The hidden costs of the US AI boom

I can tell you if I were running a state or a town, if I was a mayor or governor, I would want as many data centers as I can because they throw off tremendous amounts of money. President Trump wants more data centers built across the U.S. and it's not just about the money. The US and China are competing to dominate artificial intelligence, and these massive facilities are essential to that race. Data centers house thousands of computer servers that power everything from our emails and streaming services to AI. But keeping those servers running requires enormous amounts of electricity. Many data centers also use water for cooling, putting growing pressure on local resources and infrastructure. And for people living nearby, there are other concerns, noise and air pollution. In Northern Virginia where I am right now, Lindsay Shaw is already living with those consequences. They said there's going to be three buildings to make up this complex with IT servers and all the other IT equipment inside. What they ended up building is two large buildings and the third one became an area where they put gas turbines on the property. The facility now generates its own electricity using eight natural gas turbines operating around the clock. What you don't hear at 3am is this traffic or the airplanes. But that whistle is still there. Burning natural gas releases air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides and fine particles linked to respiratory and cardiovascular problems. One study estimated that emissions from this facility could contribute to 17 to 33 premature deaths across the region over five years, assuming the facility operates at its maximum permitted emissions. But Virginia's environmental regulator disputes the analysis. And this fight isn't limited to just Virginia. Across the country, communities are organizing against proposed developments. They should never be this close to houses. This is an industrial building. It should be an industrial area, not where children are playing outside. But there's a reason these projects keep getting approved. While private companies build and operate most data centers, local governments stand to gain substantial tax revenue from them. In Loudoun County alone, data centers generated $1.2 billion in property taxes in the 2026 fiscal year. That's nearly 40% of the county's budget. And according to county officials, That money helps fund public services like schools, roads and emergency services. The race to build the U.S.'s AI future is accelerating across the country. But for communities like this one, the question is why they have to pay the price.