'We wish you’d die of a slow death': US officials wedged between data center giants and local…

• AI data centers are pushing rural land prices far beyond farm values
• Local officials now face threats over decisions tied to data centers
• Farmers are receiving offers that can be extremely difficult to reject

US officials are facing threats and intense local opposition over artificial intelligence projects that are driving fierce competition for rural property and resources.

The conflict is intensifying, with developers seeking large tracts of land and residents raising concerns about electricity use, water demand, and rising property values.

In several communities, officials have faced intimidation after voting on projects, showing how contentious the expansion of AI infrastructure has become.

Threats intensify as communities resist development

In Michigan, township officials received death threats after supporting a major data center proposal involving Oracle and OpenAI.

An official said threatening messages became severe enough to make ordinary disagreements over development far more troubling.

“We’ve got a lot of recorded messages...

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