Data centres are facing rising local resistance ahead of November's midterm elections, with 69% of voters opposing construction of AI data centres in their area.
That opposition has already produced county-level moratoriums and state policy moves aimed at slowing new projects.
Moratoriums, bills and pay packets
NBC News reporting documents a moratorium in Buchanan County as part of that pattern.
A state senator has also introduced a bill designed to force utilities to charge data centre operators more for the power they consume.
Even so, labour groups and the industry continue to promote the jobs and investment the facilities bring, with union workers saying some roles can pay $5,000 in a week.
"I don't think this is a Republican or Democratic issue," Dawn Vogel, a Buchanan County supervisor, said on the sidelines of a county conference, summarising the local unease.
Money keeps moving in regardless
The political pushback stands in contrast to the financial flows building around the sector.
Reinsurers and brokers are positioning for what they see as a large new commercial insurance line, with Swiss Re forecasting global premiums of roughly $20 billion to $30 billion a year by 2030.
Investors are also scouting increasingly remote locations for future sites, including Argentina's windswept Patagonia region.
A test at the ballot box
November's midterm elections are now shaping up as a test of whether local opposition can meaningfully slow the broader buildout.
With billions of dollars in investment and insurance premiums already being planned around continued growth, the result in a handful of key races could determine how much friction the industry actually faces on the ground.
