Our Take
Brockovich is documenting a real procedural problem (permits secured before public notice), not claiming data centers should not exist.
Why it matters
Data center siting decisions are being made in the dark, and the lack of visibility is creating friction at the local level. This matters now because facility demand is accelerating and regulators have no standardized disclosure framework.
Do this week
Infrastructure teams: audit your permitting timelines against Brockovich's map and identify any projects in your service footprint that lack public disclosure before finalizing expansion plans.
Nearly 4,000 complaints in one month
Erin Brockovich, the environmental activist known for her case against Pacific Gas & Electric (dramatized in the 2000 Julia Roberts film), has launched a website with a crowdsourced map of U.S. data centers. In April, Brockovich issued a call for reports of data center-related concerns. Within the first month, she received nearly 4,000 submissions (company-reported via Brockovich's Substack).
The map is labeled a "work in progress" and aggregates reports from community members. According to Brockovich's post, the single most common complaint across all submissions was not noise, water usage, or rising utility bills—it was one word: transparency.
Brockovich's specific grievance targets a pattern: "projects announced after permits are already secured, developers who don't return calls, local officials who signed NDAs before their neighbors knew a project was being considered." She emphasized she is not making a blanket case against data centers or AI, but against the opacity of the approval process.
Process transparency is becoming a focal point
The volume of complaints signals that facility siting is outpacing community disclosure norms. Data center construction requires massive land, water, and power resources, yet many projects move through permitting with minimal public visibility. When NDAs restrict local officials from disclosing plans to constituents until after permits are granted, the result is reactive resistance rather than informed consultation.
This matters for infrastructure operators because backlash at the community level can delay or block projects, even if they meet legal requirements. Brockovich's map makes that friction visible and quantifiable. For regulators, the 4,000-complaint threshold suggests demand for clearer disclosure timelines and public comment periods before—not after—permitting is complete.
Document your local approval status now
If your organization is planning or operating data center capacity, cross-reference your projects against Brockovich's map and any local or state permitting records. Identify whether your facility was publicly disclosed before permit approval. If not, expect increased scrutiny from community groups and local officials. Where projects are still in planning, budget time for transparent community consultation before filing for permits. The cost of late disclosure is regulatory delay, not speed.