by Catarina Conran

August 8, 2025

Artificial intelligence may be digital, but it has a very real footprint. The rapid proliferation of massive data centers is reshaping landscapes, draining water supplies, and straining power grids. With new federal initiatives prioritizing rapid AI deployment, the pressure to build more data centers is only going to increase. For example, communities across the Mid-Atlantic are already confronting proposals to fast-track server farms on farmland, wetlands, and forest edges. If our legal frameworks fail to adapt, the race to expand AI infrastructure could erode protections for land, water, and biodiversity just when we need them most.

Land Use Conflicts

The AI push has created pressure to relax zoning rules and permitting requirements in the rush to approve data center construction projects. As a result, sprawling data centers (which can require hundreds of acres of land) are being sited on former agricultural fields, forested parcels, or at the edges of existing communities. Once approved, the footprint is permanent: the land is paved, fenced, and converted into an industrial hub that is difficult if not impossible to repurpose, reshaping local landscapes for generations to come.

Habitat Loss and Fragmentation

Beyond zoning disputes, data center siting has serious ecological consequences. Clearing forests disrupts wildlife corridors and removes natural carbon sinks, and draining (or filling) wetlands to make way for server farms destroys critical habitat for amphibians, birds, and aquatic species. Even when the footprint seems relatively small, the cumulative effect of clustered data centers (e.g., Virginia’s Loudoun County alone has around 200 data centers) can fragment entire ecosystems, making it harder for species to breed and migrate.

Water Consumption

Large data centers can house tens of thousands of servers, each generating heat that must be continually cooled. This process requires huge amounts of water. In Virginia’s Data Center Alley, for example, facilities consume millions of gallons daily, straining aquifers and local drinking supplies. In drought-prone or water-sensitive areas, these demands pit technological expansion directly against community and ecological needs. Environmental lawyers now face the challenge of balancing industrial-scale water withdrawals with the long-term sustainability of rivers and groundwater supplies.

Energy and Climate Impacts

The electricity needs of data centers are also staggering: each facility can draw as much power as a small city. The sheer demand for energy could push utilities to build new gas plants and transmission lines, locking in fossil fuel infrastructure at a moment when emissions need to decline rapidly. Since permitting processes rarely account for climate impacts, the recent data center boom could undermine decades of progress toward decarbonization.

Local Community Impacts

Less visible but still significant are the local impacts: Constant humming from cooling systems creates noise pollution in peaceful rural areas; backup generators can generate pollution during testing and outages; and increased truck traffic and construction have led to air quality and safety concerns. It is important to remember that these facilities change the lived environment for surrounding communities, often without meaningful public input.