Nature is one of America’s most precious resources. As we enter a new era of unprecedented technological growth, AI data centers are straining the natural resources we all depend on and should be held to the highest possible environmental standards as they expand.
These principles outline pathways for corporations and communities to work together, protect our shared natural resources, and secure a brighter future for the next generation.
AI data centers should:
Pursue projects that improve local habitats and directly benefit the surrounding community. That means helping fund infrastructure and conservation activities both locally and where its water and power are sourced.
Perform substantive community outreach, including through community benefit agreements, transparency, and avoiding non-disclosure agreements.
Pursue water recycling, prevent the introduction of pollutants, and should not be sited where their water withdrawals would put local water availability at risk.
Source power from clean energy sources, avoid noisy and air-polluting backup power sources like diesel generators, and keep ratepayers off the hook for higher energy costs.
Prioritize locations on industrial sites, avoid residential areas, and avoid harming culturally or ecologically sensitive areas like wetlands, parks, and wildlife corridors.