A divided America agrees on one thing: most folks don’t want new data centers in their communities. But do data centers live up to their sour reputation as water and electricity gluttons? Or are they, in fact, a 21st-century version of the automobile – an innovation deemed dangerous at first, but eventually a means to community advancement and prosperity? Steven Koonin, the Hoover Institution’s Edward Teller Senior Fellow and an energy policy expert, discusses what’s behind data-center NIMBYism and whether America will rise to the challenge of a greater demand for electricity in the near future as artificial intelligence and the needs of an increasingly information-intensive society and economy continue to reshape the nation’s landscape. Also discussed: the US Energy Department’s embrace of a “golden age of nuclear energy” (speaking of technology that once spawned NIMBY discontent), an evolving climate change debate (why does the UN bother to celebrate “climate weeks”?) and an emergency-mode California bracing for an El Niño event that’s expected to submerge vast portions of the Golden State in the coming months.
LEARN MORE
Videos
Hoover Institution fellow Dr. Scott Atlas discusses his Wall Street Journal article he co-authored with Hoover Institution fellow Steven Koonin, "Covid, Climate and the ‘Consensus Trap’".
October 8, 2026
Event
How are autonomous satellites and artificial intelligence transforming space exploration, and what challenges must engineers overcome to ensure a sustainable future in orbit?
May 1, 2026
VIDEO
The United States must turn its lead in oil, gas, nuclear, and clean firm energy into strategic advantages that advance national interests, generate prosperity in open markets, and benefit America’s allies and partners around the globe.
