Fact vs. opinion dispassionate discussion of public policy has its role. AI data centers have known facts to be passionate against. Good policy for Northampton is enacting a permanent moratorium now. Walking slowly off a cliff is not better than sprinting off one.
Coca-Cola’s 455,990-square-foot plant, which at one point represented 25% of the city’s water and sewer revenue, is an ideal match for a 25-to-100-megawatt AI facility. Will city leaders wanting enterprise money sell citizens down the river as they did when allowing building within 10, 35, or 50 feet of a wetland?
In her FY27 budget summary, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra said she will “continue to work closely with our state and federal partners to advocate for a sale of the building to another user that will support our enterprise funds and contribute in a positive way to our city.” State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa stated in a news report that the focus will be to find another employer for the bottling facility, not just to replace the jobs, but to identify a buyer that uses high volumes of water. “It is our great hope that Coca-Cola can continue to work with us and find a high-water user. We… need to find a high-water user now, not when the plant shuts down, and not have it become a warehouse.” AI centers provide no replacement jobs but use lots of water.
Northampton’s implementation of new base rate fee structures in both water and sewer enterprise funds began July 1, 2023. Costs shifted to residents, with the average residential household seeing a $128 annual increase to their water bill and a $115 annual increase to the sewer bill.
Coca-Cola’s TIFF Agreement reduced taxes for 10 years. The city paid to upgrade wastewater capacity, assuming the dedicated pump station costs. City repayment provisions when leaving meant no recompense for reduced taxes and upgrades citizens paid for.
About 80% of water withdrawn by data centers evaporates. Remaining water is discharged to municipal wastewater facilities. A 25 MW facility consumes approximately 285,000 gallons daily; 50 MW about 570,000 gallons; 100 MW about 500,000 to 2 million gallons (factors dependent). All within parameters Coca-Cola used or what the city is currently authorized to pump under the Massachusetts Water Management Act which is a maximum of 6.5 million gallons per day.
AI centers create excessive heat and noise, accounting for 50% of new electricity demand growth in the U.S. Low-frequency humming is heard up to two miles away and, under certain conditions, 2.5 miles. Northampton is generally six miles in diameter meaning downtown and beyond to Florence Center. Living in the same utility grid territory can mean higher electricity bills as they strain local power grids.
Visual and light pollution from 24/7 security lighting exists. Property values often drop 5% to 20%. Industrial cooling systems and large fans emit low-frequency sounds and infrasound below 20 Hz. Chronic exposure to this rumbling or pressure can travel miles and cause sleep disruption or headaches. A “data heat island effect,” where intensive cooling exhaust can raise localized land surface temperatures by an average of 3.6°F and nearby downwind air temperatures by up to 4°F
Michelle Goldberg opined in her Sept. 13 New York Times opinion piece that “Part of the reason the public has turned so quickly and decisively against A.I. is the bizarre mismatch between the costs they’re being asked to bear and the rewards they expect to receive. Data centers blight the landscape, A.I. slop degrades the culture, chatbots help kids cheat in school and sometimes drive people mad, and technology executives prophesy mass joblessness. For this, ordinary people get improved search engines and help writing emails. We are constantly assured great benefits could be on the horizon and A.I. will enable huge medical advances but they’re not here yet to justify the hazards.” The only useful AI so far has been Google searches that collate common facts into a summary.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said, “I assume my brain will be uploaded to the cloud.” Elon Musk plans to escape to Mars. “We want to be on a path toward making true the things that we read in science fiction books and see in the movies,” he says in footage featured in Alex Gibney’s new documentary, “Musk.” Guys, please upload yourselves and AI models now to a cloud on Mars. Let us live without enduring the swarm collective using our water and electricity while bombarding us with noise and heat before it kills us as being useless.
A moratorium now would be proven leadership for a progressive city.
Dennis Helmus lives in Northampton.