Neuman traveled to both states to look at the growing pushback against new data center construction. Local leaders there face pressure over decisions to allow the facilities, which bring in more tax revenue and raise concerns about electricity demand and water consumption. Neuman spoke with a Maryland farmer named Steve about the fight playing out in his community.
The tax money data centers generate makes them attractive to local governments looking to boost their budgets without raising other taxes. Neighbors near these projects worry about strain on the power grid and local water supplies. Those worries are serious enough to override typical partisan divides.
That crossover matters heading into November. Data centers have become one of the few issues where conservative and liberal voters in Virginia and Maryland find common ground, putting pressure on local officials from multiple directions regardless of party.
An issue built on tax revenue and infrastructure worries has managed to do what most political topics can't right now. It's brought opposite sides of the aisle to the same side of the fight.