Erin Brockovich: Over 4,000 People Asked Me to Investigate Data Centers - Here's What I Found (Video)

In this 3 October 2026 published video, host Jon Favreau talks with Erin Brockovich who has spent three decades helping communities fight the biggest corporations and cruelest environmental injustices, inspiring an Oscar-winning movie along the way. Her latest cause is also her biggest – AI data centers and their insidious arrival to communities across the country. 

After scores of people wrote to her about the alarming influx of hyperscale projects, Brockovich launched Brockovich Data Center Reporting, which received nearly 4,000 submissions in its first month alone. Environmental activist Brockovich has launched a major investigation into the rapid expansion of AI data centers across the United States. Prompted by an initial flood of messages from worried residents, she created a crowdsourced mapping initiative at BrockovichDataCenter.com to document community complaints. Her project has received thousands of submissions spanning all 50 states, highlighting what she describes as “Hinkley on steroids”. 

She sits down with Favreau to discuss everything she’s learned, what the industry gets wrong about the backlash, and whether there’s a way to build what we need without screwing over the people who have to live with it. Her investigation has revealed several major core issues impacting local communities. 

The single most common word appearing in citizen submissions is transparency. Residents report that local officials are changing zoning ordinances and signing strict non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with tech companies, leaving communities entirely in the dark. Massive facilities consume between 1 to 8 million gallons of water per day, often in drought-restricted areas. This heavy energy and water strain has caused local utility bills to skyrocket, with some residents reporting water bills jumping from $30 to nearly $300. Constructing these mega-campuses—which can span 2,000 to 4,000 acres—disrupts local water tables. Heavy construction vibration has actively damaged residential wells, dropping water pressure and turning tap water completely turbid. Once operational, the facilities generate a relentless, 24/7 low-frequency humming noise from massive cooling systems, causing severe sleep disruption and anxiety for nearby homeowners. Thousands of acres of rural farmland, natural vegetation, and trees are being cleared, completely displacing local wildlife sanctuaries. 

Brockovich clarifies that her goal is not to stop artificial intelligence itself, but to demand that tech companies ensure zero conflict with human resources and give communities a meaningful voice in protecting their local quality of life. 

https://youtu.be/F0rQlYyjx3o

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
1:20 Jon’s Essay
10:04 Erin Brockovich 
22:50 Ad Break
25:04 Erin Brockovich Part 2
44:20 Ad Break
46:59 Erin Brockovich Part 3