Popular Mechanics — How Residents Organized Around Data Center Power, Noise and Air-Pollution Concerns

This November/December 2026 Popular Mechanics feature follows residents in Memphis, Tennessee, and Southaven, Mississippi, as they responded to xAI data centers and associated natural-gas generation. The article describes complaints about persistent noise and vibration, residents beginning their own sound measurements, public-records research, community organizing, environmental permitting disputes, public hearings, and litigation. It also documents how residents formed the Safe and Sound Coalition and worked with established environmental organizations as the projects expanded. How To Fight A Data Center - Po…

The Memphis and Southaven projects are separate from the proposed Prairie West Energy Center and should not be treated as evidence that the same impacts will occur here. The article is nevertheless useful as a real-world example of why communities may choose to document existing conditions, organize early, request public records, participate in regulatory proceedings, and preserve objective information about noise and other environmental conditions before major industrial development is completed. It also illustrates that substantial public participation does not necessarily determine the outcome of a permitting process: the article reports nearly 200 written comments opposing one permit before regulators ultimately approved it.

Independent Magazine Reporting — Popular Mechanics