In the closing months of 2025, Meta Platforms launched a targeted television campaign across eight U.S. state capitals and Washington, D.C., spending $6.4 million to recast its sprawling data centers as economic saviors rather than resource hogs. The ads, tracked by analytics firm AdImpact, spotlighted small-town success stories like Altoona, Iowa, where Meta’s facility has become a symbol of job growth amid the AI boom.
The campaign kicked off with a 30-second spot panning over Altoona’s diners, farms, and high school football fields, accompanied by guitar strums and a voice-over declaring, “We’re bringing jobs here. For us, and for our next generation.” Far from political pitches, these commercials aimed to soften mounting backlash against data centers’ voracious appetite for power and water, as tech giants race to fuel artificial intelligence ambitions.
Meta’s push reflects a broader frenzy: the company, alongside OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, is pouring hundreds of billions into AI infrastructure. Yet President Trump and lawmakers nationwide have lambasted the facilities for inflating energy bills and taxing local water supplies, turning what was once a quiet expansion into a flashpoint for 2026 policy battles.
A Folksy Pitch from Iowa Heartland
Altoona, a town of 20,000 just east of Des Moines, anchors the ads’ narrative. Meta’s campus there, expanded with over $2.5 billion in investments since 2013, supports more than 400 operational jobs, according to company data. Construction peaks drew 1,300 skilled workers, injecting vitality into a region grappling with fading agriculture. Local leaders credit the facility with bolstering tax revenues and community projects, even as critics question long-term gains from highly automated operations.
Michael Beach, chief executive of Cross Screen Media, a marketing analytics firm, told The New York Times that Meta likely targeted the buys “with the goal of shaping policy decisions” and reaching lawmakers in markets like Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and Tallahassee. In Sacramento, spending topped all but D.C., per Politico, amid California’s heated debates over data center water use.
California Assemblywoman Diane Papan, who watched one such ad, had pushed water efficiency standards for data centers—vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2025. Her efforts highlight how ads landed in capitals weighing restrictions, as Meta touts a $600 billion U.S. infrastructure pledge through 2028.
Backlash Builds on Energy Fronts
Opposition surges as data centers demand power equivalent to small cities. In El Paso, Texas, a $1.5 billion Meta project sparked fury over El Paso Electric’s bid for a 366-megawatt natural gas plant, the McCloud facility, despite earlier solar promises. Organizer Matthew Rodriguez of Amanecer People’s Project called it a “massive step backward” for sustainability goals of 80% carbon-free energy by 2035, per KVIA.
Georgia’s public service commission approved 10 gigawatts for utilities like Georgia Power, fueling resident ire over bill hikes. “Georgians oppose being treated as collateral damage by the unregulated growth of data centers,” warned critics, as The Guardian reported pushes for bans. Data Center Watch tallies $64 billion in blocked or delayed projects across 28 states, with 142 advocacy groups active.
President Trump’s critiques underscore the tension: he champions AI leadership but insists tech firms “pay their own way” to shield consumers from rate spikes. Deals like Meta’s nuclear pacts with Oklo, Vistra, and TerraPower for Ohio’s Prometheus campus aim to sidestep grids, yet rural pushback persists from Pennsylvania to Michigan.
Policy Wars Heat Up in Capitals
The ad targets—Sacramento (California), Salt Lake City (Utah), Tallahassee (Florida), and others—host brewing fights. California stalled key bills, opting for studies on grid costs. Utah and Florida eye expansions, but national calls grow: Food & Water Watch rallied 230 groups for a moratorium, warning of doubled global data center power by 2026, rivaling Japan’s usage.
Meta counters with community grants and local hiring, as in Altoona’s 500+ badged staff, mostly Iowans. Yet Iowa itself debates tax breaks for Google, Meta, and Microsoft amid questions on job quality. In Louisiana, Meta’s $27 billion Hyperion financing with Blue Owl Capital drew gas plant approvals despite environmental pledges.
Analysts see 2026 midterms hinging on affordability. “This is going to be a big issue in our politics,” said Brendan Steinhauser of the Alliance for Secure AI to NPR. Democrats probe cost pass-throughs; Republicans like Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger won on bill hikes. Tech vows responsibility, but grassroots coalitions demand guardrails.
AI Ambitions Versus Local Realities
Meta’s titan campuses like Prometheus (multi-GW AI supercluster online 2026) and Kansas City expansions blend ownership with cloud leasing. Ohio regulators greenlit 400 MW behind-the-meter gas for power reliability. Yet Los Angeles Times notes two-thirds of projects face blocks over environment and costs, forcing timeline shifts.
In Idaho’s Kuna, Meta’s $800 million site nears 2026 opening amid farmer land sales. Wyoming plans dwarf state household use. Developers relocate sites, as DC Blox did in Virginia’s Henrico County, to dodge residents. Momentum builds for federal reforms, with DOE eyeing FERC rules on connections.
As ads fade, the narrative war endures. Meta’s Iowa idyll seeks to humanize behemoths powering Llama models and Ray-Ban glasses. But with $98 billion stalled in Q2 2025 alone per Sherwood News, and Trump eyeing deals like Microsoft’s, balancing AI supremacy with voter wallets defines the stakes.