can generate tax revenue and fund public services, as in Loudoun County, Virginia. But Brockovich questions whether the benefits will offset possible effects on property values, tourism, existing businesses, and long-term employment—especially when operating facilities require relatively few workers.

Brockovich says opposition has grown from a limited number of communities considering pauses or moratoria to more than 600 local efforts, with 10 states examining oversight, according to her account. She argues that companies and local officials should provide information early, invite public participation, and negotiate enforceable terms on water, power costs, siting, buffers, and community benefits. Voluntary promises may not be enough once trust has been lost.

She emphasizes that she is not arguing against innovation, but against building projects without meaningful public consent or safeguards. She floats possible alternatives—including smaller or underground facilities, different locations, and other cooling or power approaches—as ideas worth exploring, while acknowledging that the current model may change as technology evolves. Her broader lesson, drawn from her earlier community work, is to listen to residents’ observations, ask questions, and organize collectively rather than accept that technological change is inevitable and beyond public influence.

Presenters and contributors

• Jon Favreau — host and interviewer
• Erin Brockovich — guest

Production contributors credited: Austin Fisher, Emma Ilfrance, Anish Banneri, Dillon Villanueva, Mia Kelman, Charlotte Landis, Eric Chuta, Rachel Huskey, Will Jones, Adrian Hill, and Matt Dro.