As AI compute demand drives a surge in U.S. data centers, reporting highlights growing community opposition and legal fights over eminent domain used for transmission lines and other infrastructure. The piece notes there are more than 3,000 data centers in the U.S. with another 1,500 under development, alongside polling showing 70% of Americans oppose siting data centers in their communities. The dispute centers on whether power companies can characterize land seizure for private AI infrastructure as “public use” under eminent domain, and what qualifies as “just compensation.” The article describes instances in states such as Georgia and Pennsylvania where companies have pursued condemnations after landowners refused to sell easements. It also places environmental and utility concerns in the foreground, citing data center electricity use and water demands, as well as the grid stress created by new transmission lines that may cut across private property. For higher education, the development is relevant because universities are major data consumers and may become partners—or litigants—when regional power upgrades intersect with campus facilities, research computing projects, and sustainability plans.