Actions for the Week of 6/14/26

Written By Darbie Maccubbin

How to contact your elected officials

Use this link to find contact information for ALL of your elected officials – Federal, State, City, and County – just by entering your address: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Other useful links:

Action 1: Oppose the Expansion of AI Data Centers

Adapted from 5 Calls, Food and Water Watch, and Rogan's List 6/10/26

As AI companies race to expand, states across the country are approving massive new data centers with very little public oversight. The U.S. already has more than 4,000 data centers with thousands more planned or under construction.

These facilities consume enormous amounts of electricity and water and in some areas, utility companies are already predicting that rapid data center expansion could strain power grids and increase energy costs for residents. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, data centers could account for roughly 12 percent of all U.S. electricity demand by 2028.

And while the real long-term effects on public health have yet to be seen, researchers warn that these facilities can create noise pollution, threaten water quality, and deplete natural resources in surrounding areas.

Despite these risks, many data centers are approved behind closed doors with fast-track permits and non-disclosure agreements, leaving communities in the dark about the true environmental and financial costs.

Learn more about this contentious and politically complicated issue here:  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/climate/data-center-bans.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pVA.qD-j.yafTUFBSgJAb&smid=url-share

Here are several ways to help push back.

1. For New York Residents

New York is on the verge of a major victory. New York state legislators have passed a bill that pauses permitting of new hyperscale data centers for one year and requires the state Department of Environmental Conservation to develop regulations that could be adopted to mitigate their damaging effects. NY would be the first state in the nation to make this law. But Governor Kathy Hochul has not yet indicated whether she’s going to sign it, and we saw Janet Mills veto a similar bill passed in Maine earlier this year.

Do one or both of the following:

  • Follow this link to send a pre-scripted message to Governor Hochul urging her to sign this bill into law. FWW AI Moratorium Letter

  • Call or email Governor Hochul directly. Write your own script or use this one:

I was so relieved to learn that that the NY State Legislature passed a bill to pause development of AI data centers for one year. These massive facilities must be adequately regulated to protect the health of New Yorkers and our environment. Please sign this common-sense bill into law. Thank you.

2. For residents of states other than New York

There have been moratoriums proposed in 18 states (you can find a list of the proposed bills from the National Conference of State Legislatures here and a tracker from pro-AI entrepreneur Will Manidis here), mostly following similar models of a one-to-three year pause and mandating the development of harm reduction regulations in the meantime.

Call or email your state legislators and governor and urge them to step up. Write your own script or use this one from 5 Calls:

I am deeply concerned about the growing number of data centers being built in our state. I ask that [REP/SEN/GOV NAME]  prioritize the needs of our communities over tech companies by 

[CHOOSE 1-3 options]:

  • opposing permits for new data center construction or supporting a statewide moratorium until stronger safeguards are in place, (and)

  • requiring comprehensive environmental oversight and ongoing reports, (and)

  • protecting residents from rising energy costs and grid strain, (and)

  • stopping closed-door deals, tax giveaways, and NDAs that prevent transparency and public accountability.

3. For Everyone

Senator Sanders and Representative Ocasio-Cortez have introduced the AI Data Center Moratorium Act, which would "impose a moratorium on the construction of new data centers until legislation is enacted that safeguards the public from the dangers of artificial intelligence." 

Follow this link to send a pre-scripted message to your members of Congress telling them to support the AI Datacenter Moratorium Act: https://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/page/92233/action/1?utm_source=roganslist

Action 2: Demand Universal Legal Representation in Immigration Proceedings

From Rogan's List 3/18/26

The Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, established the right to counsel in criminal cases. This decision acknowledged the “obvious truth” that when the state is attempting to punish someone, “lawyers are necessities, not luxuries.” However, there is no right to counsel in immigration court, and many who go through the system do not have the money or knowledge to get a lawyer. At the beginning of Trump 2.0, two-thirds of people facing deportation proceedings were doing so alone, without legal aid. Trump has actually tried to make this problem even worse, attempting to end legal services provided to unaccompanied migrant children. The American Immigration Council has found that having a lawyer dramatically reduces the likelihood of receiving a deportation order.

Advocates have been working to change this on the federal level, but progress is unlikely under this Congress. Our state and local officials must be called on to fill in the gaps as much as they can. As of 2022, 55 jurisdictions, including 10 states, had committed at least some public funding to deportation defense. Illinois remains the only state that has passed a law establishing a right to legal representation in immigration proceedings, but several blue legislatures are considering doing so right now. 

Let’s reach out to our state legislators, governors and local officials and urge them to back public defenders for immigrants. Write your own script or use this one:

Our state should set up a public defender program for immigration courts, so that everyone faced with deportation can get a lawyer. Once caught up in the system, many immigrants don’t have the resources to get legal aid, and are being treated unfairly. Some are taken from their homes, separated from their families, and sent to places where they’re in danger when a lawyer would have been able to help them. Universal representation is a right for people in the criminal justice system, and it should be a right for those who just want a better life for themselves, too. Thank you.

Choose your own outrage with 5 Calls

5 Calls has been around since the first Trump term and offers a quick and easy way to make calls to your elected representatives. Enter your zip code or address and pick a topic. Then choose the representative you want to call, make the call, and read the script provided. Calling your congressperson is the most effective way to influence policy. Please check it out here: https://5calls.org

Phonebanking and Textbanking Opportunities

For the month of June, Field Team 6 will be hosting a series of textbanks to reach hundreds of thousands of unregistered likely Democrats in key states and swing districts and try to get them activated.





Darbie Maccubbin
Next

Actions for the Week of 6/7/26