Dina Powell McCormick

Data centers are economically positive and necessary for US AI leadership. Dina argues the industry has failed to communicate the benefits, while valid local concerns over electricity, water, noise, and aesthetics can be addressed through compacts where operators pay for their own generation, grid upgrades, and water-efficient systems; opposing data centers mainly benefits US adversaries.

Meta's largest data center investment in Richland Parish, Louisiana, is economically transformative for the community: it created jobs, boosted small businesses, and generated tax surpluses that gave teachers roughly $45,000-$50,000 checks. Meta addressed water, electricity, noise, and aesthetics concerns through a compact that includes paying for its own generation, grid resilience, and grid upgrades, making the project a prototype for Louisiana's large-load framework and strengthening Meta's social license for AI expansion.