The single largest data center campus ever proposed — a gigawatt-scale complex bigger than the Pentagon, planned right beside a Civil War battlefield — just collapsed after years of resistance. From a record crowd packing a courthouse in Arkansas, to Maine becoming the first state in the nation to slam the door shut, to a $14.5 billion gigawatt campus rising in Texas, here's what's reshaping the U.S. data center landscape right now.
🚨 **COMMUNITY** — After years of lawsuits and public hearings, QTS withdrew its final appeal to the Supreme Court of Virginia on July 2, killing the 2,100-acre, 22-million-sq-ft Prince William Digital Gateway beside Manassas National Battlefield — a project that would have been the world's largest. Courts had voided the rezoning over a public-notice error; co-developer Compass had already pulled out in May. (Source: Washington Times / Bloomberg / American Battlefield Trust)
⚖️ **LEGAL** — In Cave City, Kentucky, the Kentucky Industrial Alliance sued to overturn the city's one-year data center moratorium as "unreasonable." The city has asked a judge to dismiss the case, with a hearing set for July 20, while a parallel fight plays out in Simpson County. (Source: Bowling Green Daily News)
🚨 **COMMUNITY** — Union County, Arkansas unanimously approved a one-year data center moratorium at an emergency June 30 Quorum Court meeting that officials called the largest crowd the court has ever hosted. The pause targets Paradox Data's proposed El Dorado expansion, backed by Florida's Z Squared Inc. (Source: KTVE / Arkansas Times)
⚡ **POWER** — A new $0.011-per-kWh consumption tax on data center electricity took effect in Virginia on July 1, as grid operator PJM warns it could fall ~6 GW short of its reliability target in 2027. U.S. data center demand has jumped from 23 GW in 2023 to about 42 GW today. (Source: Utility Dive / MultiState)
💧 **WATER** — A sweeping analysis found about two-thirds of 809 planned U.S. data centers are slated for land that has been in drought over the past year. A single facility can use up to a billion gallons a year; 36 states are now weighing new water rules, and North Carolina passed a one-year pause. (Source: Tom's Hardware / EESI)
🗳️ **POLICY** — Maine lawmakers gave final approval to LD 307, banning data centers larger than 20 MW until November 2027 — the first statewide data center moratorium in the U.S. It's part of a wave of 300-plus bills across 30 states; Arizona, Illinois and Ohio froze or paused incentives as of July 1. (Source: MultiState / CNN)
🏗️ **NEW BUILD** — CloudBurst and Evolve are building a 1.2 GW flagship AI campus in Central Texas's San Marcos corridor. The $14.5 billion project spans ~3 million sq ft across 10–12 buildings, with the first 50 MW phase live in Q4 2026 — powered largely by an Energy Transfer gas deal supplying up to 450,000 MMBtu a day. (Source: Data Center Dynamics / Evolve)
