# Data centers: Small town politics turn into a national fight

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/on-assignment-7432756/data-centers-small-town-politics-turn-into-a-national-fight
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/on-assignment-7432756/data-centers-small-town-politics-turn-into-a-national-fight.md
Podcast: [On Assignment](https://stenobird.com/podcast/on-assignment-7432756)
Published: 2026-07-18T05:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/THRH3439056517.mp3
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/THRH3439056517.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/on-assignment-7432756/episodes/data-centers-small-town-politics-turn-into-a-national-fight
Duration seconds: 1453

## Resource

As AI transforms our lives, companies are racing to build data centers, the physical infrastructure needed to power such a technological revolution. On this week's episode of On Assignment, energy reporter Valerie Volcovici and video journalist Eric Cox travel to Middleton Township, Ohio. There, a new Meta data center and power station have sparked a debate about whether jobs and promises of investment are worth the cost of building this infrastructure. Hear how this small town's fight is being replicated around America and the world. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to opt out of targeted advertising.

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## Transcript

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