Doug Herrera still lives in the house his father built, though his dad died some time ago from cancer.
asserted
dad → live → cancer
Herrera wonders if that illness could have been linked to pollutants from nearby uranium mining.
uncertain
illness → wonder → mining
Now, he worries that a possible new neighbor — a proposed $10 billion mega data center — could imperil his health.
uncertain
neighbor → worry → health
"I'm a patriot, but I'm highly against the data center," Herrera, 64, said from his front porch near a yard sign that reads "No Data Centers."
"There is light pollution, sound pollution.
asserted
that → say → Centers
The temperature is going to rise," he said.
asserted
he → go → ?
Page is a gateway to iconic Southwestern landscapes of arid desert studded with Joshua trees and towering red-rock formations.
asserted
Page → stud → trees
While the City Council approved the sale of land for a data center, the developer needs zoning and other approvals.
asserted
developer → approve → approvals
Residents concerned about possible health effects have signed petitions and mobilized to oppose construction.
asserted
Residents → concern → construction
The leading candidates in the close race for Arizona's 1st Congressional District are at odds over any new centers there, and the state's attorney general has called for a pause on new approvals and building.
asserted
general → call → approvals
Emerging research into data centers'
is adding grist to the various state fights, giving ammunition to Democrats and some Republicans who've broken party ranks to oppose the sprawling complexes.
asserted
who → add → complexes
It has also put some incumbent politicians who have supported data center expansion in unexpectedly vulnerable positions in reliably red states like Ohio and Texas, where the megabuildings now operate by the hundreds.
asserted
megabuildings → put → hundreds
"Two years ago, a lot of these data centers went up and there was not an organized, watchful opposition," said Lee Hannah, a political science professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
asserted
Hannah → go → Dayton
"That opposition has come up in a grassroots way so quickly that decisions made a year ago by local officials or state governments to get behind a data center are suddenly career-ending."
The hyperscale centers house infrastructure to power , with servers that sprawl over tens of thousands of square feet or more.
asserted
that → come → feet
The city of Page approved the sale of 500 acres for the proposed data center, though the location within that acreage hasn't been decided.
asserted
location → approve → acreage
The area sits on open land studded with blackbrush and native grasses near Horseshoe Bend, an iconic curve of the Colorado River that has long been popular with tourists.
asserted
that → sit → tourists
Data centers gobble up electricity and rely on backup gas generators during times of peak energy demand.
asserted
centers → gobble → demand
The resulting air pollution has been linked to heart conditions, respiratory issues, and elevated cancer risks, according to a number of environmental studies.
uncertain
pollution → result → studies
Emissions from the centers could cause nearly 1,300 deaths annually by 2030 and an annual public health burden of more than $20 billion in 2028, based on modeling led by researchers at the University of California-Riverside.
uncertain
Emissions → cause → Riverside
Cooling components can contain what are called forever chemicals, synthetic substances that accumulate in human tissue, according to advocacy and environmental groups.
uncertain
that → cool → groups
And the hum and whir of generators and heating and air conditioning systems can exceed 90 decibels, which can harm hearing.
asserted
which → exceed → hearing
Data centers are lit up for operations and security, creating light pollution that can increase the risk of chronic disease, the groups say.
asserted
groups → light → disease
The megafacilities also create what are known as data heat islands, which are higher-temperature zones caused by intense energy demands.
asserted
which → create → demands
"We're just starting to see the very early edge of the wave of the research into health impacts of data centers," said Alison Steele, executive director of the Environmental Health Project, a nonprofit public health organization.
asserted
Steele → start → Project
"By the time we have a substantial volume of research it's going to be too late, because the decisions are being made now."
asserted
decisions → have → research
A trade group for the data center industry said a review of the largest data center market —
— found that use of backup power sources, including diesel generators, is minimal, and that existing state and federal regulations limit potential emissions or impacts.
asserted
regulations → say → emissions
"Data centers are committed to being responsible partners where they operate," said Dan Diorio, executive vice president of state policy and government affairs at the Data Center Coalition.
asserted
Diorio → commit → Coalition
It cuts across politics
Mounting concerns about data centers are dividing candidates and pitting supports the facilities' construction as vital for economic growth.
against President Trump, whoTwo in 3 Americans oppose the construction of new data centers in the U.S., according to an October Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.
uncertain
Americans → cut → poll
Such political standoffs are happening largely in states that Mr. Trump won in 2024, where most new data center capacity has been proposed.
asserted
capacity → happen → 2024
About 1,400 data centers operate in the U.S., and an additional 2,000-plus are planned.
asserted
2,000 → operate → U.S.
Sixty percent of data center capacity under construction is in states Mr. Trump won by five percentage points or more, according to Cleanview, a market intelligence company.
uncertain
Trump → win → Cleanview
Excluding Virginia, 92% is in states the president won.
asserted
president → exclude → states
Hannah said the uptick in construction has put Mr. Trump's coalition at particular risk because data centers are often built in rural areas, where the president has often enjoyed insurmountable margins of support.
asserted
president → say → support
"This is where most of the data centers go," Hannah said.
asserted
Hannah → go → centers
"They go into red states, because Republicans are less critical of economic opportunity.
asserted
Republicans → go → opportunity
If it promises jobs and money, they're all in."
asserted
they → promise → jobs
In Page, signs opposing construction pepper front yards.
asserted
signs → oppose → yards
The opposition to more data centers in the state could pose political risks for GOP House candidate Jay Feely, who won his primary with an endorsement from Mr. Trump.
uncertain
who → pose → Trump
He says they are key to keeping up with China.
asserted
they → say → China
Democratic opponent Amish Shah wants a pause on new construction in their district.
asserted
Shah → want → district
The House seat they're vying for is considered competitive, and the contest could be pivotal in determining which party gains House control after the Nov. 3 midterms.
uncertain
party → vie → midterms
…and 29 more, not listed.
The Aporia
