Resolution 2026-01
WHEREAS, large and “hyperscale” data centers—the physical infrastructure for artificial intelligence technologies, cryptocurrency mining, cloud computing, and other digital services—are rapidly proliferating; and
WHEREAS, the campuses of many of the large data centers being proposed and constructed today range in size from dozens to thousands of acres, including large areas of impervious surfaces, which have the potential to exacerbate habitat loss and degradation, encroach upon remaining high-value habitat, impede wildlife migration, intensify the urban heat island effect, and potentially create financial barriers to land conservation; and
WHEREAS, the rapid expansion of large data centers and associated infrastructure presents important considerations related to water use, energy demand, land use, wildlife habitat, property values, and community impacts across the United States, and may disproportionately affect rural communities, agricultural areas, working lands, property owners, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, and other populations that may have fewer resources or less capacity to respond to large-scale development pressures; and
WHEREAS, consumptive and non-consumptive water use by data centers can vary substantially from project to project, depending on location and technologies used, with additional and significant indirect demand from reliance on thermoelectric power plants; and
WHEREAS, demand for water for cooling by data centers and the thermoelectric plants that supply much of their power may affect aquatic wildlife, including freshwater fishes, by altering water flow and temperature, and may increase water stress, threatening drinking water supplies and ecosystem integrity; and
WHEREAS, data centers are a key driver of overall growth in the country’s electricity demand, projected to comprise 6.7 to 12% of U.S. electricity demand by 2028—and speculative energy demand from data centers may stimulate significant investments in unnecessary power and transmission infrastructure and stranded assets, should demand fail to materialize; and
WHEREAS, these data centers demand 24/7 supplies of power with high reliability, stoking demand for dispatchable power sources, including both on the grid and “behind the meter,” with fossil gas currently supplying the largest share (around 40%) of electricity for data centers in the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, greenhouse gas emissions from power generation are a key driver of climate change, which poses a serious and growing threat to wildlife as it affects wildlife abundance, behavior, and survival and exacerbates other stressors; and
WHEREAS, the construction and operation of many large data centers and co-located fossil fuel generators may create significant noise pollution and light pollution, with potential for direct and indirect impacts to nearby wildlife, ecosystems, and nearby communities, though the extent of these impacts at various scales remains understudied and poorly understood; and
WHEREAS, given the unprecedented rate of development and the scale of energy demand in the data center industry, these facilities may present other significant dangers to wildlife conservation, frontline and fenceline communities, Tribal sovereignty and self-determination, land conservation, climate change mitigation, or water security that are not yet fully appreciated or described here; and
WHEREAS, current regulations, subsidies, and incentives at all levels of government are not suited to support the sustainable, transparent, and responsible growth of this sector, and voluntary pledges alone will be insufficient to mitigate harm; and
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Federation, representing the interests of millions of Americans from all walks of life, has long recognized the urgent need to mitigate climate change, transition away from dependence on fossil fuels, and steward our shared natural resources responsibly, in order to safeguard biodiversity, conserve wildlife habitat, and promote human well-being.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its Annual Meeting assembled June 14-17, 2026, calls upon policymakers at all levels of government to create the necessary regulatory and legislative safeguards, and for the data center industry to develop best practices, to align data center development with wildlife conservation, human well-being, and climate change mitigation and adaptation goals; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon decision makers at all levels to adopt a transparent, democratic, and deliberative process to determine when, where, and how data centers are permitted and constructed, and for federal lawmakers to determine appropriate statutory coverage and public reporting requirements for air, water, and other pollution emitted by large data center facilities and associated infrastructure, including behind-the-meter power generators; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls on permitting bodies to ensure that data centers and associated infrastructure prohibit siting in publicly protected lands, near sensitive or rare habitats, water-stressed areas, or important wildlife corridors and mitigate other impacts to habitat, and calls upon the data center industry to compensate for unavoidable loss, or fragmentation, or degradation of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife habitat; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation also urges local and municipal governments to develop and adopt proactive land-use planning and zoning regulations to prevent conversion and fragmentation of wildlife habitat and encroachment of industrial activity upon residential areas, community greenspaces, public lands, or other culturally or ecologically significant landscape areas; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon state and federal agencies to adopt standards for transparent public reporting of projected and actual electricity demand and water use, grid upgrade needs, and associated transmission requirements; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon policymakers to oppose legislative and regulatory efforts that exempt data centers and their associated energy infrastructure from environmental and judicial review, and to ensure Tribal sovereignty is respected and the federal government fulfills its trust responsibility and consultation obligations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges state and local officials to prohibit the use of non-disclosure agreements that restrict public disclosure of information on data center development projects, except as otherwise required by state or federal law; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the data center industry to act swiftly and decisively to adopt ambitious water and energy efficiency standards practices, to transparently disclose projected and current energy and water usage, including direct withdrawals and indirect water usage related to thermoelectric power, and to abide by BYONCE (bring your own new clean energy) practices; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon researchers and universities to urgently pursue research related to the cumulative impacts of data center buildout on wildlife conservation, public health, including cumulative impacts, hydrological cycling, and climate change mitigation, and on sustainable alternatives to meet growing demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and other digital services.