Civil, environmental, and consumer groups across the United States have demanded a comprehensive national-level moratorium on the proliferation of data centers that support the generative AI and cryptocurrency industries. They argued that the indiscriminate construction of data centers is placing serious burdens across energy, water resources, climate, and employment structures, and that new approvals and construction must be halted until sufficient regulatory frameworks are established.
This demand was raised in the form of a public letter delivered to the U.S. Congress on December 8, 2025. Organizations representing hundreds of groups and millions of citizens from all 50 U.S. states co-signed the letter, defining data center expansion as "one of the most critical environmental and social threats facing our generation."
The core problem consciousness of the letter is that the rapid growth of generative AI and crypto industries is explosively increasing data center demand, and communities and citizens are bearing the costs. The groups warned that if data centers increase more than tripling over the next five years, U.S. data center electricity consumption could reach a level equivalent to the amount of electricity used by approximately 30 million households.
Water usage was also raised as a serious issue. Analysis was included showing that with the amount of water used for server cooling surging, data centers could consume the same amount of water used by 18.5 million households. This is pointed out as potentially imposing a fatal burden on communities already experiencing water shortages due to drought and climate change.
Civil society groups argue that the spread of data centers is leading to structural social problems beyond simple industrial issues. Citing the fact that 56% of current U.S. data center power comes from fossil fuels, they criticized that AI infrastructure expansion is directly colliding with greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Electricity rate increases were also cited as direct damage. According to the letter, U.S. electricity rates rose 21.3% from 2021 to 2024, and analysis suggests that one of the main causes of this surge is the increase in large-scale power demand centered on data centers. The groups warned that if this trend continues, the burden on households and small businesses will be further increased.
Employment issues are also an indispensable issue. The letter quoted a statement from an AI industry executive, pointing out that AI could replace half of entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years and push overall unemployment up to a maximum of 20%. Criticism was also raised that data centers consume enormous resources but provide limited quality jobs to local communities.
These groups argue that the data center industry is effectively expanding in a regulatory vacuum. They claim that under the pretext of the strategic importance of AI and crypto industries, federal and state governments have been approving projects without sufficient verification of environmental, water, electricity, and local impact.
The letter urged Congress to "halt new data center approvals and construction until comprehensive regulatory frameworks that can protect communities, families, the environment, and health are established." This is interpreted as a demand to re-evaluate the social costs of AI infrastructure, not simply a call for speed adjustment.
This demand draws attention because it comes in a situation where global AI infrastructure competition is accelerating. Amid Big Tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and OpenAI competitively announcing ultra-large data center investments, civil society is sending the message that "the competition for AI leadership must not sacrifice environmental and social sustainability."
In particular, while discourse on 'AI public infrastructure' is spreading in India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and elsewhere, the fact that AI infrastructure within the United States has begun to be perceived as a symbol of local conflict and cost-shifting makes this letter an important inflection point.
This demand for a national data center moratorium poses a fundamental question not about negating technological advancement itself but about the AI proliferation model centered on speed and scale. The problem consciousness is that policy answers for how society will share the costs and risks of AI infrastructure that leads economic growth and innovation have not yet been sufficiently prepared.
How the U.S. Congress will respond to this demand is uncertain. But what is clear is that competitiveness in the generative AI era is expanding to a problem that includes not just data center numbers but sustainability and social legitimacy. The debate surrounding AI infrastructure is now entering the domain of democracy and public policy, not technology.
