Amazon’s $1B plan to combat data center backlash draws more backlash

Amazon announced over $1 billion in donations to communities near data centers over five years, with funds to be directed toward education, job training, energy affordability, water, and local priorities. The company also committed to being water positive by 2030 and promised data centers would not increase power bills or deplete local water supplies. Environmental advocates criticized the plan as inadequate, arguing that Amazon is downplaying pollution concerns and that the $1 billion commitment is minimal compared to the $220 billion the company is investing in data centers in a single year. A key criticism centers on Amazon's construction of a power plant expected to become the largest source of U.S. climate emissions, which the company's announcement does not address.