JD Vance Says Data Centers Must Be 'Good Citizens' in Local Communities

Vice President JD Vance held a town hall meeting in West Palm Beach, Florida, where a woman from Michigan shared how a data center near her home had been making loud noises day and night for years. Vance said data centers must be 'good citizens' in the neighborhoods where they are built. The event was broadcast on CBS News on Saturday night.

The Michigan woman explained that the constant buzzing from the data center across her street made it hard for her family to go outside or even open their windows. She said the noise went on all day and all night, every single day. She has two young children — one who is three months old and one who is 21 months old. She is also part of a group lawsuit against the data center.

Vance told the woman he cared deeply about her situation. He said it was especially hard for a mother with a newborn baby to deal with that kind of constant noise. 'We have a three-month-old exposed to constant noise. It can be a problem for everybody, especially mom sleeping, so I'm very mindful of that,' he said.

Vance pointed to something called the Ratepayer Protection Pledge. He said this policy requires data centers to promise they will be good neighbors before they move into a community. He also said he had heard many complaints from people about rising electricity bills linked to data centers.

At the same time, Vance defended data centers, saying they power the artificial intelligence, or AI, tools that people use on their phones every day. He said the computing work behind those apps happens inside data centers, whether they are in Michigan or somewhere else in the country. He argued that the United States needs data centers to stay ahead of China in the technology race.

Vance also gave an example from Louisiana, where he said teachers would receive $50,000 bonuses because of money made from a local data center. He said economic benefits from data centers should not just go to big tech companies and their wealthy owners. He wants communities that host these facilities to gain real benefits too.

Michigan has become a major flashpoint in the debate over data centers. A planned $16 billion project backed by Oracle and OpenAI in Saline Township has faced pushback from residents worried about water use, power demands, and changes to their rural area. By July, at least 13 data center projects were being planned at various stages across the state.

The issue has also become part of Michigan's Senate race. Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed wants to pause building new AI systems and data centers until stronger rules are in place, while Republican candidate Mike Rogers has also supported a one-year stop on new data centers in Michigan. Both sides are feeling pressure from voters who are worried about the effects on their communities.

Polls show that most Americans are not eager to have data centers near their homes. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 14 percent of Americans supported a data center being built in their community, and just one in three people approved of how fast data centers are being built across the country. The numbers suggest many people feel the growth of this industry is moving too quickly.

The topic is expected to play a big role in the midterm elections this November. Candidates from both major parties are under pressure to balance the economic promise of AI investment against the real concerns of people living near these facilities. Vance's town hall also touched on other big topics, including immigration and the rising cost of living.