Erin Brockovich fights data centers, warns of AI's impact

Erin Brockovich, the environmental activist famously portrayed in a Hollywood film, has launched a new initiative to map data centers across the United States, responding to a surge of community concerns. Brockovich, who previously helped a community win a $333 million settlement against a corporation for contaminating groundwater with carcinogenic chromium, stated she received 30 emails overnight from a community expressing worries about data centers.

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Overnight I received 30 emails full of concerns about data centers from the same community.

Brockovich quickly realized the issue was widespread, extending beyond a single city or data center. Her project aims to document planned, under-construction, and operational data centers. The rapid growth of these facilities, which require vast amounts of electricity and water, has sparked significant opposition from residents nationwide.

Her map overlays data center locations with areas where communities report environmental problems. Brockovich expressed shock at the sheer number of similar cases across the U.S. The initiative comes amid a growing discussion about the largely untransparent expansion of data centers.

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My God, this is not one city and one data center, it's the entire country.

Protests against these facilities have occurred across the country, from Wasilla, Alaska, to Naples, Florida. The concerns range from the environmental impact of water and energy consumption to potential health effects, underscoring a growing movement pushing back against the unchecked growth of AI infrastructure.

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When I published the map, the [server] crashed twice in the first 72 hours.