A coalition of 200 pressure groups is calling for a moratorium on new data centers in the US.

The group, led by national environmental organization Food & Water Watch, has written a letter to Congress calling for a ban on the approval and construction of data centers.

It cites what it describes as “massive and unsustainable consumption by data centers of energy and water resources, and skyrocking utility costs for families and small businesses," as reasons a ban is needed.

Signatories include the US branches of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, as well as the US Climate Action Network and dozens of regional and state organizations.

The latter states: “The rapid expansion of data centers across the United States, driven by the generative AI and crypto booms, presents one of the biggest environmental and social threats of our generation.

“This expansion is rapidly increasing demand for energy, driving more fossil fuel pollution, straining water resources, and raising electricity prices across the country.”

It points to a report from the University of California and think tank Next 10, released last month, which claims that health impacts from pollution associated with California’s data centers tripled from 2019 to 2023. It recommends that policymakers in the state take action to increase the amount of renewable energy in the grid and encourage data center operators to use low-carbon technologies such as battery storage.

“Californians are already living with major polluters like fossil fuel operators and water-guzzling agribusiness putting our water at risk, while simultaneously struggling with soaring utility costs,” said Nicole Ghio, California director for Food & Water Watch. “Given that, it’s highly problematic that we would give even one drop of our precious water to thirsty data centers or drive costs up for ratepayers.

“The only way forward is to pause the rampant expansion of the big data industry and investigate all potential harms before it’s too late.”

The AI boom and rapid build-out of data centers across the US have led to increasingly vocal opposition from environmental campaigners, as well as community groups concerned about the impact of large campuses on their neighborhoods.

Some of the protests are having a major impact on developments. In September, QTS cancelled a $2 billion data center planned in Porter County, Indiana, citing local opposition as the reason.

However, the chances of a federal data center ban would appear non-existent, given the vital role the AI boom has played in boosting US GDP over the last 12 months.

Moratoriums have been imposed in smaller, individual markets, notably Singapore and Irish capital Dublin, as well as Amsterdam in the Netherlands. These were for a variety of reasons including space, power and, in the case of Amsterdam, what amounted to the bad vibes brought by data centers. All have been lifted to some degree.