Politicians Loved Data Centers. Now They’re Running Away From Them. (w/ Nathaniel Rich)

The Bulwark · collected 2026-08-31 · by Tim Miller commentary
Read the original at The Bulwark ↗

Summary

Author Nathaniel Rich discusses data centers in an interview, citing growing backlash against them due to climate change concerns, security risks, and privacy issues. The article does not provide specific numbers or statistics regarding the backlash. Rich's new novel, Cloudthief, is also mentioned as part of the conversation with interviewer Tim Miller. The piece is a podcast transcript and appears to be an opinion/analysis rather than straight reporting.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-31, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
8
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
0%
0 of 8 hedged
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher trust
not scored
Commentary is not rated for newsroom trust
Outlets on this story
3
Technology
Narrative spread
12
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-08-31 · how these are computed

AI analysis (generated at analysis time, not now)

Story summary

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Pennsylvania Democrat Josh Shapiro have recently reversed their stances on data centers, citing concerns from local communities about the impact of these facilities on the environment and society.

Just nine months ago, Abbott had announced that Texas was becoming a hub for AI development, with a $40 billion investment from Google. However, after facing backlash from local leaders, he now says that companies "dug their own grave" by rushing into data center projects without proper consideration for the community. Similarly, Shapiro signed an executive order this week to impose stricter regulations on data centers in Pennsylvania, including requiring developers to make binding commitments to community standards.

This shift in sentiment is seen as a response to growing concerns about the environmental and social impacts of data centers, which have sparked debates and campaigns in various states and districts. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has also acknowledged the need for change, stating that the tech sector needs to "do a much better job working with the communities."

Written for “Data Center Regulation Changes” on 2026-08-31, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 3314 · logged 2026-08-31

Story

📰 Data Center Regulation Changes
Technology · 3 article(s) covering the same event. This is the one the site leads with.

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Globe and Mail
⚖️ Leans right 🔴 5% hedged 2 of 43 📰 publisher trust 21
“Article A describes a live town hall meeting on AI data centres in Alberta, while Article B is an interview discussing data centres, climate change and related topics without mentioning a specific event or meeting”
The AI Data Center Moral Panic different event · 100%
The Dispatch
⚖️ Leans strongly right 🔴 5% hedged 1 of 20 📰 publisher trust 96
“The articles cover different aspects of data centers, including their impact on communities, national security implications, and growing backlash, without describing a single specific occurrence.”
TIME
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 6% hedged 6 of 107 📰 publisher trust 95
“Both articles mention data centers being met with backlash by politicians, specifically Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro, around the same time period.”

Publisher

The Bulwark · 35 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected

Commentary. The three signals behind a trust score all measure a newsroom's record with its own reporting, so they are not computed for this source. How trust is scored.

No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

Tim Miller
6 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 Likewise, moderates also need to recognize that the left will be swing voters in key races this election cycle.
2026-08-27 · assertive framing · Neera Tanden: How to Win
🔮 Plus, ICE is planning a facility in Louisiana that could hold women and children, developed by the company that operates the state’s notorious Angola prison.
Also by Tim Miller
Neera Tanden: How to Win
2026-08-27 · The Bulwark
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 6 articles by Tim Miller →

Topics

Bulwark+ to The Bulwark Tulane

Subjects

Nathaniel Rich PERSON · 3× Rich PERSON · 2× Tim Miller PERSON · 2× Tulane ORG · 2× Bulwark+ to ORG · 1× Catherine Rampell PERSON · 1× The Bulwark ORG · 1×

Narrative

A subscription gets you: - Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell. - Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast. - Plus community chats and commenting features.
framing: assertive · carried by 12 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-24
2026-08-24 · The Bulwark
Trump Blows Up His Own Trade Deal with Canada · assertive framing
2026-08-25 · The Bulwark
Tim Miller Loses It Over MAGA’s Sick Attack on a Victim · assertive framing
2026-08-26 · The Bulwark
Wall Street Legend Calls Out Scott Bessent · assertive framing
2026-08-26 · The Bulwark
I Worked for Trump. The Natalie Harp Saga Isn’t Surprising. · assertive framing
2026-08-27 · The Bulwark
True Confessions of a Sports Dad · assertive framing
2026-08-28 · The Bulwark
MAGA’s 2028 Civil War Is Already Here · assertive framing
2026-08-28 · The Bulwark
Why Did Trump Pick This Loser to Run a Swing State? · assertive framing
2026-08-28 · The Bulwark
The Dawn of FAFO Economics · assertive framing
2026-08-31 · The Bulwark
The 2028 Democratic Primary Is Quietly Raging · assertive framing

Claims (8 extracted, 0 hedged)

Politicians Loved Data Centers. asserted
Politicians → love → Centers
Now They’re Running Away From Them. asserted
They → run → Them
Tim Miller talks with author and Tulane professor Nathaniel Rich about climate change, the growing backlash to data centers, their security and privacy risks, and Rich’s new novel, Cloudthief. asserted
Miller → talk → centers
Tim Miller talks with author and Tulane professor Nathaniel Rich about climate change, the growing backlash to data centers, their security and privacy risks, and Rich’s new novel, Cloudthief. asserted
Miller → talk → centers
They also discuss public anxiety about AI and technology, the appeal of scams and get-rich-quick thinking, and how people navigate a future that increasingly feels uncertain. asserted
that → discuss → future
Buy Cloudthief: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374619794/cloudthief/ Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. asserted
Buy → buy → post
A subscription gets you: - Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell. - Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast. - Plus community chats and commenting features. asserted
subscription → get → Podcast
Your support helps keep our work sustainable and available to those who cannot afford a membership. asserted
who → help → membership
💬 Give feedback
🕘 History 🎫 Support