The Pressure to Build Data Centers—and the Growing Pushback: A Historical Perspective

Short summary

A veteran attorney draws parallels between today's AI data center boom and historical infrastructure controversies, including a 1970s LNG import project killed by the Jackson-Vanik Amendment and a 1980s cross-border natural gas pipeline fight. Each case shows that strong industry-government alignment does not guarantee public acceptance. The article argues that the data-center debate's outcome is genuinely uncertain given the mixed historical record.

• •Historical parallels (1970s LNG, 1980s pipelines) show infrastructure pushback is unpredictable
• •Public opposition can derail even government-backed projects
• •AI data center tensions echo past energy infrastructure debates

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.