Join us for a panel & podcast recording (followed by happy hour!) about how local leaders are standing up to the rapid expansion of AI data centers to protect their communities, their utility bills, our water, and our climate.
New York State Representative Emily Gallagher, Georgia Public Service Commissioner Peter Hubbard, and Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis will be in conversation with The Hum host Saul Levin and Lead Locally about what communities are facing on the ground and how elected officials and people-powered movements can push back and win.
Lead Locally and The Hum will be joined by Oil Change International, Climate Defenders, Climate and Community Institute, the DNC Climate Caucus, and Third Act for this incredible conversation.
Across the country, big tech companies are jamming through hundreds of new data centers to power their AI models. While the profits go to some of the world’s richest men, the costs are being thrust on neighboring communities. Massive water consumption. Increased pollution when utilities turn to fossil fuels to meet growing energy needs. And in many places, rising utility bills for families who never asked for any of it.
The panel will explore the huge problems of AI data centers and the tools local officials are using effectively to reduce harm. Panelists will share lessons from their own fights (like the successful passage of New York’s data center moratorium) and discuss how advocates and elected leaders can work together to win stronger protections. This panel will be recorded live for The Hum, a podcast telling the story of fights against data centers.
After the conversation, stick around for a romping happy hour to meet fellow climate and data center organizers working to fight back against the Big Tech and Big Oil!
Participants:
- New York State Representative Emily Gallagher
- Georgia Public Service Commissioner Peter Hubbard
- Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis
- The Hum host Saul Levin