$156 Billion in Projects
Blocked or Stalled

The 36 air-cooled chillers and 30 backup generators will produce 24/7 noise that "dismantles wellbeing." Residents report concerns about infrasound, low-frequency vibration, and the "constant hum" remembered from when Intel operated the facility. The site directly abuts the Chelsea Glen residential neighborhood.

Raeden projects noise at 49 dBA at the property line, equivalent to a quiet suburban neighborhood at night. They added a 30-foot sound wall, relocated backup generators away from Chelsea Glen, added noise-limiting enclosures around chillers, and posted a $1 million remediation bond. The site is zoned industrial and previously housed a semiconductor fab.

Residents report a constant low-frequency hum from data center cooling systems that standard noise meters fail to capture. Standard dBA measurements underweight low frequencies, meaning a facility can be "in compliance" while residents experience dizziness, nausea, sleep disruption, and chronic headaches. Opponents cite the WHO's 1999 conclusion that A-weighting "underestimates the sound pressure level of noise with low-frequency components." Six class-action noise lawsuits were filed against data centers in 2026 alone, including against Microsoft's Sturtevant, WI facility.

The low-frequency noise debate mirrors the "wind turbine syndrome" claims that were extensively studied and debunked by the WHO, U.S. DOE, and multiple health agencies. A landmark 2014 University of Auckland study found people reported identical symptoms from sham infrasound (silence) as from real infrasound when primed with health warnings, demonstrating the nocebo effect. A 2026 MDPI review found no published study has measured harmful LFN levels at an operational data center using appropriate instrumentation. The JLARC Virginia study measured 40-59 dBA at property lines, falling within normal suburban ambient levels. The most comprehensive systematic review (Baliatsas et al., 2016) found only 7 qualifying studies, all with "moderate" quality at best, concluding evidence for health effects beyond annoyance is "limited and inconclusive." No data center noise nuisance lawsuit has reached summary judgment or trial.

EESI reports large AI data centers can use up to 5 million gallons of water per day. Colorado Springs faces drought risk. Adding any large industrial water consumer is irresponsible. Opponents question whether closed-loop claims are credible.

Raeden uses a closed-loop air-cooled system requiring a one-time fill of approximately 200,000 gallons that is never exposed to air and never evaporates. This is not an evaporative cooling tower. The 5 million gallon/day figure opponents cite applies to water-cooled facilities, which this is not. Air-cooled systems use orders of magnitude less water.

50 MW equals the power demand of 30,000-50,000 homes. CSU has received 10 data center requests totaling 1,420 MW, roughly equal to its entire generating capacity. Opponents argue "everyone on the grid" will pay. CSU faces coal plant closure deadlines that complicate adding massive new loads.

Colorado Springs Utilities has a large-load tariff that requires Raeden to: (1) sign a 10-year contract, (2) provide 36 months of financial collateral, (3) pay for all power infrastructure upgrades, and (4) pay for reserved capacity even if unused. CSU's General Manager stated rates will not increase for homeowners as a result of this project.

GreenLatinos' Ean Tafoya raised PFAS ("forever chemicals"), ethylene glycol, and hydrofluorocarbon concerns. Colorado Springs communities (Fountain, Security, Widefield) already suffer PFAS drinking water contamination. The 30 diesel backup generators emit PM2.5 and NOx. Opponents want a full air quality impact analysis.

Raeden states generators are fitted with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems and run only 20-30 minutes per month for testing. PFAS use in closed-loop cooling systems does not involve discharge to the environment. The PFAS contamination in Fountain/Security came from military fire-fighting foam (AFFF) at Peterson AFB, not from industrial cooling. These are different chemicals in different applications.

The city violated its own Unified Development Code by granting administrative approval for a major modification without public hearing. Raeden introduced multiple plan versions after staff approval. The actual AI tenant is undisclosed (Raeden cites NDAs). Opponents allege the city approved 100 MW capacity, not the 50 MW publicly promoted. Integrity Matters filed a 200-page appeal citing seven grounds for reversal.

The Planning Commission heard all five appeals over a 14-hour session and voted 6-2 to uphold the approval. The site is zoned industrial and previously operated as a semiconductor fab. The commission capped utility use at 50 MW with a requirement to return for public review if exceeded. NDAs between developers and tenants are standard industry practice. On September 17, City Council heard 126 speakers against and 22 in favor, then voted 7-2 to postpone the final decision to April 13, 2027.

Co-founded by Leah Hunt-Hendrix, granddaughter of H.L. Hunt (Texas oil magnate), and Shaunna Thomas, career Democratic operative. $5M+ at launch, targeting $15M. Fossil fuel family money funding anti-tech activism through progressive political infrastructure.

Co-founded by Winona LaDuke. Built data center tracker (160 sites), created "No Data Centers Toolkit." Same organization that fought Keystone XL and Line 3 pipeline, now redeploying the identical anti-infrastructure playbook against data centers. Frames them as "data colonialism."

Marxist-Leninist organization organizing anti-data center campaigns in 14+ states. Linked to Neville Roy Singham ($285M through Goldman Sachs philanthropy fund, relocated to Shanghai). Connected to ~$23.6B in blocked investments. A small fraction of the overall movement, but present.

Earthjustice, Midwest Environmental Advocates, and Southern Environmental Law Center provide the litigation infrastructure that local groups cannot afford. Professional attorneys filing multi-year lawsuits that delay projects indefinitely regardless of merit.

Founded by Democratic strategist Tara McGowan, incubated inside ACRONYM. Operates news outlets in 20+ states (The 'Gander in MI, UpNorthNews in WI, Copper Courier in AZ) that appear to be independent local journalism but are centrally coordinated. Published 242+ anti-data center media products across 16 states since 2025. Funded by Future Forward USA Action ($13.5M), ActBlue ($2.5M), Sixteen Thirty Fund ($260K). Was the third-highest spender on Meta political ads in October 2024, behind only Harris and Trump campaigns.

The Sixteen Thirty Fund (501(c)(4)) and New Venture Fund (501(c)(3)) are sister organizations administered by Arabella Advisors (rebranded as Vital Impact in Nov 2025). Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss gave $245M since 2016. George Soros's Open Society gave $153.5M (2018-2022). New Venture Fund, Sierra Club Foundation, and Sixteen Thirty Fund collectively received $13M+ from pro-environmental donors. Americans for Public Trust documented $500M+ in foreign money flowing through this architecture. Power the Future has asked Congress to investigate.

25-year track record tracking corporate subsidies across ALL industries, not just data centers. Data-driven with bipartisan appeal (fiscal conservatives oppose corporate welfare too). Their subsidy research is legitimate and useful for designing better incentive policy.

Most local groups (No Data Center COS, Conserve Ohio, Great Lakes Neighbors United, Davie Against Data) are authentically resident-formed. But they are rapidly connected to FWW's coalition and provided professional toolkits, legal templates, media strategy, and funding pipelines within days of forming.