A Citizen's Guide
How to Fight
a Data Center
A Citizen's Guide to Data Center Deals
A data center just got announced in your community. The developer has lawyers, lobbyists, and a playbook they've used dozens of times. This book levels the playing field.
By Michael J. Bommarito II
Or read the abridged version free online — chapter guides, checklists, and key facts from the book.
"Move fast and break things" was a motto for building software.
But this is not software.
This is your water, your land, your jobs, your community.
Inside the Book
Ten Ways to Fight
From understanding the deal to organizing your community — each chapter gives you the tools for a different front of the fight.
Chapter 1
You Just Found Out
A data center project just got announced in your community. Now what?
Read chapter →
Chapter 2
What You're Up Against
The developer has done this dozens of times. This book closes the gap.
Read chapter →
Chapter 3
Fight at City Hall
Your local government has more power than you think.
Read chapter →
Chapter 4
Fight at the Statehouse
State government sets the rules the developer plays by.
Read chapter →
Chapter 5
Fight in Washington
Federal law gives you tools the developer hopes you don't know about.
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Chapter 6
Fight for Your Property
Your property rights don't disappear because a corporation wants your water.
Read chapter →
Chapter 7
Fight at the Table
If the project is going to happen, make sure the deal works for your community.
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Chapter 8
Fight in the Boardroom
Corporations respond to pressure on their balance sheets.
Read chapter →
Chapter 9
Fight Together
Individual action matters. Collective action matters more.
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Chapter 10
Fight on Every Front
No single lever wins alone. Effective communities use them all.
Read chapter →
Who This Book Is For
You Didn't Choose This Fight
The Reluctant Activist
You just found out about a proposed data center and have never been to a planning meeting before.
Start with Chapter 1 →
The Confused Official
You're a township supervisor, county commissioner, or planning board member making decisions with limited staff.
Start with Chapter 3 →
The Concerned Neighbor
You live near a proposed or existing site and are worried about noise, water, or property values.
Start with Chapter 6 →
The Ratepayer
You care primarily about electric bills going up because of data center load on the grid.
Start with Chapter 4 →
The Farmer or Landowner
You own property near a proposed site or on a proposed transmission route.
Start with Chapter 6 →
Get the Book
The developer has done this before. Now so have you.
© 2026 Michael J. Bommarito II · Also by the author: This Is Server Country
About the Author
Michael J. Bommarito II
Michael J Bommarito II is a researcher and entrepreneur in AI, law, and finance and the author of This Is Server Country: AI, Power, and the Remaking of Rural America. His research, including GPT-4's passage of the Bar Exam, has been cited thousands of times across academic venues and popular media. He leads the ALEA Institute, a nonprofit focused on responsible AI development. He lives on a small farmstead in mid-Michigan — where a proposed 345 kV transmission line would run a few hundred yards from his century-old bank barn.