미국 여러 주가 아마존, 메타, 구글이 개발한 AI 데이터센터 프로젝트에 대해 이전에 부여된 세제 혜택을 철회하고 있다.

States that previously offered generous tax breaks to attract data centers from companies including Amazon $AMZN, Meta $META, and Google $GOOGL are now withdrawing those incentives amid growing public opposition. The policy reversals coincide with mounting cross-party pressure on lawmakers from constituents concerned about rising electricity costs and grid reliability.

Residents and local officials have raised objections primarily over escalating electricity costs, strain on the power grid, and heavy water consumption. Driven by data center demand, nationwide average wholesale electricity prices increased by 2% to 6%, while the facilities became the primary driver of U.S. electricity consumption hitting a record high in 2025. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, electricity costs for Americans have risen more than 35% compared with five years ago.

The political implications are substantial. A March Gallup poll found that approximately 70% of Americans oppose data center construction in their communities, with nearly half reporting strong opposition. Similarly, a Wolfe Research report documented a 60-point decline in net support for local data center development across party lines over the previous 12 months.

This backlash has sparked internal friction within the Republican Party ahead of November’s midterm elections. The National Republican Senatorial Committee circulated a memo noting that anti-data-center sentiment in Ohio has effectively tied Republican Sen. Jon Husted with Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown in the special election for the Senate seat vacated when JD Vance became Vice President. The NRSC warned that a loss for Husted would likely signal to elected officials nationwide to reconsider their support for data center expansion.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Texas Governor Greg Abbott $ABT and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro have both recently moved to pause or restrict data center development within their borders. These state-level shifts occur as Republicans maintain narrow majorities in both the House and Senate heading into midterm season.

President Donald Trump has publicly pushed back against the opposition. “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this week, arguing that local resistance cedes ground to China in the global race for artificial intelligence dominance.

Vice President JD Vance pinpointed electricity costs as the central concern. “If you build the data center you should be putting power back into the grid, not taking it out,” Vance told reporters on Monday. “It's when the utility bills get so much higher that's when it's a real problem.”

According to The Journal, several of Trump’s informal advisers have privately voiced concern that his staunch advocacy for data centers may alienate voters by appearing dismissive of everyday Americans’ financial concerns.