Berkeley, CA: As California experiences an unprecedented surge in hyperscale data center construction driven by cloud computing and artificial intelligence, a new community partnership is stepping up to ensure that local voices are heard in the state’s rapidly changing technological landscape.
The Human Rights Center’s Investigation Lab at the UC Berkeley School of Law, in collaboration with the Taps Run Dry initiative launched by AllAI Consulting, LLC and the Dreaming Collaborative, is announcing a joint investigation designed to bring clarity, accountability, and community participation to the data infrastructure boom reshaping the state.
California currently hosts more than 300 data centers in operation or under development — that number is growing rapidly as the demand for generative AI drives a new wave of hyperscale AI data center development. These massive facilities consume exponentially more energy and water than traditional data centers, and produce higher levels of air pollution. They are often built in communities already facing economic and environmental strain, yet the processes that determine where and how these projects are approved remain opaque and inaccessible to the people most affected.
“The expansion of AI and cloud infrastructure is transforming California’s physical and environmental landscape,” said Masheika Allgood of AllAI Consulting. “But too often, the communities most directly impacted by data center development are excluded from the decisions that will shape their health, resources, and future. This project is about building out tools to change that.”
This collaborative research will provide residents, advocates, and policymakers a clear understanding of the environmental impacts of large scale data centers and a roadmap to navigate the complex data center development approval process, upon which facility construction and operation depend. It will map the regulatory framework governing data center approvals under state and local law; conduct case studies of active data center projects to highlight how regulations play out in practice; identify exemptions and legal gaps that weaken human rights and environmental protections; highlight best practices for mitigation measures; and develop community engagement tools to streamline and enhance civic participation in the decision-making process.
“Our investigation will shed light on what information decision makers are basing their approval on, and inform recommendations to increase transparency in this process,” said Linda Gordon of the Human Rights Center.
The rapid emergence of generative AI and hyperscale data centers presents a unique opportunity to build a culture of civic agency in local governance in a way that enables communities to be active participants in shaping the future and their place within it. Drawing on the Investigation Lab’s expertise in digital open source research and legal analysis, the team will compile information from public data portals, remote sensing (including GIS), and social media to create a comprehensive, publicly accessible resource.
Civic participation is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy, yet public understanding of local governance remains limited. “Our goal is to translate a fragmented and technical regulatory landscape into a clear guide for communities to assess and civically participate in shaping how a data center may impact their city,” said Ellina Yin, Dreaming Collaborative, Inc.
For more information about the initiative or to get involved, visit our project page here and the Taps Run Dry Initiative,
Media Contacts:
Linda Gordon
ltgordon@berkeley.edu
Human Rights Center
Climate Researcher, Investigations Lab Supervising Attorney, Human Rights Center Investigations Lab
Masheika Allgood
founder@allai-us.com
AllAI Consulting, LLC
Founder
Ellina Yin
ellina@dreamingcollaborative.org
Dreaming Collaborative, Inc.
Founder/CEO; Journalist, Civic Educator, Filmmaker
The UC Berkeley Human Rights Center’s Investigations Lab equips the next generation of lawyers, journalists, advocates, and researchers with critical investigation tools to tackle human rights challenges in the 21st century. The Lab partners with credible research, legal, and journalistic organizations to strengthen their work with investigative support.
AllAI Consulting, LLC developed the Taps Run Dry Initiative, an educational and activism platform for data center environmental issues. Taps Run Dry houses the Data Center Water Consumption Calculator and published the Google Water Metrics Insights Report, key tools to help community leaders and advocates to better understand the impacts of hyperscale data center development on local water supplies. Taps Run Dry also hosts the Data Center Advocacy Toolkit, a collaboration with Dreaming Collaborative that combines their subject matter expertise on local government and effective civic engagement strategies in an immediately actionable and accessible Q&A format for community leaders and residents.