government
Governors’ races are being increasingly buffeted by the toxic politics of data centers
Summary by The Odessa Editorial Desk Associated Press , as published by Odessa American (oaoa.com)
· August 18, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: Odessa American (oaoa.com) · view original
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Summary created by The Odessa Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Associated Press, as published by Odessa American (oaoa.com) Original story Read at the source Source published Aug 18, 2026 Indexed here Aug 18, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key points Josh Shapiro announced that his administration will no longer prioritize data center projects for construction permits or tax exemptions unless they meet certain standards. Governors' races are being affected by the growing controversy surrounding data centers.
Governors' races are being affected by the growing controversy surrounding data centers. As midterm elections approach, public opinion is turning against the energy-hungry facilities that power artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
Some governors are changing their stance or taking action to regulate data centers. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that his administration will no longer prioritize data center projects for construction permits or tax exemptions unless they meet certain standards.
Further details on the standards and the impact on data centers are available from the source. The backlash against data centers is influencing governor's races in several major states.
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Category: government Published: August 18, 2026 Source: Odessa American (oaoa.com) Reading time: 1 min
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What is this story about? Governors' races are being affected by the growing controversy surrounding data centers. As midterm elections approach, public opinion is turning against the energy-hungry facilities that power…
When was this published? This article was first published on August 18, 2026 by Odessa American (oaoa.com) and curated for The Odessa readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Associated Press at Odessa American (oaoa.com). To learn more about how The Odessa selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
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