Kerwin Olson

Executive Director at Citizens Action Coalition, Advocate for utility consumers, low-income Hoosiers, clean energy, good government, and environmental justice

[Ben Inskeep @Ben_Inskeep]

The federal government's response to widespread public concern about the environmental impacts of data centers is to tell us to it's not going to do anything about it

[Ben Inskeep @Ben_Inskeep]

The Trump administration's unlawful orders to force NISPCO to keep open the dilapidated Schahfer coal plant has been a complete and total fiasco.

NIPSCO admits the unreliable coal power plant hasn't generated any electricity in more than 3 months and will be out until October!

[Nashville Zoo @NashvilleZoo]

On Thursday, we asked our community to stand with Nashville Zoo in protecting the animals, habitats and future of the Zoo from a proposed data center next door.

Please keep sharing and contact your local representatives ➡️ https://t.co/q2ISQnxLBK

[𐌁𐌉Ᏽ 𐌕𐌉𐌌𐌉 @OrevaZSN]

I’m trying to figure out how we went from “reduce your carbon footprint” to building AI pollution factories in every city.

[Chicago Sun-Times @Suntimes]

AI data centers are driving electric bill costs for ComEd customers up, and customers will experience at least a 12% jump in monthly charges starting in June. https://t.co/8G9PDBfA5k

[More Perfect Union @MorePerfectUS]

71% of Americans now oppose data centers being built in their area.

Nearly half of all Americans (48%) strongly oppose them.

And just 7% strongly favor data centers being built in their area, according to new Gallup polling.

[Ben Inskeep @Ben_Inskeep]

The CEO of utility Eversource Energy admitted on a recent earnings call that data centers are “only going to drive up the price of energy.”

“It’s of no value to our residential customer — actually, any customer,” the CEO explained.

[Merissa Hansen @merissahansen17]

This is what it sounds like living next to a data center. The video below was recorded at midnight, and the data center is situated next to 100s of residential homes.

[Senator Chris Van Hollen @ChrisVanHollen]

Marylanders will pay $1.6 BILLION over the next 10 yrs to subsidize the power needs of Big Tech's data centers.

You should NOT have to pay for Big Tech's profits.

My Power for the People Act would make data centers pay for their power, instead of passing costs onto consumers.

https://t.co/g5Iw705Nxm

[Ben Inskeep @Ben_Inskeep]

I don't understand why people don't trust data centers.

You can clearly see that these AES Indiana rates for Google's data center in Monrovia, IN are fair and reasonable.

[Farm Action @FarmActionUS]

URGENT:

AI data centers are an existential threat to farmers and rural communities.

We are demanding an immediate moratorium on new data centers.

They drive up farmland prices.

They increase electricity costs.

They strain water supplies.

And they weaken local economies.

The proliferation of data centers is exacerbating a crisis that farmers cannot continue to tolerate.

Over 140,000 farms shut down between 2017 and 2022.

And this trend is only getting worse.

Farm bankruptcy rates rose 46% in 2025.

The remaining farmers who have thus far survived this dire economic landscape are not thriving, they are barely surviving.

We just signed a letter alongside dozens of other farmers, ranchers, farm and rural organizations, and other community stakeholders—collectively representing millions of rural Americans—calling on elected officials at the local, state, and national level to:

Implement moratoriums on new data center approvals and halt the approval and construction of data centers until adequate regulations are in place to protect our farms, our communities, our families, and our health.

Read our full letter below:🧵

[Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer]

The data center backlash isn’t close to peaking.

At least 20 proposed data centers were cancelled following local opposition in Q1 2026, per new Heatmap Pro data.

That smashes last quarter’s record of 12 canceled projects. The number of contested projects also hit an all-time high last quarter.

The data centers canceled in Q1 represented at least $41.7 billion in investment and at least 3.5 gigawatts of power demand.

Our researchers at @heatmap_news regularly review public records and press accounts, and call every county in the U.S., to produce this exclusive data.

Read my story for the full rundown: https://t.co/5WWey9emnl

[CAC Indiana @cacindiana]

🚨BREAKING: 27 Public Interest Organizations Call on #Indiana Local Governments to Enact #DataCenter Moratorium

Our press release here:

https://t.co/t2zE5uI8mp

[Ben Inskeep @Ben_Inskeep]

🚨27 Public Interest Organizations Call on Indiana Local Governments to Enact Data Center Moratorium🚨

Moratoria are needed to allow adequate time for reasonable policies and regulations to be enacted that protect Hoosiers from harmful impacts of data centers.

[CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil @CBSEveningNews]

New data centers are popping up across the country, driving up utility bills in at least 13 states. According to a new analysis, Americans who live near the centers are paying as much as 267% more a month for energy than five years ago.

[Ben Inskeep @Ben_Inskeep]

"A genuine working class coalition is forming in opposition to this greed & avarice. That movement deserves to be celebrated and supported, not denigrated and lied about. And we deserve a future we control, not one dictated to us by Big Tech billionaires and their apologists."🔥

[More Perfect Union @MorePerfectUS]

Indiana residents are paying $600, $700, $800 a month in electric bills.

Indiana is being hit with some of the biggest rate increases in the U.S.

Data centers are driving up costs, BlackRock just bought one of the utilities, and people are demanding regulators step in.

[WISH-TV News @WISHNews8]

A proposed zoning ordinance for data centers in Indianapolis is aimed at adding clarity to the development process and setting guidelines for these projects, while also addressing concerns about environmental impacts and utility costs. I-Team 8's Tim Spears reports. https://t.co/Y3T5OE4yyy

[Ben Inskeep @Ben_Inskeep]

A proposed 430-MW AI data center in Sullivan County, IN is looking to finance the project with $5.7 billion in junk bonds.

[Jordan Smith @jordantsmith09]

We have our first look at Indy's data center regulations that are months in the works.

Consumer and environmental advocates told IndyStar they're too weak on minimizing pollution and ensuring transparency.
https://t.co/DHnFxgLbwG