During the first three months of 2026, data center opponents stopped or delayed 75 projects worth almost $130 billion, roughly equal to those blocked in all of 2025, according to figures cited at an industry panel convened by Data Center Frontier in Northern Virginia in early August. A Gallup survey conducted in March found that 71% of Americans would oppose a new AI data center in their area, a statistic industry executives described as their biggest barrier to growth. In response, a growing number of PR consultants are marketing specialized services including community outreach, landowner recruitment, and preemptive relationship-building before opposition groups can form. David McCall, described as a brand evangelist at QTS Data Centers, told the panel that community opposition is a card that can stop every project: 'It can stop and will stop everything.'
The pace at which opposition is accelerating,$130 billion in blocked or delayed projects in a single quarter matching the full prior year's total, signals that community resistance has become a primary constraint on data center supply, not capital or land availability. The emergence of a specialized PR industry targeting local permitting processes reflects how consequential municipal and county-level decisions have become for the national AI infrastructure buildout.
A Slate feature on industry efforts to counter widespread public opposition to data centers — framed as 'the most evil innovation in America' — is notable for capturing the national cultural and PR battle over data center expansion, a perspective distinct from local opposition stories.