There isn’t much the federal government can do here. Planning permission is very local in the US. If local officials don’t want a data center it isn’t happening.

In most communities these days you’d have better luck proposing to build a toxic waste processing facility than a data center.

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al_borland 5 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

> If local officials don’t want a data center it isn’t happening.

Until the company behind the data center sues the small town, who can’t afford the fight, and are forced to roll over. That seems to be what happened in Michigan.

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detourdog 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

FERC is some sort of law that takes control of local ordnances to force local municipalities to accept energy infrastructure.

https://ferc.gov/

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cmiles8 2 hours ago | parent [-]

In theory yes. In practice if the local congressman wants to keep their job they’ll block it at any cost if there’s local opposition.

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detourdog 2 hours ago | parent [-]

I watched Massachusetts fail at this opposition about a decade ago. Courts sided with the feds.

https://ferc.gov/ https://nofrackedgasinmass.com/massachusetts-pipelines/

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hvb2 an hour ago | parent [-]

> Courts sided with the feds.

After how many years of making it through the court system? Because 5 years of delay all but guarantees that the potential builder is no longer interested.

	▲	detourdog an hour ago \| parent [-]
		I watched the forest protected by the Commonwealth’s environmental laws get dynamited and built. I like your optimism but find it misplaced in this case.

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unrented7977 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

No? This isn't a planning permission question, the federal government has eminent domain and can simply take land for federal use. Just like with the railroads and power grid.

Of course building datacenters is absolutely not what eminent domain is for, but rules don't apply anymore, so they'll probably do it anyway until the supreme court stops them.

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roosterIllusi0n 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

They can certainly look the other way when these small town boards get paid off to allow the datacenter.

	▲	cmiles8 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Well the reason data center stuff is news is that local boards are resisting all the usual efforts. It’s been quite extraordinary, but town after town is sending the data center folks packing.