I spent 4 hours at an AI data center town meeting. Things got rowdy.
Residents of Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania, held a heated town meeting to protest a proposed massive AI data center campus. The community expressed concerns over the project's scale, environmental impact, and lack of transparency.
Why it matters
The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is creating local friction as communities grapple with the massive energy and land requirements of data centers.
A man wears a shirt opposing an AI data center in Upper Merion Township, a suburb about 20 miles from Philadelphia. Joe Lamberti for BI The chair of the planning commission in Upper Merion Township, a suburban town about 20 miles from Philadelphia, began a long-anticipated meeting to discuss a large-scale data center proposal with a warning befitting the middle school auditorium where it was held. Don't get rowdy, Matt Popek told a packed house. Anyone who disrupts the proceedings will be kicked out. "We recognize there are many strong feelings," he said. No one was ever asked to leave Wednesday's marathon four-hour meeting, though there were plenty of disruptions. Shouts, boos, applause, chants, and groans filled the room. "Look at everyone in this room. This is not a divided issue. This is everyone," one public commenter said after asking everyone opposed to stand up. The packed auditorium roared.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in