Bernie Sanders, AOC Want Data Centers Banned — But A Kentucky Family's 'No' To $26 Million Was Louder

Chris KatjeSat, March 28, 2026 at 12:31 AM UTC

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The growth of artificial intelligence has led to the need for more data centers across the U.S. With limited land and resources, the battle for more data centers could be full steam ahead.

Two prominent elected officials look to ban data center construction as homeowners fight back against selling land to technology companies.

Bernie Sanders, AOC Take On Data Centers

In a battle to stop new data centers from being built in the U.S., Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) announced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act on Wednesday.

The legislation would stop new projects that have a power of 20 megawatts or more from being built until Congress puts in place AI regulation, as reported by TechCrunch.

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Sanders and AOC argue that stricter rules are needed to regulate AI. Sanders' office telling TechCrunch that key figures such as Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Nobel Prize-winner Geoffrey Hinton, considered the godfather of AI by many, have all publicly stated fears they have of AI.

"So why do we have no regulatory oversight," Sanders' office asked.

Among the callouts from Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez that are needed for the AI sector are AI model certification, protections against job displacement from AI, lowering the environmental impact from data centers and making union labor for data center constructions a must.

The legislation also calls for an export ban on advanced chips to countries that don't have AI regulation rules.

"These companies are now so desperate to profit off of the AI boom that they are racing to construct thousands of giant AI data centers and jacking up the utility costs of everyday Americans pay for it," Ocasio-Cortez said at a public event for the legislation on Wednesday.

The congresswoman said data centers require the same amount of energy as needed to power 100,000 households.

"Energy bills around the country are skyrocketing in order to pay for these AI data centers for them."

Ocasio-Cortez said consumers who live near data centers have utility bills that have gone up 267% monthly.

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Landowners Fight Back Against Data Centers

While Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez look to get support from Congress members in the fight for AI regulation and put restrictions on new data centers, one Kentucky woman took things into her own hands.

Ida Huddleston has owned a family farm for years that includes around 1,200 acres near Maysville, Kentucky, a small town of around 9,000 people, as reported by TechCrunch.

The 82-year-old told a local news station that she turned down a $26 million offer from an unnamed "artificial intelligence company" for a portion of the family's land.

Huddleston and her family said no, knowing that a data center could mean disruption to the area.

"They call us old stupid farmers, you know, but we're not," Huddleston told Local 12 WKRC. "We know whenever our food is disappearing, our lands are disappearing, and we don't have any water — and that poison. Well, we know we've had it."

The comments from Huddleston come as reports say data centers lead to more energy consumption and water usage for the area, which can impact utility costs for local residents. Huddleston also said a new data center won't help the economic growth of the region as data centers don't bring job creation with them.

"It's a scam."

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The unnamed company has revised plans to rezone more than 2,000 acres in Kentucky, according to the news report. While the company didn't get land from Huddleston, it may have acquired land nearby to accomplish its goal.

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While Huddleston and others refused to sell, the high offers above the potential land value may have been too much for some to turn down.

In Michigan, residents have rallied against big technology companies planning to build data centers, including one in Saline Township from Oracle Corp, according to Michigan Advance.

In Dorr Township, community members have been fighting against the construction of a data center from Microsoft Corp, as reported by WWMT. Microsoft has bought up hundreds of acres in Allegan and Kent Counties in Michigan since 2024.

More public awareness about data center plans could make it harder for tech giants to buy up large amounts of land in the future.

Photo Courtesy: Crush Rush on Shutterstock.com

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