Outside a packed Orangetown, New York town hall, protesters chanted "Stop DataBank" — and by the end of the night, the Planning Board had ordered a full environmental impact study that stalls the Lake Tappan expansion indefinitely. The same week, a Florida county froze hyperscale data centers until 2027, the U.S. Navy formally objected to a California data center, and a new report tallied more than $130 billion in AI data center projects blocked or delayed by American communities. Here's what's reshaping the U.S. data center landscape right now.
🚨 **COMMUNITY** — Orangetown, New York (Rockland County): protesters chanted "Stop DataBank" outside Town Hall as dozens of residents lined up to oppose DataBank's Phase 2 expansion near Lake Tappan. The Planning Board is now requiring a full environmental impact study — a review opponents say delays the project indefinitely. Whether the town's new moratorium covers the application is still an open question. (Source: News 12 Westchester / Food & Water Watch)
⚖️ **LEGAL** — Sarasota County, Florida commissioners voted 5-0 to halt acceptance, review and approval of hyperscale data centers (50+ MW — at least 35,000 homes' worth of power each) until at least July 2027, after an inquiry from XF Group about a Cattlemen Road site. Commissioner Joe Neunder: "not now, not ever." (Source: Suncoast Searchlight / Business Observer)
💰 **INVESTMENT** — A new report puts the value of AI data centers blocked or delayed by U.S. communities at more than $130 billion, with 70+ rejections or restrictions in the first four months of 2026 — more than all of 2025. Google walked away from a $1B Franklin Township project minutes before an Indianapolis council vote, and a national day of protest is set for July 18. (Source: PR Newswire / Data Center Watch)
🚨 **COMMUNITY** — Kern County, California: the China Lake Naval Base formally objected to the proposed 99 MW RB Inyokern Data Center, warning its cooling system and 40 diesel generators could send a thermal plume over the Navy's weapons test range. Inyokern Airport cites aviation safety; the developer seeks an exemption narrowing state environmental review. (Source: BakersfieldNow / California Energy Commission)
⚡ **POWER** — The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes reaffirmed opposition to an AI data center at Pocatello, Idaho's former Hoku site ahead of a July 16 appeal hearing, citing testimony that Idaho Power may lack near-term supply and arguing new state law won't stop rate hikes. On water, the developer offered only "four to five houses worth." (Source: ICT News / Idaho State Journal)
💧 **WATER** — Indiana regulators held a public hearing on Amazon's federal water quality permit for its New Carlisle data center, which would allow wetland and stream impacts offset by mitigation credits. Amazon previously sought to de-water the site at up to 35 million gallons per day and impacted a wetland without authorization in August 2025. Comments run through July 17. (Source: WSBT 22)
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