Newsweek examines the growing public relations crisis facing the data center industry, as bipartisan community opposition accelerates and formerly pro-development politicians begin walking back their support. Over 500 localities have stalled new data center construction, and more than 75 projects worth an estimated $130 billion were halted in just the first three months of 2026. DataBank CEO Raul Martynek is among the industry leaders featured in the piece.

Martynek acknowledges the industry’s communication failures directly. While most data centers use a fraction of the water people assume, he notes that developers routinely respond to community concerns with generalities rather than specific numbers, creating an information void that fuels fear and suspicion.

“Most facilities use a fraction of the water people assume. Yet developers often respond to local concerns with generalities instead of numbers, fueling fears that something malicious is being hidden.”
— Raul Martynek, CEO, DataBank

The article charts the gap between what the industry is saying and what communities need to hear. A recent Bloom Energy report found that only a third of operators discuss grid reliability or water consumption when engaging with communities, despite these being the issues locals care about most. Experts quoted in the piece argue that the path forward requires proactive transparency, specific data, and genuine community investment rather than reactive damage control.

Martynek’s candor positions DataBank as an operator that understands what needs to change, not just what has gone wrong.