Citizens United for Transparency today called for open, fact-based public deliberation on the data centers that underpin American artificial intelligence, urging communities and policymakers to decide these questions on verified information rather than rumor.
AI data centers sit at the center of national competitiveness, grid modernization, and local economic growth. They also raise legitimate community questions about energy, water, land use, and noise. Both realities are true at once — and both deserve an honest, transparent public conversation.
“Americans can handle the facts,” the organization said. “What corrodes public trust is when either side of a debate substitutes slogans for verified data. Transparency serves everyone: the communities weighing a project, the workers who would build and run it, and the country’s ability to lead in AI.”
Federal officials have made the competitiveness stakes plain. Speaking at an energy roundtable in Thornton, Colorado, on June 29, 2026, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright addressed public concern about AI infrastructure directly:
“Artificial intelligence is new, and I understand people’s concerns or trepidations with new technology. The pluses are going to be massively bigger than the downsides.” — U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Thornton, Colorado, June 29, 2026
At the same event, U.S. Representative Gabe Evans argued that well-structured projects can benefit ratepayers because the data centers themselves fund the grid infrastructure they require. Secretary Wright has separately framed AI infrastructure as central to American competitiveness in the global AI race, cautioning that hesitation on domestic buildout cedes ground to foreign rivals. Citizens United for Transparency shares the view that these are decisions of national consequence — and precisely because they are, they should be made transparently and on verified facts, so that public confidence keeps pace with the technology.
The organization is encouraging developers, utilities, and local governments to make the following routinely public for any major project:
- Verified projections for energy and water use, including cooling design and any closed-loop or recycled-water systems.
- Independent estimates of construction and permanent jobs, local tax-base impact, and community-benefit commitments.
- Grid-investment and reliability implications, reviewed by the relevant utility or regulator.
- The funding sources behind organized advocacy on every side of the decision.
Citizens United for Transparency takes no blanket position for or against any individual project. Its position is procedural: decisions of this magnitude should be made in the open, on the record, and on the strength of verifiable facts — so that America can build the infrastructure its future depends on while treating communities as partners, not obstacles.
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Note on sources and fairness. This release states the policy positions and recommendations of Citizens United for Transparency. It does not allege that any specific person or organization has engaged in unlawful conduct. Where public reports or official proceedings are referenced, they are linked or attributed and reflect those sources, not independent findings by this organization. All individuals and organizations are presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise.
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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