Is secrecy fueling the backlash against data centers?, tell me about this news in (https://www.wral.com/news/local/data-centers-secrecy-sept-2026/)

The public backlash against data centers is driven significantly by secrecy and lack of transparency, alongside serious resource concerns:

• Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and Code Names: Tech giants and infrastructure developers routinely negotiate with local utility boards, county commissioners, and economic development agencies under strict NDAs and project code names. By the time residents learn about a facility, approvals and tax incentives are often already finalized behind closed doors.
• Hidden Environmental and Grid Demands: Communities are frequently kept in the dark regarding the true resource footprintmassive electricity consumption, millions of gallons of daily water use for server cooling, and continuous ambient noise. When local ratepayers discover that new substations or grid upgrades might drive up residential utility bills, anger escalates.
• Unmet Economic Expectations: Secretive deal-making often touts massive regional economic windfalls. Once built, however, massive automated hyperscale centers typically create relatively few permanent local jobs compared to the land and resources they absorb.

This lack of early public dialogue has led hundreds of municipalities across the country to enact moratoriums, zoning bans, and legal challenges against new developments.