Data Centers impact our health and the environment and security, so we need legislation at the city, state and federal levels that addresses the full picture -- serious enforcement of newly informed safety standards, environmental standards and guardrails so that growth and expansion are in the hands of those who are impacted most -- the people.
Data Centers, Rising Electricity Costs, Noise and Water Pollution, EMF and Property Values
There are a lot of things to be concerned about when it comes to the data centers popping up across the country. Everyone needs to get informed on the consequences: Strain on the power grid, water usage, noise pollution and elevated EMF levels.
In this article you'll find out exactly what a Data Center is and how it works and what it does. And most importantly, you'll learn the actions you and your neighbors can take to make sure your city remains a safe, quiet, healthy and valuable place to live.
The most important news I have to share is that the main reason a Data Center ends within any city is because that city government approved it!
Trump has Green-Lighted Federal Land For Data Centers
Last year President Trump issued an Executive Order announcing his administration would make it priority to facilitate the rapid buildout of infrastructure and “pursue bold, large-scale industrial plans” regarding building data centers and the infrastructure, including high-voltage power lines and other equipment. He said, “my Administration will utilize federally owned land and resources for the expeditious and orderly development of data centers.”
The National Call For Safe Technology works at the Federal level. When you sign up for their email or send a donation, you're supporting work that goes straight to Washington DC to address bills and potential new laws. But a Data Center in your town, is really your business and as a resident, you can do something about it.
You and Your Neighbors Can Address The Laws In Your City
Here’s what you can do now if you’re concerned about a Data Center in your community:
Tell Your City Leaders That Data Centers Come With These Risks:
- Create soaring energy demand which can stress the local power grid and cause rising costs to residents.
- Create noise pollution. From the sounds of construction to outside cooling systems and back up generators, the noise can be unbearable.
- Create air pollution. From gas power on-site to back-up diesel generators the equipment used by the data center can release harmful air pollutants that can cause respiratory and heart disease asthma and other serious health effects.
- Create increased electric, magnetic and radio frequency electromagnetic fields-EMF. Vast amounts of scientific research has shown exposure to EMF can have health effects such as childhood leukemia and cancers.
Many cities are now creating Data Center Zoning regulations or Data Center Ordinances.
Scroll down for all the back-up information and research you'll need to take to the city so they'll understand the magnitude of the decision they'll be making. You can also share the actions other cities have taken and request that your city leaders develop a Data Center Ordinance to protect the city electric grid, water supply and the residents from noise pollution and elevated EMF exposure.
Monterey Park, California voters approved a measure in June by 86%, permanently prohibiting data center development within city limits and Boulder City, Nevada will be voting on a similar no-data-center in our town law in November.
The City of Minneapolis is updating it’s zoning rules for Data Centers and at least 40 other cities have taken action and The Federation of American Scientists, a group that specializes in evidence based research, policy and advocacy has a data base following various city ordinances in progress. It offers insights and ideas.
Get A Data Center Ordinance or Data Center Regulations on The City Agenda
- Go to the City Offices or go online to find our your city's mayor and council policies and procedures for specific rules on who may speak, in what order they may speak, and time limits for speaking. Find out if you can speak during open business, if you need to fill out a form prior to speaking or register. Some city councils have Administrative Conferences for items that are not on the agenda and some allow comments during council meetings.
- If your City is already contemplating a Data Center Ordinance, by all means, sign up to speak out.
- Find out if you can get Data Center Ordinance or Regulation topic on the agenda either by visiting the city offices or by going to a planning or building commission meeting and speaking to the commission.
- You may need to go to a City Council meeting and introduce the Data Center Ordinance concept to the council during open business or open commenting portions of the meeting. Your city’s website will publish the date of the next upcoming city council meeting and of all upcoming planning or building commission meetings.
- Go to a meeting and let these leaders know the repercussions of allowing a Data Center within the city limits. You can share any of the researched information in this News Wire and any other information that’s important to you and your city’s wellbeing.
- Follow up and follow through. Invite neighbors, send information to a local news organization to let others who are concerned know their voice is extremely important too.
- Attend any and all meetings. At some point, the ordinance, or moratorium or regulations will be reviewed and voted on. Data Center builders, owners and operators will likely attend, it’s important that your views are represented as well.
Data Center Details
Data Centers are buildings or rooms in buildings that store, manage or send data. The Energy Independence Act of 2007 includes a Data Center Building section, “The term ‘‘data center’’ means any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to
process, store, and transmit digital information,”
Practically, they’ve been around for decades and many business used them simply to “back up” their data onto servers. Back then, a data center was a room full of racks and stacks of servers containing data. The main concern was keeping the servers on and cool. But today, data centers are now being built to train and run AI, which needs more power and specialized hardware.
Many plan to have wireless EMF - like the kind from 5G towers - and of course there will be big electrical infrastructure. More power from transformers, but also substations, switch gears and high voltage power lines (the big one!s) will go for hundreds of miles here in Texas across places they have never been before. I’m sad to say- this exposure can and will make some of us sick.
More Wireless EMF Spewing Into The Air From Data Centers
Your phone is compelety un-trackable, un-traceable and Silent in a Faraday Bag
Let's not miss the point that Data Centers can be more sources of EMF. Think of them as more celltowers, more 5G.
Electric Power and EMF
All the electronic components require power. The larger the Data Center the more power lines, transformers and electrical distribution systems. Electric power lines generate electric fields and magnetic fields.
Magnetic Fields Studies show that exposure of 4 milligauss is linked to central nervous system tumors and childhood leukemia.
I recently visited a very small data center to measure some of this EMF. This video shows just one small but important example of a type called ELF- magnetic fields. In two different areas around this little micro data center we found readings went up by 2 millligauss - from the electronics at this small older center. Further from the center but at the same apartments backing up to it, we saw just a fraction-.5 ! Studies show exposure of 4 milligauss linking to central nervous system tumors and childhood leukemia .
Here Environmental Health Sciences detail the health issues associated with that Magnetic EMF I found.
“Several decades of scientific research have examined health effects associated with long-term exposure to elevated ELF-EMF magnetic fields and the majority has found effects. Peer-reviewed studies have reported cancer, miscarriage, and increased Alzheimer’s. Epidemiological studies have consistently found associations between chronic residential exposure to power line magnetic field EMFs and an increased risk of childhood leukemia.
However, industry and international guidelines for ELF EMF primarily address short-term, acute effects (such as nerve stimulation), and are set far above the exposure levels associated with childhood cancer in long-term epidemiological studies. In 2001, the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) determined that ELF-EMF magnetic fields are “possibly carcinogenic” to humans, prompting several countries to implement policies to reduce children’s exposure.”
Data Centers Use Loud Generators, Loud fans and Noisy Cooling Systems.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) recently wrote about the growing noise pollution concerns. They point out that noise pollution is regulated and state and local levels.
"And in addition to the pollution coming from on-site generators and turbines, a study, updated in 2026, Health-Informed Computing: Estimating and Addressing the Public Health Impact of Data Centers, reported that 90% of the estimated health impacts actually come from the power plants that supply the electricity. “Coal plants are staying online longer as electricity demand rises and at least 74 gas plants are proposed specifically to power data centers”
The EPA released a report called The Hidden Health Costs of of AI Data Centers. Here’s the top Key Finding:
The potential health toll is already substantial, and today’s federal rollbacks are not included. A 2026 study estimates that data-center-related air pollution could impose roughly $11.7 billion to $20.9 billion in annual public-health costs by 2028. Under the study’s high-growth scenario, that pollution could contribute to roughly 600,000 asthma symptom cases and 1,300 premature deaths. If weaker safeguards, delayed power-plant retirements, new fossil generation, or expanded generator use increase emissions beyond the study’s assumptions, the health toll will be higher.
Data Centers Use Water
The larger the Data Center the more water it will use and the more fans it will use to keep the equipment cool. It’s estimated that 40% of the electricity usage at a Data Center is for the cooling systems. And add to that, a report by The University of Georgia, notes, “Globally, 75% to 90% of data centers primarily use water-based cooling (Novva Data Centers, n.d.), meaning only about 10% to 25% use air and/or refrigerants for cooling in water-free systems.” Ceres published a report specifically regarding specifically regarding water use relating to Data Centers in Phoenix Arizona.
The Key Findings are important for every community in the US to consider:
- “In the coming years, annual water use associated with data center electricity consumption is expected to increase by 400%, from an estimated 2.9 billion gallons to over 14.5 billion gallons – enough to supply the entire city of Scottsdale, Ariz. for over 2 years.
- Water use associated with data center cooling operations is expected to increase by 870% as more facilities come online, from 385 million gallons a year to more than 3.7 billion gallons – enough to supply a city the size of Flagstaff, Ariz. for 1.75 years.
- Data center growth could increase water stress in already strained basins by up to 17% annually – with even higher spikes in peak seasons.
https://fas.org/about-fas/
https://www.environmentalprotectionnetwork.org/new-report-ai-data-center-boom-poses-growing-health-risks-as-epa-other-federal-agencies-weaken-protections-against-harmful-pollution/
https://www.environmentalprotectionnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Hidden-Health-Costs-of-AI-Data-Centers.pdf
https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.06288 Health Informed Computing Study
https://fas.org/publication/before-breaking-ground/
https://fas.org/publication/before-breaking-ground/