Right now, in towns across this country, massive data centers are being built, and residents have no idea what's actually happening until it's too late.
Here's how it works:
Data center developers sign non-disclosure agreements, known as “NDAs,” with local government officials — sometimes state agencies, sometimes city councils, sometimes both.
Those NDAs shroud the most basic facts a community deserves to know: how much water the facility will drain from local supplies, how much electricity it will pull from the grid, what infrastructure demands it will create, and how many taxpayer dollars are being handed over in incentives.
Communities find out about all of it after the decision has already been made. By then, it's too late to ask questions, too late to push back, too late to demand a better deal.
I think that's wrong, and I said so plainly: Americans have a right to know how these projects affect their communities. Secrecy agreements should never be allowed to keep the public in the dark about decisions with this much impact on their water, their power bills, and their tax dollars.
That's why I'm calling for a ban on NDAs between data center developers and government officials or agencies at any level, from Washington all the way down to your city hall. There is no Equal Opportunity if the people footing the bill are the last ones to find out what they're paying for.
This is exactly why I founded Equal Opportunity Now: to elect leaders who believe transparency isn't optional, and who will fight to make sure decisions this consequential never get made behind closed doors again.
Chip in $25 or $50 right now and help us put a stop to backroom deals that leave your community in the dark.
