Amazon is investigating its own employees for opposing an AI data center "If we allow corporations to decide which speech is or is not allowed, that absolutely hurts democracy."
The Hidden Environmental Costs of Data Centers and AI. A single data center can require the same amount of energy needed to power an entire city. Data centers also contribute to PFAs pollution.
Check out Environmental Health Sciences' report on AI Data Centers and Grid Harmonics: Power quality impacts extending miles beyond facilities. A Bloomberg report analyzing measurements from 770,000 residential sensors across the U.S. found that data centers can generate significant harmonics that extend for miles beyond the facility. More than half of the homes experiencing the worst distortions were within 20 miles of major data centers. Harmonics, also called "dirty electricity," refers to high-frequency voltage spikes or electrical "noise" that disrupt the alternating current flowing through electrical wires. As Sheng et al report: "Harmonic distortion"degrades power quality within the facility (e.g., causes overheating of internal transformers) but also propagates to the distribution network, affecting neighboring users (e.g., triggering malfunctions in precision manufacturing equipment)." Higher-frequency currents can travel along interior household wiring, radiate from wires, through walls into living spaces-- and create electromagnetic fields that harm peoples' and pets' health. Harmonic distortions can also overheat wiring, trigger electrical faults or arcing, and increase the risk of sparks and electrical fires. IEEE published the study, "Monitoring Harmonic ELF Magnetic Fields in Data Centers with Sensor-Based Instrumentation."
Bloomberg's investigation demonstrates that large-scale residential monitoring is technically feasible. Neighborhood monitoring networks could provide continuous measurements of harmonic distortion, voltage fluctuations, and other indicators of grid stress in homes, schools, and workplaces. Such monitoring should also include extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields, which can rise with heavy electrical loads and the expanded transmission infrastructure (power lines and substations) associated with large data centers.
PROPOSED LEGISLATION INVITING CALLS TO YOUR CONGRESSMEMBERS
SATELLITES WITHOUT HEALTH OR ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS
Congress is considering two bills-- HR 8255 and S.3639-- that would fast-track the launch of hundreds of thousands of satellites without any health or environmental review. The FCC has NEVER assessed the health or environmental impacts of satellites and the Govt. Accountability Office warns that this approach needs to be reexamined.
The National Call for Safe Technology, chaired by Odette Wilkens and Lisa Smith, report that these bills would accelerate satellite deployments despite:
" Toxic metals released when satellites burn up, poisoning air, food and water.
" Rocket"'fuel pollution already appearing in ecosystems.
" Severe orbital crowding-- Starlink logged 25,000 collision"'avoidance maneuvers in 6 months.
" Applications for over one million satellites already submitted to FCC.
" Hundreds of thousands of satellites falling back to Earth each year.
" Rare"'earth mining linked to unsafe conditions and child labor.
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