How organized opposition that toppled a $100B data center project in Virginia's Prince William County became a blueprint for data center backlash in the US (Dawn Lim/Bloomberg)

Organized opposition in Prince William County halted a $100 billion data-center project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Residents and environmental groups cited the project’s potential impact on local ecosystems, water use, and traffic congestion. The cancellation set a precedent for community-led challenges to large data-center developments across the United States.