Bloomberg Surveillance · Saturday, August 29, 2026
There is growing public opposition across the U.S. to the construction of data centers, driven by concerns about rising electricity costs and environmental impact. In Virginia, electricity costs have surged by 267% in five years due to data center expansion, while a farming couple in Kentucky famously turned down a $26 million offer for their land.
“I think this is clearly becoming one of the big, it may be one of the few things that everybody agrees on in the country right now.”
“In Virginia, where there's the biggest concentration of data centers, they call it data center alley, right? Electricity costs have gone up by 267% in the last five years.”
“There was a couple in Kentucky, a farming couple, and they were offered $ 26 million by a data center to buy their 1,200 acre farm. And they responded with, kick rocks and don't come back.”