I want to offer up a point for reasonable debate here: Suppose you are against new data center construction as a (clumsy) policy lever to regulate the pace of AI progress and harms.

Do the facts matter? If the water issue is “fake” or overblown, but it’s resonating with voters who are packing town halls and ultimately effecting the change you want (a broad slowdown in the construction of new compute) is that a problem? Congress isn’t going to get off its ass. There is momentum here. Who actually cares if people are making misinformed choices if the outcome is correct? Isn’t this how literally all politics works?

(If you think the outcome is not correct, that’s a different debate entirely.)