Over 500 localities restrict data centers

More than 500 U.S. counties or municipalities now impose restrictions severe enough to effectively block new data centers, up from more than 300 in late June. The Information’s updated national count arrives as New York and Texas add statewide scrutiny to local opposition; an earlier public-record review found more than 50 project cancellations this year and roughly 200 proposals already facing local challenges. For infrastructure operators, the count extends Texas’s 474 GW audit lesson nationwide: political permission is now a capacity input, so site pipelines need jurisdictional diversification before equipment orders lock in.