I first noticed that the public was souring on data centers last autumn while browsing posts on a Facebook group dedicated to my hometown of Springfield, Illinois. While most posts barely get a dozen comments, breaking news that a new CyrusOne data center was being planned outside the city racked up almost 150 comments, nearly all against the build.
“We need to show up as a community and push back hard,” the October 2025 post read. “These data centers use huge amounts of electricity and water while the community foots the bill. And I’m sure they won’t have to pay for any of the infrastructure that will be needed or their fair share in property taxes either.”
Throughout the winter, I watched the conversation in Springfield as it curdled, paralleling a national trend. Data center opposition exploded this year with a 50-point swing over nine months. Strong majorities, upward of 70 percent of voters, dislike data centers. And those numbers don’t vary much by political party, which has led to stable coalitions and political action. New York state has implemented a moratorium on building data centers while Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered an audit before any new data center can connect to the grid.
The change in rhetoric across two hearings in Springfield mirrored what was happening nationally. In December 2025, the conversation was about energy, utilities, and cost. By March, the tone had become more accusatory. Speakers called the company’s presentation a “crafty bill of lies,” and the broader company “shady,” claiming it would “lie constantly” to get what it wanted. While December was about allocation, the March hearing was about health, air, and who can control daily life.
I’ve spent much of the past year researching data centers, talking to upset residents and curious politicians, and trying to understand why such a dramatic political wedge has been driven. Those two hearings in Central Illinois show the shift happening in real time. Once a conflict moves into identity and way of life, price and terms stop settling it cleanly. That’s the fight that happened in Springfield. It’s the same fight now playing out across the country.