According to CoinMeta, the expansion of AI data centers in the United States has sparked opposition from farmers and ranchers, who are concerned that these projects will occupy farmland and compete for local water and electricity. There are currently about 5,000 data centers in the U.S. that are either built or under construction, and some of these data centers consume as much electricity as a medium-sized city. Farmers fear that the surge in electricity demand will drive up utility costs, while ranchers in drought-stricken areas worry that agriculture may be required to cut back on water use during times of water scarcity. Approximately 20 states are considering imposing restrictions on data center construction. A report released by the Kansas Health Institute shows that U.S. data centers consumed about 17 billion gallons of water directly in 2023, and this figure is expected to increase two to four times by 2028. Local governments have begun to impose limitations; last year, the city of Tucson in Arizona rejected a data center project associated with Amazon, and this year, Kansas City requires new projects to obtain approval from the city council, with an assessment of their impact on water resources and residents' electricity bills.