HHN is an online directory, network, and online events calendar for leaders working to protect their communities and environment from the harms of oil & gas industry. Join for updates, to hear about our webinars series, and updates to the network.
Stop Bad Data Centers (Issue #11)
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Hi Reader, Last week, a group of community members from Spartanburg Co., South Carolina did something that made me chuckle. At a recent town hall meeting, they recreated the constant noise that people living near a hyperscale data center experience every single day. Sounds annoying, right? I hope their board members took note. As it happens, we just hosted a workshop on data center noise pollution, where I learned that a decibel reading is only part of the story. Continuous, low-frequency noise, the kind often produced by hyperscale data centers, can travel long distances, penetrate homes, and affect people's sleep and quality of life even when it technically complies with local noise limits. Guest speaker Les Blomberg also showed us how to use the NIOSH Sound Level Meter App to establish levels for noise pollution before and after data centers get built. I can imagine a few other ways to use the app, maybe even at your next town hall meeting ;) Have you heard of any other fun or creative tactics that people are using in their organizing work? Hit reply and let me know. Click here to view this email in your browser. This bi-weekly newsletter is a new project from Halt the Harm Network. For more regular updates and meetups on data center organizing, request access to the Stop Bad Data Centers group inside the HHN community space. What We're Following New York becomes the first state to impose a data center moratoriumA new moratorium, announced July 14th, puts New York at the leading edge of states considering whether to regulate data center development and operation. During the one-year moratorium, the state plans to develop a Generic Environmental Impact Statement so standards across projects are consistent. While some have welcomed the ban, others have critiqued it, arguing that the 50 megawatt threshold is less restrictive than bipartisan legislation already passed by NY state lawmakers which sought a cap at 20 megawatts. Read more about the ban here. New Resource: Data Centers Policy Options from NCELThe National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL), a nationwide network of over 1,000 state legislators from all 50 states, has published a new policy options resource to help lawmakers navigate the rapid buildout of data centers. The guide covers practical legislative approaches for protecting ratepayers, reducing emissions, safeguarding water resources, and ensuring communities have a voice. With more than 300 data center bills filed across 30+ states in 2026 alone, this is a timely tool for legislators and advocates alike. Find the policy resources here. Grant Opportunity: Ohio River Valley Participatory FundFor groups on the ground in northern Appalachia, the Ohio River Valley Participatory Fund is now accepting applications for its Fall 2026 general operating support grant, with a deadline of Monday, August 3. The fund supports small to medium-sized nonprofits in eastern Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia working on environmental health, democracy, justice, and economic development in communities impacted by the fossil fuel industry. Upcoming Events Public Utility Commissions 101: Understanding Utility Regulation & How It Fits Into Your Data Center FightAs data centers place growing demands on our electric grid, many of the biggest decisions about who pays for new infrastructure, how much energy is needed, where new transmission lines are built, and how utilities plan for future growth happen before state Public Utility Commissions (PUCs). Yet for many community advocates, the utility regulatory process can feel confusing, technical, and out of reach. In this webinar, Tanya Paslawski, Executive Director of the Community Energy Engagement Network, will demystify the role of Public Utility Commissions and walk through practical strategies for becoming more effective advocates. Gateway 7: Data Center Oversight and WatchdoggingOnce a data center is powered on, the fight doesn't end. Approval was granted based on promises about jobs, noise levels, water use, emissions, and community benefits. This session covers how communities can hold operating data centers accountable: Watchdogging an operating facility is its own form of leverage, and the evidence you build here feeds the next community's organizing toolkit. More events...
Event Recap All event replays can be found in the Recordings Space in the HHN Network. Gateway 5: Financial Structuring & Credit ApprovalsNetwork Fellow Tamara Saltman is back with another update from the bi-weekly Bad Data Centers Gateway webinar series, where we discuss one strategic leverage point (we call them gateways) each session. In the last session, we discussed how data centers get financed, who pays, and how advocates can make sense of this often opaque aspect of data center development. Ari Peskoe from Harvard University's Electricity Law Initiative presented his research and explained how citizens are subsidizing data center electricity infrastructure costs while utilities stand to profit from a once-in-a-generation windfall. One of the key takeaways: Many states are passing legislation that seems like it protects utility ratepayers, but it's only protecting ratepayers from a portion of the costs of data centers that don't get built. But if the data center does get built, what it pays for grid access is almost never public, making it impossible to tell whether they're paying their fair share. You can get all the details from our working session and Ari’s presentation here. Closing Comment Sometimes the work we do feels like drudgery. But joy is such an important feeling to center. It’s one of the reasons we do so much to protect the things we love. So get out there and make some noise. Sing, dance, or just drone loudly at the next town hall meeting. Whatever you do, I hope you find some ways to make it fun. More soon, Elissa |
Halt the Harm Network
HHN is an online directory, network, and online events calendar for leaders working to protect their communities and environment from the harms of oil & gas industry. Join for updates, to hear about our webinars series, and updates to the network.
Hi Reader, A few days ago I posted a request in the network for photos or examples of clever messaging that communities are using to organize against data centers and got a couple entertaining replies. Thanks to Lynn Handlin for sharing this photo of the World on Fire Department Fire Truck wearing a data center “costume.” We are told that the outfit is complete with annoying sound effects. The truck was accompanied by ERpdx’s theater troop, Zany Bits, also dressed as data centers. 😜 I also...
Hi Reader, This month, we’re celebrating the hard work of leaders in Louisiana: after more than four years of community opposition, a proposed blue hydrogen and ammonia complex with carbon capture in the River Parishes has been cancelled. Carbon capture is a process that uses large, complex industrial equipment to capture some of the carbon dioxide from an industrial source, then move it by pipeline for storage underground. It’s often marketed as a climate fix, but can actually cause a host...
Hi Reader, I’ve been thinking a lot about farming these past couple weeks. The more we look at where data center projects are going, the harder it is to separate the build-out from a much longer history of extraction from rural places. That history begins with plantations. Plantation agriculture turned huge swaths of land toward the production of commodities and wealth for distant markets, relying on enslaved labor and extracting tremendous value from the land. After slavery was abolished,...