March 4
2 p.m. ET
Register Now
Data centers are rapidly expanding into rural communities across the country, bringing promises of economic development alongside concerns about water use, energy costs, and local control. But the facts around these developments are far from settled, and communities often find themselves reacting to proposals rather than preparing in advance. The landscape is changing quickly, with new developments, legislation, and research emerging regularly.
Join us online 2 p.m. ET March 4 for a 90-minute interactive session “What Rural Communities Need to Know about AI Data Centers” designed to cut through the noise and help rural practitioners and community members understand what’s currently disputed about data center impacts.
Presented by Rural Assembly in partnership with our friends Radically Rural, the webinar will be led by Annie Contractor.
What to expect:
We’ll explore the physical realities of these facilities, examine who really pays for the energy they consume, and look at what community agreements can and cannot secure.
You’ll learn about the political landscape at federal and state levels, and discover the tools communities are using to maintain local decision-making power, from zoning and permitting strategies to rate class separation and transparency demands.
This isn’t a lecture. We’ll open with what your community has already heard or experienced and make space for the concerns that matter most to you.
We will close with a small group discussion about concrete next steps. Whether you’re facing a proposal now or want to prepare before developers arrive, you’ll leave with a clearer picture of the landscape and the leverage points available to rural communities.
Daily Yonder news coverage of data centers and rural communities
Amid the AI-Driven Boom in Energy Demand, Rural Texans Fight a High-Voltage Transmission Line
By Madeline de Figueiredo | Jan. 27, 2026
Texas’s most powerful transmission line threatens pristine river basins and family ranches. Locals and conservationists are fighting to reroute it.
Rural Wisconsin Has Become a Hotspot for Data Centers. State’s Unique Tax Instrument Explains Why
By Julia Tilton | Jan. 22, 2026
Concerns over transparency, tax policy, and data centers’ utility usage drive many rural residents to oppose planned developments.
The Data Center Rush in Appalachia
By James Branscome | Jan. 7, 2026
Big tech eyes coal country as AI demand soars, but rural communities push back.
This Rural Community Fought One of the Country’s Biggest Gas-Powered Data Centers, and Won
By Julia Tilton | June 17, 2025
Inside the grassroots opposition that fended off a 2,200-acre data center campus in southern Virginia, and why their struggle isn’t over yet.
