Amazon and Gilroy cut data center deal without public scrutiny
Source: The Wall Street Journal (paywall)
Amazon's $2 billion AWS facility in California was negotiated and approved through closed-door agreements that bypassed standard public review processes. Data centers—the physical backbone of cloud computing, AI training, and digital services—are now being sited with minimal community input despite significant impacts on local power grids, water systems, and tax bases. As infrastructure becomes concentrated in fewer corporate hands, democratic oversight mechanisms have stalled.