Across USA, even modest local Public Relations firms--with $$ in their eyes--are getting into the data center business. But instead of supporting local communities in what appears to be their dogged and growing opposition to these behemoths, these firms are now "benignly" offering data center developers so-called community engagement packages, touting all the supposed benefits to local residents--and helping developers gain tax concessions, and navigate permitting, zoning, environmental, and other regulatory processes. The "packages" included detailed narratives, messaging, anticipated Q&A, "briefings" for political and regulatory officials, and to be sure, lots of social media support. Although just going after this business--and you can be sure it's all on retainer--is remarkably tone deaf in a firm "serving its community," what you'll hear is that it's gonna be great for all!
Yeah, not so much. Given that we can't seem to build legacy nuclear plants in the USA in under a decade, or remotely within budgets--for example, the disastrous Vogtle 3 and 4 project, and SMRs are not yet a thing--data centers that must "bring their own generation" come with a lot of baggage: massive fossil fuel flows, loud noise, enormous water use, heat sinks, huge strains on the regional grid, blights on the landscape, and industrial pollution, to say nothing of massive cost increases on "ordinary" ratepayers, but benefits for a handful of billionaire AI owners and their very wealthy shareholders.
And proponents of these hungry monstrosities are eager to get the PR help, asserting a national security angle that we're in competition with China in a battle we must win at all costs. In many American counties, the jingoistic appeal to win a contrived global competition will resonate, along with the appeal of a sizeable but very temporary wash of construction jobs they'll bring. 'Cause, once up and running, only a few onsite staffers are needed. And all those other, grossly negative attributes will remain...for decades.
Communities, local leaders, and even mainstream media are waking up to the data center scam and the harm it's inflicting across the county. In a May 10, 2026 Advance Media NY Editorial Board Op-Ed (Syracuse.com), the board wrote: "State and local governments should not grant any tax breaks for data centers. The companies financing them are hiding behind limited liability companies and high-priced PR firms. If they really need the tax breaks, they should step out of the shadows and make their case publicly. Taxpayer subsidies are better directed at housing development, not data centers." Touche.
The Atlantic Monthly gives us an inside look at one such project, Inside the Dirty, Dystopian World of AI Data Centers: "Already, the air smelled of soot, gasoline, and asphalt. Then I felt a tickle sliding up my nostrils and down into my throat, like I was getting a cold. As we approached, I heard the rumble of cranes and trucks, and then from behind a patch of trees emerged a forest of electrical towers. Finally, I saw it—a white-walled hangar, bigger than a dozen football fields, where Elon Musk intends to build a god."
NOTE: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT PR/CONSULTANCY FIRMS WAS PROVIDED BY BING CHAT, THE #MICROSOFT AI "COPILOT" ENGINE, AND THE AUTHOR MAKES NO CLAIMS OR ASSERTIONS AS TO ITS ACCURACY OR VERIFIABILITY.
Philadelphia firm with a Data Center Practice focused on community opposition, messaging, and approvals.
Boston/Los Angeles boutique PR firm specializing in digital infrastructure. Offers a Community Risk & Readiness Assessment and Community Benefit Agreement Development for data center projects.
Global advisory firm with U.S. offices (NYC, DC, San Francisco). Promotes a Social License for AI/Data Centers practice — helping clients win approval amid scrutiny over energy, water, and community impact.
Washington, D.C. boutique firm. Focuses on technology and digital economy advocacy, including data center infrastructure projects and stakeholder engagement.
U.S. public affairs firm (NYC, Chicago, DC, Miami) with a Technology & Infrastructure practice. They highlight data centers as part of their portfolio, emphasizing community engagement and government relations.
Washington, D.C. public affairs firm known for infrastructure advocacy campaigns. They list data centers among sectors where they manage opposition and build coalitions.
D.C. firm with a technology and infrastructure advocacy practice. They explicitly mention data centers in their work on regulatory navigation and community relations.