About this episode

This episode discusses the impact of data centers on working-class communities in the US and features residents fighting against these projects.

In so-called "red states" and "blue states" around the US, from rural areas to urban centers, the explosion of new data center projects is impacting residents in poor, working-class, and middle-class communities alike. In this episode of Working People , we speak with a diverse panel of residents fighting new and proposed data center projects in Texas and Maryland about what it means for you and your community when one of these loud, polluting, energy- and water-guzzling behemoths comes to your town—and how to fight back. Panelists include: Cheryl Shadden , a registered nurse anesthetist who lives right next to the site of a Marathon bitcoin mine in Granbury, Texas; Karen Pearson, a licensed professional counselor and a resident of Granbury who also lives right next to the Marathon bitcoin mine; Dr. Shannon Wolf, Precinct Chair in Hood County, who lives three miles from the Marathon bitcoin mine; Craig Jackson, a resident of Granbury who lives 300 feet from the site of a new proposed data center, and who is also a plaintiff in a current lawsuit residents have filed against the city of Granbury; Micaiah Lloyd , a grassroots organizer and resident of Charles County, Maryland, who…

People in this episode

Host: Working People

Guests: Cheryl Shadden, Karen Pearson, Dr. Shannon Wolf, Craig Jackson, Micaiah Lloyd, Hillary Gonzalez

Topics covered

• data centers
• working class
• community impact
• environmental issues
• local activism

Keywords

• data centers
• working class
• Texas
• Maryland
• community activism
• environmental impact
• pollution

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Johns Hopkins University

Places: Texas, Maryland, Granbury, Charles County, Baltimore

More episodes of Working People

• Train crashes destroyed their towns. Will yours be next? · July 6, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Toxic Avengers: America's poisoned and abandoned communities must stand together or die · July 1, 2026 · 1h 8m
• UAW becomes first major union to divest from Israel · June 26, 2026 · 1h 5m
• FBI raids homes of Michigan students and workers for Palestine activism · June 23, 2026 · 25 min
• LIVE SHOW w/ Kim Kelly, Alex Press, and Hamilton Nolan · June 18, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Who's afraid of Chris Smalls? · June 8, 2026 · 54 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Working People podcast page.