Former Senator Doug Jones joins The Weekend to discuss why he’s pushing back on the construction of AI data centers in the Alabama Gubernatorial race this November and why Tommy Tuberville is echoing Trump talking points on that issue as community backlash continues to grow.
AI:Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones is attempting to weaponize local community backlash against AI data center expansion in Alabama to undermine Senator Tommy Tuberville and President Trump's industrial agenda. By framing these high-tech infrastructure projects as threats to land use and utility costs, Jones is leveraging environmental anxiety to stoke political opposition during the upcoming state election. This maneuver seeks to stall domestic technological development by exploiting public concerns over the massive energy requirements necessary to fuel artificial intelligence growth.Open
Local backlash and reliability concerns are challenging the vision of an AI boom built quickly using large off-grid data centers. Why it matters: If giant projects stumble, trillions of dollars in AI investment and the industry's plans to rapidly expand data centers could be at risk. The big picture: In an effort to speed AI development, some companies are building data centers powered mainly by onsite generation rather than waiting years to connect to the electric grid. - There are 59 data centers with a combined capacity of about 90 gigawatts that plan to build their own power "behind-the-meter" using sources like gas turbines, generators and fuel cells, according to a report from research firm Cleanview. - A smaller subset is trying…
Developers plan to build six sprawling data center campuses in Archbald, Pennsylvania, covering about 14 percent of the town’s land. Residents are fighting back.
As of April 2026, Texas has 84 operating data centers and 140 planned projects, according to an analysis by Cleanview, “a software platform that helps visualize clean energy data.”
A new cluster of bills recently filed offer aerospace companies making major investments a wide range of tax incentives and exemptions, as well as shielding them from certain liabilities.
Electricity rates are rising, and giant data centers are an easy culprit to blame. Trump’s Rate Payer Protection Pledge may be aimed more at mitigating what could be a major impediment to his A.I. goals than changing how the facilities get their electricity, and the effects on rates.
