Data Centers in Rural America
Videos, Fact Sheets, and Resources
In many rural areas of the United States,
data centers are on peoples minds, especially now that most proposed data centers are being planned in rural areas.
Whether you are just dipping your toe into understanding the economic, environmental, or quality of life impacts of data centers, or if you already know about much of that and are getting together a group of neighbors to address a proposed data center, we have resources for you.
If you already work in the energy field or are an advocate for related issues and want to collaborate with the Rural Power Coalition, you can also get in touch with us directly.
Organizations that wish to partner with us or become coalition members are also encouraged to reach out.
One of the best ways to stay on top of up-and-coming issues in this space is to join our email list, where you will receive invites to our monthly Rural Data Center Forum calls and ongoing events and opportunities.
The Rural Data Center Forum
An ongoing educational series
Every month, the Rural Power Coalition hosts a virtual forum where knowledgeable and experienced advocates, organizers, and experts in the field inform thinking around data centers, with a specific focus on Rural America.
The most recent video can be viewed below, and you can find the entire series of talks on YouTube.
Rural Power Coalition
Position on Data Centers
The Rural Power Coalition supports a thoughtful, community-first approach to data center development—one that protects rural member‑owners from cost‑shifting, ensures “growth pays for growth,” and upholds local control over siting, water use, and environmental impacts.
We recognize that forecasted load growth driven by hyperscale data center development presents both risks and opportunities, and we affirm that any new large‑load customer must be powered by clean energy, contribute to grid resilience, fund necessary upgrades, and provide tangible community benefits such as local hiring, training pathways, and long‑term economic value.
Public interest groups and lawmakers have raised concerns about AI-driven risks around privacy, job loss, and military applications that could amplify existing harms. We believe communities should have the right to say “no” to a data center. For those who say “yes,” we strongly encourage community benefits agreements for data centers with high impact potential.
Rural communities should not bear the burden of speculative projects, opaque deals, or infrastructure strain; instead, data center development must be transparent and advance affordability, reliability, and fairness for the people who own and depend on their cooperative power systems.
Is your community pushing back against an unwanted data center?
Here is a curated list of resources that RPC has identified as particularly useful for localities, organizations, and advocates to draw from.
Data Center Fight Guides
(AI Now Institute)
A collection of useful resources for policymakers and officials, organizers, and community members fighting data centers.
North Star Data Center Policy Toolkit
(AI Now Institute)
An often-cited, comprehensive toolkit with a specific focus on policies that can slow or stop a data center build-out.
Stop Bad Data Centers- Resource List
(Halt the Harm Network)
A large, curated and updated list of data center related resources from a wide range of organizations.
Stop Dirty Data Centers
(NAACP)
A set of environmental justice resources including recommendations for frontline communities, community benefits templates, and more.
Data Center Organizing: How To Build Power To Win Toolkit
(Kairos Fellowship)
An in-depth but succinct primer on how to get started with community organizing in your community, for beginners.
Data Center Hotline
(Kairos Fellowship)
Kairos also offers support in the form of calls, resources, campaign coaching, and more to help locals fight unwanted data centers.