Across Pennsylvania, data center developers are increasingly targeting agricultural land for new projects, and residents in affected communities are mounting opposition, concerned about the industrialization of their farmland.

Last week, timesobserver.com posed the question: Are you concerned about data centers in Warren County? Respondents are fairly worried with 145 saying “yes” and 128 voting “no.”

This region, however, is much different than national findings. Seven in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half, 48%, who are strongly opposed. Barely a quarter favor these projects, with 7% strongly in favor, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Data centers house computing equipment that helps power AI technology used by businesses, universities and other institutions. The centers cover large areas of land, require extensive amounts of electricity to operate and need substantial water to cool the equipment, raising concerns about their impact on the environment and local electric bills.

The March survey asked people to rate their level of concern about the environmental impact of AI data centers. Forty-six percent say they worry a great deal and 24% a fair amount, largely mirroring the degrees of opposition to data center construction.

“About one in five opponents are concerned with the impact on local quality of life, including increased population, increased traffic and preferring that the land be used for other purposes. A similar share mentions potentially negative economic consequences, including higher utility bills, cost-of-living increases, and the cost of building the data centers (which could involve the use of taxpayer funds),” a Gallup news release stated.

This week’s poll question: Are you comfortable with the Warren roundabout?