Third Act elders know the importance of this moment. We’ve seen what happens when Big Tech goes unregulated, and we’ve got the know-how to fight back on a variety of fronts: legal, regulatory, cultural, economic, electoral. Join us!
The explosive growth of large “hyper-scale” data centers poses a serious threat to both economic stability and ecological health. These industrial facilities accelerate energy demand and fossil fuel reliance while depleting vital water resources and imposing higher utility costs on local residents.
Across the country, diverse coalitions are organizing to secure a halt on the development of these massive facilities. Concerned communities are demanding rigorous assessments of environmental impacts and the protection of ratepayers from unfair financial burdens.
Call for Moratoria
Third Act and our partners are calling on local, state, and national legislators to halt the rapid, unchecked building of hyperscale data centers. Passing timely moratoria at the state and local levels will afford us the necessary time to get it right before irreparable harm is done to the environment and the economy.
Without a long-term pause, the tech industry will continue to rush into agreements with local governments to acquire land, water and electricity to meet massive energy needs. These agreements are loaded with ratepayer subsidies, access to precious water sources, and promises to supply energy that feeds into the fossil fuel industry’s false narrative that to keep this technology running we have to delay dealing with the climate crisis for now and build out more fossil fuel infrastructure.
How Third Act is opposing data centers
- Endorsed the national moratorium in the United States House and Senate by Representative Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Sanders.
- Working Groups are advocating at the state level to enact moratoria.
- Working Groups are joining coalitions to introduce ballot measures, propose regulatory restrictions, and create substantive conversations that organize local resistance.
- Informative webinars and strategic sessions hosted by Third Act and coalition partners, designed to refine winning tactics and unify our movement through proven methods for halting data center construction: legal strategies, corporate strategies targeting the corporations building these facilities, and political strategies around the impact of data centers on the upcoming elections.
- Resources, templates, and communication support to Working Group leaders who are meeting this moment—check this space and attend general meetings for up-to-date resources.
