Neighborhood backlash collides with America's tech arms race - but is this the plan to fix it?

A national security push to expand the infrastructure behind America's technological ambitions is running into resistance from the communities being asked to host it, pitting Washington's race to stay ahead of China against mounting local backlash.

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., who represents America's "Data Center Alley," warns that backlash could obstruct the very buildout Washington considers a national priority unless Congress steps in - arguing that community buy-in is necessary to keep expansion moving.

"The communities are being steamrolled by the industry," Subramanyam told Fox News Digital. "They're not feeling like anyone's listening to them."

Subramanyam is pitching a four-part federal plan aimed at breaking what he sees as a false choice between unchecked development and outright moratoriums. The proposal addresses siting, power costs, energy and water measurement, and security for the facilities and surrounding communities.

"If you are concerned about a race with China, when it comes to building data centers and AI, you should want to work with us on a plan to get community buy-in for where to build data centers," Subramanyam said.

His Fair Share Act would push states to require large power users to cover more of the infrastructure costs needed to serve them, according to the plan.

"At the federal level, if we say that we're going to take away some of your federal funding if you do this, then it will be a no-brainer," he said, arguing data centers should "pay their fair share for the infrastructure that needs to be built because of them."

The tension surfaced again this week as Fox News Digital reported on complaints of noise and encroachment from a massive data center built against an Ashburn cul-de-sac.

Subramanyam said many residents in his district understand the need for the infrastructure but object to how he says its costs and burdens are distributed.

But Subramanyam argued residents must weigh those benefits against costs he says can appear elsewhere, particularly on utility bills.

"What's not OK is feeling like they come in, jack up utility costs and we pay for their power infrastructure," he said, also citing water, air quality and other community concerns.

Fox News Digital reached out to the trade group, which is based in Data Center Alley, for comment on the package.

Subramanyam argues infrastructure with national implications cannot continue developing "ad hoc" under a patchwork of state and local rules.

Other pieces of the plan would establish federal standards for siting and measurement and develop protections against security threats, including attacks on critical infrastructure overseas.

"I know that localities do zoning, states do energy policy and other related things, but Congress and the federal government need to get involved," Subramanyam said.

"In the years before I took office, data centers came to Virginia, and the commonwealth did not have a clear or coordinated plan to address their impacts on Virginians - on their electric bills, their water, their land, their air, or their quality of life," Spanberger told Fox News Digital.

"Two things can be true: You can support data centers, and you can be against the guardrails lacking in [the law]," Keys said.

For Subramanyam, the sharply different approaches on either side of the Blue Ridge illustrate the patchwork he says Washington must address before local resistance hardens further.

"The only plan I've seen is either to do nothing or a full moratorium," he said. "And to me, neither of those is a viable option moving forward."