Governors' races are being increasingly buffeted by the toxic politics of data centers
- More governors are tightening their positions on data centers as public opposition 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 stricter standards.
- Shapiro said projects must cover their full electricity costs, show how they will limit water use, and win local approval before seeking state approval.
- Texas Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa aired an ad accusing Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of favoring data center executives, reflecting rural backlash over water and land concerns.
The article says data centers have become a political liability in several governor’s races as communities push back against the power- and water-intensive facilities built for artificial intelligence and cloud computing. The backlash is showing up in battleground states and in states with large rural constituencies.
In Pennsylvania, Shapiro announced new guardrails for data center projects. His administration will no longer give projects priority treatment for construction permits or lucrative tax exemptions unless developers meet conditions on electricity costs, water use and local approval. He described the new approach as the strictest in the country, while stopping short of a permit moratorium.
The issue is also shaping the Texas governor’s race, where Gina Hinojosa is using opposition to data centers to attack Governor Greg Abbott. For markets, the likely impact is neutral overall, but it could be modestly negative for data center developers and related infrastructure firms if state approval becomes harder and local opposition keeps rising.
州长选战日益受到数据中心政治争议冲击
这篇报道指出，数据中心正在成为多场州长选举中的政治包袱。随着用于人工智能和云计算的大型设施不断扩张，民众对其耗电和用水需求的反对情绪也在加剧，这种压力已经进入关键州和农村选区的竞选中。
在宾夕法尼亚州，州长夏皮罗宣布对数据中心项目设立更严格的限制。只要开发商不能满足电力成本、水资源使用和地方批准等条件，州政府就不再给予审批优先或税收减免。他称这套规则是全国最严格的，但没有走到暂停发放许可这一步。
德克萨斯州的州长选战也受到影响。民主党候选人希诺霍萨把反对数据中心作为攻击现任州长阿博特的重点，指责其偏向企业。对市场而言，这一题材整体影响偏中性，但如果州级审批更难、地方阻力持续上升，数据中心开发商及相关基础设施企业可能面临轻微利空压力。