There are ‘six Americas’ on climate change, but only two on data centers

These large buildings filled with computers that store and process digital information, increasingly to support various applications of artificial intelligence, are being built rapidly across the United States. They can bring economic investment and jobs, but the pollution created by generating the electricity they need can also harm public health, pollute air, use up water, create noise and raise energy costs. As more data centers are proposed, some local communities are pushing back against new and prospective projects. These debates are already influencing local zoning and permitting decisions, and increasingly reaching state lawmakers. In early September, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued an executive order that…