Leaked federal reports reveal that DHS, the FBI, and fusion centers have been quietly surveilling ordinary Americans who protest data centers — labeling them a new kind of "extremist." It's the sharpest sign yet of how heated the fight over AI infrastructure has become. From New York passing the nation's first statewide moratorium to an Illinois village rejecting its third project, a Georgia data center secretly draining 30 million gallons of water, and Digital Realty's $7.8 billion Virginia deal, here's what's reshaping the U.S. data center landscape right now.<br /><br />🚨 **COMMUNITY** — More than 1,000 pages of unpublished DHS, FBI, and fusion-center reports obtained by WIRED show federal agencies monitoring data center protests, town halls, and budget meetings, grouping activists as "anti-tech violent extremists." A Philadelphia fusion center flagged "disruptive First Amendment activity" as a risk indicator. (Source: WIRED / DCD / The Intercept)<br /><br />⚖️ **LEGAL** — New York's Legislature passed the Responsible Data Center Development Act, a first-in-the-nation one-year statewide moratorium on data centers of 20 MW+, clearing the Senate 44-16 and Assembly 102-39. It now awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature. (Source: Greenberg Traurig / Mintz / Earthjustice)<br /><br />🏘️ **COMMUNITY** — In Hoffman Estates, IL, the Plan Commission voted 4-2 to reject a data center rezoning after a nearly three-hour meeting that spilled into the hallway. Two other sites are already under construction; residents packed the room to oppose a third. (Source: OKC Fox / local coverage)<br /><br />⚡ **POWER** — U.S. data center demand jumped from 23 GW (2023) to ~42 GW (2026). PJM — the largest U.S. grid operator, serving 65 million people — projects a 6 GW reliability shortfall in 2027, with capacity prices up 800%+ in a single delivery year. (Source: S&P Global / Goldman Sachs / Common Dreams)<br /><br />💧 **WATER** — A QTS data center campus south of Atlanta in Fayette County, GA quietly drained the county's water supply for months. Officials found two industrial hookups — one unbilled for 29+ million gallons — while residents faced conservation limits. The developer owes ~$150,000. (Source: Planetizen / Gizmodo)<br /><br />🏛️ **POLICY** — Florida's SB 484 takes effect July 1, barring utilities from passing data center costs to residents and requiring 50 MW+ users to pay full cost of service. Oklahoma and Washington enacted similar rules; Arizona, Illinois, and Ohio pause tax incentives July 1. (Source: MultiState / ArentFox Schiff)<br /><br />🏗️ **NEW BUILD** — CloudBurst and partner Evolve are building a 1.2 GW flagship AI "GigaCenter" between Austin and San Antonio (Guadalupe & Hays Counties), fed by an Energy Transfer gas deal of up to 450,000 MMBtu/day. First 50 MW phase due Q4 2026. (Source: DCD / Evolve / w.media)
