This week’s roundup once again highlights an increasingly costly mistake for data center developers: waiting too long to meaningfully engage the public. The industry has been warned for years that engagement needs to begin early—before rumors spread, opposition organizes, and residents feel decisions are being made behind closed doors. Yet we continue to see developers arrive with completed plans, controlled announcements, and little meaningful outreach. Even more troubling, some projects that have already faced lawsuits, […]
News
Zoning in
As we celebrate Independence Day and the principles of self-governance, this week’s Zoning In reflects a similar theme playing out across the country: communities are demanding a greater voice in shaping data center development. This week brought continued calls for moratoriums, lawsuits, protests, and greater transparency, along with San Marcos, Texas’ decision to ban data centers through its zoning code. We also saw the official end of Virginia’s long-running Digital Gateway project—a reminder that even […]
Milldam Helps Peak+ Advance the Data Center Water Conversation in Facility Executive
At Milldam Public Relations, we help clients elevate their expertise through strategic thought leadership and media placement. We recently worked with our client Peak+ to develop and place a bylined article in Facility Executive examining one of the data center industry’s most closely watched issues: water use. In Beyond Binary: Data Center Water Use Isn’t All Or Nothing, Paul Heapy explores how emerging cooling technologies can significantly reduce water consumption while improving efficiency and optimizing […]
The Box Elder Data Center Debacle: A Masterclass in How Not to Engage a Community
At the exact moment the data center industry needed credibility, transparency, and listening, one of its most visible advocates delivered accusations, controversy, and a whole lot of hubris. By Adam Waitkunas For an industry already battling a growing trust deficit, the last thing data centers needed was a public relations disaster led by one of the most recognizable personalities in business television. Yet that is exactly what happened in Box Elder County, Utah. Over the […]
Zoning In
Perhaps the most telling story this week remains the ongoing fallout from the Stratos project in Utah. After previously suggesting project opponents were tied to the Chinese government, investor Kevin O’Leary publicly retracted those claims, acknowledging he had no evidence to support them. Coming on the heels of his recent admission that the project rollout was mishandled, the episode has become a cautionary tale for an industry already facing a growing trust deficit. Rather than […]
Zoning In
This week’s Zoning In highlights a troubling trend for the data center industry: opposition continues to accelerate across the country. A new report from Data Center Watch found that at least 75 projects representing more than $130 billion in investment were delayed or canceled during the first quarter of 2026 alone—already surpassing the number of construction setbacks reported during all of last year. At the same time, the number of organized opposition groups has more […]
Zoning In
This week’s headlines suggest that, in many cases, the data center industry continues to repeat mistakes it should have learned from by now. Across the country, communities are demanding greater transparency, more meaningful engagement, and a stronger voice in decisions that will shape their future. In Virginia, residents say they were blindsided by a gas-powered data center operating next to their neighborhood. In New Mexico, a long-promised community meeting sparked frustration after residents felt their […]
Zoning In
Among the most notable developments this week was entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary’s admission that he “screwed up” the rollout of the controversial Stratos Project in Utah’s Box Elder County. While his acknowledgment that developers failed to adequately address community and environmental concerns is significant, the damage may already be done. Given O’Leary’s national profile, the project has become one of the industry’s most visible examples of how poor community engagement can fuel opposition and shape public […]
Zoning In
Among the most notable developments in this week’s Zoning In is environmental activist Erin Brockovich launching a national map designed to track data center projects and community concerns, potentially giving local opposition groups both a centralized platform and a high-profile advocate. In New York, nearly 500 small business owners joined calls for greater oversight of the industry, further expanding the coalition of residents, environmental groups, and elected officials pushing for tighter scrutiny of data center […]
Hurricane Electric Expands Global Network in Lincoln, Nebraska with Point of Presence at Lincoln Data Centers
Deployment strengthens connectivity for enterprises, cloud providers, and carriers across Nebraska and the Midwest LINCOLN, Neb.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Hurricane Electric, the world’s largest IPv6-native Internet backbone, announced today that it has established a new Point of Presence (PoP) at Lincoln Data Centers. The new PoP is located at 206 South 13th Street, Lincoln NE. Lincoln Data Centers provides a carrier-neutral interconnection and colocation environment purpose-built for organizations with expanding connectivity requirements. The facility combines diverse fiber infrastructure, access […]





