When I see the local and national news about the massive industrial-scale data centers being built and planned across states, I can't help but be alarmed.  To add insult to injury, little is being done about it by local or national lawmakers.  AI corporations are expanding ceaselessly, draining power grids and straining local natural resources. This unchecked growth threatens our environment, the cost of living, and the survival of our communities. 
Many places have already experienced the direct impact of these facilities. Energy consumption patterns are already shifting rapidly due to climate change. AI is compounding these effects by straining local grids and increasing outage risks. Communities near large data centers also contend with massive water usage for cooling data servers, which accelerates scarcity while driving up residential electric bills for families living nearby.  We call on local zoning boards, state regulators, and public officials to halt all new and existing data center construction permits. Tech companies should not be allowed to proceed with new projects until they submit a concrete, verified plan to power and cool their own facilities using independent, self-sustaining energy and water resources in each state and community where they want to operate. Each plan must include an assessment of local resource availability and/or scarcity,  and these must be integrated directly into considerations of plan viability. 

This effort builds on recent work in Congress, such as the GRID Act, aimed at protecting regular households from footing the bill for heavy industrial power drains.  This kind of unregulated growth comes at the expense of citizens and must be stopped. Corporations must supply their own infrastructure rather than depleting public resources.  Sign this petition to protect local utility systems, safeguard our water, and demand accountability while we still can.