Anonymous
03/05/2026 09:31
Subject: Re:Stopping the data centers
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Has anybody ever driven out to northern VA to see all the data centers.
It’s eerie and creepy looking.
It’s sad they took all this beautiful land and destroyed it.
Now VA has a SERIOUS power problem.
The cost of power went up 25% in 2021. It’s only going up more.
AI required fast and hot computers that need water too cool it. There is going to be a water problem soon. Right now the water use is unsustainable.
It doesn’t even provide jobs to the area.
Virginia has some nuclear reactors with plans to expand.
Data centers consume less water compared to other sectors. They use about 3.3% of the water consumed by golf courses. So let's shut down the golf courses first.
One data center (currently) uses 3x more water than 1 golf course. That is currently, with AI and high performance computing the water consumption is going to go up 4x by 2028.
Golf courses return water to the environment filtered so the water returned is cleaner than the water that enters. Data center don’t return water to the environment at all there is and 80% loss of local water.
Data center return methane gas to the environment, golf courses do not.
Both should be regulated to ensure neither hurt the environment.
The tech companies are developing a process that uses much, much less water (closed loop cooling or immersion cooling). I think Virginia is trying to ban evaporative cooling, which is what you are talking about. Maybe this is where advocacy energy can go (banning that form of water usage).
AI is not going away, neither are data centers. Railing against them is equivalent to trying to ban computer usage 40 years ago. It's happening. AI is basically "your computer being able to use a computer."
Anonymous
03/05/2026 09:16
Subject: Re:Stopping the data centers
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We need a lot more regulation and guardrails around AI before I'd be ok with furiously building new data centers all over the place. They are a scourge on the communities where they are allowed and a huge drain on resources. There is a petition going around in Frederick Co, MD to put the issue of new data centers on the ballot in the fall. I definitely welcome the idea of voters deciding on this and most of us are opposed to it.
Guardrails is just the new buzzword for regulations that are so poorly defined, they can never be met.
Spoken like a true MAGA. There is nothing wrong with regulating a huge industry, especially if you're expecting me to foot the bill while you rake in the profits.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 09:14
Subject: Re:Stopping the data centers
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Has anybody ever driven out to northern VA to see all the data centers.
It’s eerie and creepy looking.
It’s sad they took all this beautiful land and destroyed it.
Now VA has a SERIOUS power problem.
The cost of power went up 25% in 2021. It’s only going up more.
AI required fast and hot computers that need water too cool it. There is going to be a water problem soon. Right now the water use is unsustainable.
It doesn’t even provide jobs to the area.
Virginia has some nuclear reactors with plans to expand.
Data centers consume less water compared to other sectors. They use about 3.3% of the water consumed by golf courses. So let's shut down the golf courses first.
One data center (currently) uses 3x more water than 1 golf course. That is currently, with AI and high performance computing the water consumption is going to go up 4x by 2028.
Golf courses return water to the environment filtered so the water returned is cleaner than the water that enters. Data center don’t return water to the environment at all there is and 80% loss of local water.
Data center return methane gas to the environment, golf courses do not.
Both should be regulated to ensure neither hurt the environment.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 09:03
Subject: Stopping the data centers
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It's out in Ashburn. Now we can't build data centers out in the exurbs?
Not sure Ashburn is an exurb and if it was, why would this matter? People live in these places, and their lives are no less important than yours.
I really don’t want them built anywhere because they are a huge resource suck no matter where they are built and they are ruining peoples’ way of life (and probably all of our livelihoods).
I am lucky I live in Fairfax county where it is already very filled in and there are no data centers very close to my house, though it looks like they are building one across from my kid’s school. Hopefully our county government doesn’t get any big ideas and start selling park land.
Ashburn has a population of 50,000. We need to build data centers. Should we build one in the middle of Ballston?
Why do you need to build data centers?
Because you keep uploading Tiktok and Youtube videos, and they need to add capacity to store all that.
That's what they want you to think; that the demand is coming from "us" and that there's such a thirst for normal consumers to get their AI. But there are theories out there that it's the current administration needing the processing NOW for the surveillance state they are implementing. You decide. They're just anticipating future need, the same way they are so on top of anticipating the surge of GLPs and there were no shortages? /s Or they are building to a specific, current need.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 08:59
Subject: Re:Stopping the data centers
Anonymous wrote:Has anybody ever driven out to northern VA to see all the data centers.
It’s eerie and creepy looking.
It’s sad they took all this beautiful land and destroyed it.
Now VA has a SERIOUS power problem.
The cost of power went up 25% in 2021. It’s only going up more.
AI required fast and hot computers that need water too cool it. There is going to be a water problem soon. Right now the water use is unsustainable.
It doesn’t even provide jobs to the area.
Virginia has some nuclear reactors with plans to expand.
Data centers consume less water compared to other sectors. They use about 3.3% of the water consumed by golf courses. So let's shut down the golf courses first.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 08:43
Subject: Stopping the data centers
The data centers are in Northern Virginia because the fiber optic cables are in Northern Virginia. I presume most of the cables were there before Loudoun County exploded in population.
https://www.vedp.org/news/dawn-data
https://www.vedp.org/news/dawn-data
Anonymous
03/05/2026 08:28
Subject: Re:Stopping the data centers
Has anybody ever driven out to northern VA to see all the data centers.
It’s eerie and creepy looking.
It’s sad they took all this beautiful land and destroyed it.
Now VA has a SERIOUS power problem.
The cost of power went up 25% in 2021. It’s only going up more.
AI required fast and hot computers that need water too cool it. There is going to be a water problem soon. Right now the water use is unsustainable.
It doesn’t even provide jobs to the area.
It’s eerie and creepy looking.
It’s sad they took all this beautiful land and destroyed it.
Now VA has a SERIOUS power problem.
The cost of power went up 25% in 2021. It’s only going up more.
AI required fast and hot computers that need water too cool it. There is going to be a water problem soon. Right now the water use is unsustainable.
It doesn’t even provide jobs to the area.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 08:21
Subject: Stopping the data centers
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:VA is only one of 2-3 states that are dumb enough to allow these. SMH.
Time to move.
They're in all 50 states. But VA has the most by far.
No. There are NOT data centers in all 50 states.
The severs in your basement are not a data center.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 08:19
Subject: Stopping the data centers
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It's out in Ashburn. Now we can't build data centers out in the exurbs?
Not sure Ashburn is an exurb and if it was, why would this matter? People live in these places, and their lives are no less important than yours.
I really don’t want them built anywhere because they are a huge resource suck no matter where they are built and they are ruining peoples’ way of life (and probably all of our livelihoods).
I am lucky I live in Fairfax county where it is already very filled in and there are no data centers very close to my house, though it looks like they are building one across from my kid’s school. Hopefully our county government doesn’t get any big ideas and start selling park land.
Ashburn has a population of 50,000. We need to build data centers. Should we build one in the middle of Ballston?
Why do we “need” data centers?
Anonymous
03/05/2026 08:17
Subject: Re:Stopping the data centers
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We need a lot more regulation and guardrails around AI before I'd be ok with furiously building new data centers all over the place. They are a scourge on the communities where they are allowed and a huge drain on resources. There is a petition going around in Frederick Co, MD to put the issue of new data centers on the ballot in the fall. I definitely welcome the idea of voters deciding on this and most of us are opposed to it.
Guardrails is just the new buzzword for regulations that are so poorly defined, they can never be met.
Then we need to define them, or at least a moratorium while it gets sorted out. There are absolutely huge environmental and resource impacts that are being ignored.
Anonymous
03/03/2026 14:41
Subject: Stopping the data centers
So VA has already been dealing with drought. Guess we will make it worse
Anonymous
03/03/2026 14:25
Subject: Re:Stopping the data centers
Anonymous wrote:We need a lot more regulation and guardrails around AI before I'd be ok with furiously building new data centers all over the place. They are a scourge on the communities where they are allowed and a huge drain on resources. There is a petition going around in Frederick Co, MD to put the issue of new data centers on the ballot in the fall. I definitely welcome the idea of voters deciding on this and most of us are opposed to it.
Guardrails is just the new buzzword for regulations that are so poorly defined, they can never be met.
Anonymous
03/03/2026 13:01
Subject: Stopping the data centers
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It's out in Ashburn. Now we can't build data centers out in the exurbs?
Not sure Ashburn is an exurb and if it was, why would this matter? People live in these places, and their lives are no less important than yours.
I really don’t want them built anywhere because they are a huge resource suck no matter where they are built and they are ruining peoples’ way of life (and probably all of our livelihoods).
I am lucky I live in Fairfax county where it is already very filled in and there are no data centers very close to my house, though it looks like they are building one across from my kid’s school. Hopefully our county government doesn’t get any big ideas and start selling park land.
Ashburn has a population of 50,000. We need to build data centers. Should we build one in the middle of Ballston?
Why do you need to build data centers?
Because you keep uploading Tiktok and Youtube videos, and they need to add capacity to store all that.
Which is precisely the reason I'm voting against putting one in my community every single time.
Anonymous
03/03/2026 12:59
Subject: Stopping the data centers
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It's out in Ashburn. Now we can't build data centers out in the exurbs?
Not sure Ashburn is an exurb and if it was, why would this matter? People live in these places, and their lives are no less important than yours.
I really don’t want them built anywhere because they are a huge resource suck no matter where they are built and they are ruining peoples’ way of life (and probably all of our livelihoods).
I am lucky I live in Fairfax county where it is already very filled in and there are no data centers very close to my house, though it looks like they are building one across from my kid’s school. Hopefully our county government doesn’t get any big ideas and start selling park land.
Ashburn has a population of 50,000. We need to build data centers. Should we build one in the middle of Ballston?
Why do you need to build data centers?
Because you keep uploading Tiktok and Youtube videos, and they need to add capacity to store all that.
Anonymous
03/03/2026 12:55
Subject: Re:Stopping the data centers
We need a lot more regulation and guardrails around AI before I'd be ok with furiously building new data centers all over the place. They are a scourge on the communities where they are allowed and a huge drain on resources. There is a petition going around in Frederick Co, MD to put the issue of new data centers on the ballot in the fall. I definitely welcome the idea of voters deciding on this and most of us are opposed to it.