Erin Brockovich, who secured a $333m settlement against Pacific Gas and Electric Company in 1993 for contaminating Hinkley's groundwater, has turned her attention to a new global threat: AI datacentres. After a callout on her website in April, she received 3,862 emails within a month from people concerned about these facilities. 'This feels like Hinkley on steroids,' she said.
Massive Scale and Secrecy
Brockovich's open-source map, as of 24 June, shows 33 AI datacentres operational, 68 under construction, and 41 proposed in the US, with 7,005 community reports submitted. She noted that developers often use nondisclosure agreements with local officials, bypassing environmental-impact assessments and resident input. 'I am getting reports from people where their local leaders are changing zoning laws for this to happen,' she said.
Water Crisis and Community Impact
According to Guardian analysis, two-thirds of planned US datacentres are in drought-stricken areas. Larger centres require up to 5m gallons of water daily for cooling, equivalent to the usage of 50,000 people. Brockovich cited an email from a resident whose water bill surged from $22 to over $350 a month. 'How will the water use disrupt the balance of nature? People are asking: “What will happen to us?”' she said.
Legal and Political Challenges
Councils that try to pause construction face lawsuits from developers for $100m or more. In Hill County, Texas, a moratorium led to a $100m lawsuit, and the county backed down. Brockovich stressed that opposition is bipartisan, but noted that a change in administration can affect campaigns. She recalled her father's advice: 'good stewardship is an obligation for you, because what really matters is your land for your food, your water.'
Global Reach and Call for Action
Brockovich has been contacted by people in Australia, India, Scotland, and Ireland. Dublin already has a moratorium on new datacentres, which accounted for a fifth of Ireland's electricity usage by 2023. 'This is a planetary thing,' she said. 'We have to have some courage to show up, and it’s difficult to do that when you’re up against forces that have all the money and all the intelligence and all the bandwidth in the world.' She advocates for case-by-case moratoriums and environmental-impact reports, adding, 'Lawsuits aren’t settling for $333m any more; they’re settling for billions.'
