Governors' races are being increasingly buffeted by the toxic politics of data centers
- More governors are changing their positions or adding restrictions on data center projects as public backlash grows ahead of the midterm elections.
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said his administration will no longer fast-track data center permits or tax exemptions unless developers meet standards on electricity costs, water use, and local approval.
- Shapiro described the new rules as the “strictest guardrails in the nation” but stopped short of a moratorium on permits.
- Texas Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa launched a TV ad accusing Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of favoring data center executives, reflecting rural concern over land use and water demand.
The AP reports that data centers have become a growing political issue in several governors' races, especially in large states and presidential battlegrounds, as communities push back against projects tied to artificial intelligence and cloud computing. The article says the backlash is prompting some governors to tighten review standards or change their approach to proposed facilities.
In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro said his administration will no longer give data center projects priority treatment for permits or tax exemptions unless developers meet conditions on paying the full cost of their electricity, limiting water use with advanced technology, and securing local approval before seeking state approval. He said the state had received reports of more than 100 proposed projects, many of which he suggested may never be built.
Shapiro, who is seen as a possible 2028 presidential contender, is facing pressure from Republican opponent Stacy Garrity as local opposition grows. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa used a new ad to attack Gov. Greg Abbott over data centers, tapping into rural complaints about threats to ranchland and water supplies. For markets, the article points to a potentially negative or mixed outlook for data center developers and related AI infrastructure stocks if states impose stricter permitting and operating rules, while the broader market impact appears limited.
数据中心政治争议正 increasingly 影响州长选举
美联社称，数据中心正成为多个州长选举中的一个日益突出的政治议题，尤其是在大州和总统选举摇摆州。随着社区对这类与人工智能和云计算相关的项目反弹，一些州长开始收紧审查标准，或调整对拟建项目的态度。
在宾夕法尼亚州，州长乔什·夏皮罗表示，只要开发商未满足几项条件，州政府将不再对数据中心项目在许可和税收减免上给予优先待遇。这些条件包括承担全部电力成本、通过先进技术限制用水，以及先获得地方批准再申请州级批准。他表示，州里收到的拟建项目报告超过100个，但其中许多可能最终不会建成。
报道称，作为可能的2028年总统候选人，夏皮罗正面临共和党对手斯泰西·加里蒂的压力，因为地方层面的反对情绪不断上升。在德克萨斯州，民主党人吉娜·希诺霍萨推出新广告，批评州长格雷格·阿博特偏向数据中心业者，借助的是农村地区对牧场土地和水资源压力的抱怨。就市场而言，如果各州进一步收紧审批和运营规则，这一趋势对数据中心开发商及相关人工智能基础设施股票可能带来偏负面或中性的影响，而对更广泛金融市场的直接影响有限。