---
title: "US heatwave: ban the shut offs and protect people, not data centers"
date: 2026-07-03T14:29:29Z
modified: 2026-07-03T14:29:29Z
permalink: "https://350.org/press-release/us-heatwave-ban-the-shut-offs-and-protect-people-not-data-centers/"
type: press-release
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 175531290
author: kimbryan
---

This Fourth of July, about 160 million Americans will celebrate under dangerous heat, with temperatures climbing past 113 degrees. [350.org](http://350.org) [calls on the US Congress](https://act.350.org/letter/jun-26-em-letter-us-ban-utility-shutoffs/?r=PH&c=AS) to establish a moratorium on new data centers and ban utility companies from cutting off electricity access of American households who can’t afford to pay their bills, as an emergency measure to protect lives.

Amid this potentially deadly and historic heat dome, grid operators are asking families to use less electricity to avoid blackouts. To make it even worse, in 27 states utility companies can legally shut off a family’s electricity due to unpaid bills. With electric bills projected to run 8.5% higher than last summer, more families than ever will be forced to choose between keeping the power on and putting food on the table.

**The strain on the grid and the surge in household bills share a single driver: unchecked data center demand.**

In the eastern and midwestern states trapped under the heat dome, electricity demand is [growing twelve times faster](https://insidelines.pjm.com/pjms-updated-20-year-forecast-continues-to-see-significant-long-term-load-growth/) than it was five years ago, driven almost entirely by data centers fed by fossil fueled energy sources. An [independent market monitor reports](https://www.monitoringanalytics.com/reports/PJM_State_of_the_Market/2026/2026q1-som-pjm.pdf) that data centers are the prime reason for tight supply and soaring electricity bills across the region, driving 63% of the recent capacity price increases.

The heatwave itself bears the fingerprints of the fossil fuel economy. A[ new scientific study](https://mcusercontent.com/854a9a3e09405d4ab19a4a9d5/files/996f5dda-5ed5-56ef-b17a-b11611334503/FINAL__North_America_Heat_Press_Release.pdf) released this week found that record humid-heat levels in the US would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change.

[**350.org**](http://350.org) **Energy Affordability Campaigns Manager Candice Fortin said:**

_“No American should lose their life over an electric bill. Losing air conditioning in this heat isn’t an inconvenience – it’s life-threatening. Air conditioning in a dangerous heatwave is what keeps elderly people, pregnant women and young children out of the emergency room, and higher use during summer heatwaves is something every utility plans for. Yet ordinary households are once again paying the highest price for a crisis they didn’t cause._

_The reason the grid has so little headroom is that data centers are consuming electricity at a scale it wasn’t built for, around the clock, every day of the year. And worse: fed by fossil fueled energy sources that make heatwaves more frequent and more deadly._

_350.org is calling for a moratorium on new data center construction, to give citizens and their elected representatives time to put democratic rules in place to manage their impact on our energy, water and land. Every state should also ban utility shutoffs during extreme heat. That’s an emergency measure to stop more Americans from suffering._

_Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta raked in net profits of over $80 billion in the first three months of 2026 alone. In fact, investor-owned utilities kept on average a profit of 14.6 cents on every dollar they collected from ratepayers.They can afford to wait while communities catch up._

_The heatwave bearing down on 160 million Americans right now is a preview of every summer to come. Our leaders must choose who they will protect: tech companies and investor-owned utilities, or people. Access to clean, affordable energy is a right, not a privilege. Real independence means no American is ever again forced to choose between a power bill they can’t afford and heat they can’t survive.”_

**ENDS**

![How to Stop a Data Centre: Tools for Community Resistance - Commons Library](https://commonslibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/DataCentreProtest-940x682.jpg)