On August 27, Ben Dell, the co-founder of investment firm Kimmeridge, highlighted that planned data center projects across the United States are encountering significant hurdles. These challenges stem from escalating political opposition, legal disputes, and the intricacies associated with physical infrastructure development. Dell cautioned that as many as 50% of these projects could experience delays or even cancellations, underscoring a critical point: the "Silicon Valley model is running into real-world infrastructure bottlenecks." He further predicted that the demand for natural gas in the U.S. will surge by roughly 30 billion cubic feet per day in the foreseeable future, with data centers potentially accounting for 5 to 10 billion cubic feet of this increase. Nevertheless, delays in project execution might result in AI-related demand falling short of initial projections. As the U.S. midterm elections draw near, data centers have emerged as a contentious political issue, with opposition from both major parties intensifying in key states like Pennsylvania, Texas, and Ohio.