On June 11, 2026, a coalition of more than 520 organizations from 48 states called for a nationwide moratorium on new AI data centers. The letter is a significant document, and the first thing a transparency organization owes its readers is the document itself rather than a paraphrase.
The call was announced by Food & Water Watch, which is coordinating the effort. The full letter, with signatories, is public, as is the coalition’s own explainer. A small note in the interest of precision: the announcement headline says 47 states and the body text says 48; the discrepancy is in the source, not in our reading of it.
What the coalition is asking for
The letter seeks a pause on new construction pending federal and state standards on energy, water, and community cost. It is signed by a mix of national environmental organizations, state-level groups, and small local associations formed in response to specific projects. That range is worth noticing: a coalition of 520 organizations is not 520 equivalent entities, and the difference between a national organization with a professional staff and a neighborhood association formed eight months ago is a real difference in the public conversation.
The question we are asking all 520
Citizens United for Transparency does not take a position on the moratorium. We take a position on disclosure, and we apply it uniformly:
- To every signatory of this letter: publish your major funders for the current and prior fiscal year, including any fiscal sponsorship arrangements under which your project operates.
- To the Data Center Coalition and its member companies: publish the funding behind any research, polling, or third-party advocacy you support on this issue.
- To Data Center Watch and 10a Labs, whose tracking data both sides now cite: publish who funds the tracker.
- To ourselves: we will meet any standard we ask of others, on the same timeline.
We expect uneven results, and we expect some of the smallest signatories to have the cleanest answers — a volunteer group with a $4,000 budget and a bake sale can produce its full donor list in an afternoon. The organizations for which this question is difficult are, as a rule, the organizations for which it matters.
Why disclosure is not an attack
We want to be careful here, because this kind of demand is sometimes made in bad faith. Compelled exposure of donors has a documented history of being used to intimidate people associated with unpopular causes, and small community groups have legitimate reasons to protect individual members from retaliation. Nothing we are asking for requires publishing the names of individual small-dollar donors or volunteers.
The ask is narrower and, we think, unobjectionable: where an organization is materially funded by a large institutional source with a direct financial interest in the outcome it is advocating for, the public should know. That principle protects the grassroots group and constrains the astroturf one. It is the same principle either way.
Residents in a hearing room deserve to know whether the person testifying beside them is a neighbor, a national campaign, or a competitor’s consultant. Usually they are a neighbor. The way to prove it is to say so, on the record, with the books open.
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Sources
- 500+ Groups Call for Nationwide AI Data Center Moratorium — Food & Water Watch, June 11, 2026.
- National Data Center Moratorium Letter (PDF) — June 11, 2026.
- Stop Data Centers Coalition — Food & Water Watch, June 12, 2026.
- Data center opponents have blocked or delayed projects worth nearly $130 billion in 2026 — NBC News, June 12, 2026.
- Data Center Coalition — industry trade association.
Note on sources and fairness. This is a news summary compiled by Citizens United for Transparency from public reporting, official government records, court filings, and organizations’ own published statements, each linked above. It does not allege that any specific person or organization has engaged in unlawful conduct. Allegations described in lawsuits, letters, or audits are allegations only, and all parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise. Where material is reposted or excerpted from another organization, it is identified as that organization’s statement and reproduction does not constitute endorsement. Corrections are welcome and will be posted.
About Citizens United for Transparency
Citizens United for Transparency is a nonpartisan watchdog dedicated to exposing dark money, foreign influence, and undisclosed funding in policy debates affecting national security and economic growth. It collaborates with other transparency organizations to gather information and promote disclosure.
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