I really have an issue with data centers as well as artificial intelligence. No, I have anything against technology. We all know that it is always occurring and has been since civilization. But at this juncture, I feel like we as a society, at least in the United States of America, need to pay attention to what is going on with it.

I’ve watched documentaries regarding the rise of computers in the 20th Century. How huge they were. They occupied entire rooms and they had to be kept cool. They seemed to be more concerned about the computers than they were about those that used them. Eventually, computers were consolidated to desktops, laptops, and as some refer to smartphones–hand-held versions. True, it took decades. However, I would think that the infrastructure for future technology would have been given more consideration. Maybe it has and I just didn’t know it. And that’s the thing that bothers me.

Why, you ask. Because of the elephant that is clearly standing in the room stomping and roaring his head off. The main reason being the astronomical amount of electricity and water they consume, not to mention the vast amount of real estate that these facilities occupy. It confounds me to no end why we as customers are now expected to foot a large percentage of the cost for these resources. We are now being bombarded with the urgency of them and claim that we are the benefactors of AI and for the most part, that is true. However, we all know that data centers are for-profit enterprises so these services aren’t being provided to us for free. Many of us pay utilities, that being electricity and water, among others. As it is, these utility companies were increasing the rates for many of us already before the rise of AI and data centers.

To me, it smacks of a scam. I say this because when I moved to my neighborhood more than 20 years ago, my electric company raised my rates 38 and 35 percent in the first two years. And my service was abysmal those two years, with outages occurring on average twice a month even with a newly-installed electrical panel.

A few years later, I had to replace a seven-year-old refrigerator, probably as a result of the frequent surges the outages undoubtedly caused. And this was with me having a surge protector on the outlet where the fridge was plugged. I guess the surge protector just gave up the ghost and said the hell with it.

Here’s where my disdain comes in. Why does it seem like it just came out of nowhere? We were gob-smacked with AI not that long ago. Hell, they’ll be replacing a lot of humans in jobs soon. On top of worrying about that, now we have to worry about the data center aspect of it. They sort of work together in this scenario. But why weren’t we having discussions about the amount of resources they would require, along with the cost of this technology? And why are utility customers expected to shoulder the costs? I don’t get that. I use energy-efficient everything. low-flow toilets and showerheads, and do my best to conserve energy where I can. But even though I’m doing this, my bills have rapidly risen. I mean, tell me–who increases rates 35 percent, 38 percent, in some cases, even more than that? It’s highway robbery, is what it is.

As I mentioned earlier, my service was bad but my rates still increased. Corporations get away with taking some of the power plants in my state off-line but don’t replace them with anything. But then they didn’t actually take them off-line but we were allowed to be held hostage because they didn’t go off-line but we were led to believe that they were and with that, raising our rates. That’s a whole other story.

Yesterday evening I was listening in to a Zoom call from my county’s representatives, which I appreciate. What I don’t appreciate is how customers just get the shaft at every turn. From what I understand, we don’t have many transmission lines in Maryland. We import approximately 40 percent of our electricity from a consortium of 13 other states, along with the District of Columbia. And although we are a relatively small state, we consume more electricity than we produce. So there’s the problem. Older, coal-producing plants have been taken off-line in the past but without much to replace them with. That should not be. And although I don’t live in Virginia where many data centers are located, with more being built, they still influence my county’s electricity rates. Probably my water rates, too. They by themselves have increased at a ridiculous pace in the past few years.

Sure, we don’t want power plants looming over our back yards; however, our elected officials have to do better when it comes to fighting for us. There’s plenty of unused land in many states where some of these power plants or data centers can be built. Why do they have to be built close to homeowners, especially since we don’t yet know the ramifications of these behemoths? What I wish the powers-that-be would do is be more proactive about it. Utility companies should not be allowed to hold all of the power, figuratively and literally. There have been years when we had surpluses of revenue in my state. Why then, did we not study what we could do we those funds? Didn’t they know that these data centers were coming? Why are we behind the eight ball on this? Why do we wait for a tsunami to approach before we attempt to do anything about it? Do we ever see the light from the train before it comes barreling out of the tunnel? That’s what really bothers me.

But like the size of computers before they reduced in size, are studies being done on how to shrink the size of these hideous buildings and to use them in a more energy-efficient manner? We were informed that data centers cannot generate their own power. Incredibly, they consume as much as some states and countries. I wish someone would devise smaller buildings that recycle their power or if not the power, the water they consume. Because we don’t know yet what the consequences of waste water from these places will do if allowed to drain into storm drains or the ground.

A promising idea that was raised was that old, outdated policies need to be reformed. Our representatives need to not suggest but insist on it. Don’t allow any power plant projects to be held up or stonewalled if there isn’t a good reason for doing so.

We were informed that we will undoubtedly have issues because of the lack of energy infrastructure in Maryland in the very near future, in fact, 2027. We don’t have time to waste.

Pamela D. Beverly