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The Guardian — AI · October 17, 2026 · On the brief until October 31, 2026

Inside the long, bitter fight over one man’s quest to build the biggest AI datacenter in California

Urban PlanningEnvironmental SciencePublic Policy
THE AI ANGLE
Driving large datacenter construction in resource-strained areas

A developer tried to build California's largest AI datacenter in rural Imperial County by seeking an exemption from state environmental reviews. Local residents fought the project over power grid strain, noise, and water use, leading a county judge to halt construction until a full review is finished. The decision signals stronger legal and local pushback against placing resource-heavy tech projects in fragile environments.

Summary written by AI Business Lens with an AI model from the article at theguardian.com. It is not the article, and the publisher has not reviewed it. For publishers.

THE TEACHING ANGLE
Industrial zoning exemptions can speed up large utility projects while shifting heavy pollution and noise burdens onto adjacent residential neighborhoods.

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