Read All About It Publishers releases Lance Luke book on AI data centers

Read All About It Publishers has released Lance Luke’s new nonfiction book on the environmental and community costs of AI infrastructure. The book argues that data centers should be judged as major construction projects with real impacts on energy, water, zoning, and public safety.

Why it matters: - Data center growth is accelerating alongside AI, and the book frames that growth as a local infrastructure issue with consequences for utilities, water supply, zoning, and nearby communities. - Luke argues communities should evaluate data centers before permits are issued and before power, water, and construction commitments become hard to reverse. - The book is aimed at residents and decision-makers who may be asked to approve projects with long-term environmental and financial costs.

What happened: - Read All About It Publishers announced the release of Data Centers: The Hidden Environmental and Community Costs of the AI Boom, a nonfiction book by Lance Luke. - The release was announced July 22, 2026, in Honolulu. - The book is available in paperback and eBook through Amazon. - More information about the book and other publications is available at Read All About It Publishers.

The details: - The book examines the physical infrastructure behind artificial intelligence and cloud computing. - Luke describes data centers as large buildings filled with servers, electrical equipment, cooling systems, backup generators, battery systems and other industrial components. - Those facilities require land, energy, water and long-term maintenance. - Across 15 chapters, the book covers energy consumption, grid capacity, water use, cooling systems, electronic waste, hardware turnover, site-selection risks, permits, zoning, code compliance, air quality, backup power, emergency systems and long-term liability. - The book also examines how data center development may affect residents, public utilities, local governments and property owners. - Luke draws on more than 45 years of experience in construction, real estate, building evaluation and business development. - The book includes questions for residents, planning commissioners, elected officials and other decision-makers about electricity demand, water requirements, noise, emissions, fire planning, emergency planning, utility upgrades, tax incentives, future expansion, public reporting and decommissioning responsibilities. - Luke outlines a responsible-development approach built on public disclosure, independent technical review, engineering and safety standards, enforceable community agreements and financial accountability for long-term maintenance or abandonment. - The book is written for homeowners, community advocates, public officials, planners, attorneys, engineers, construction professionals, developers and readers who want a clearer understanding of how AI infrastructure interacts with the built environment.

Between the lines: - The book is not presented as an anti-AI argument. - The focus is on transparency, responsible planning and community protection. - Luke’s framing suggests data centers should be treated less like abstract digital assets and more like major industrial projects with visible local tradeoffs. - His quote that "the cloud storage is a building" underscores the physical footprint behind a service many users experience as invisible. - His view that problems are easier to fix before concrete is poured points to early-stage oversight as the key policy moment.

What's next: - Readers, local officials and planning bodies considering new data center projects may use the book’s checklist-style questions as a pre-approval guide. - The publication could add to public debate over how communities should weigh AI investment against grid strain, water use and long-term site impacts. - Luke’s publishing platform suggests more related titles may follow under The Word According to Luke series.

The bottom line: - Luke’s book argues that the AI boom has a real-world footprint, and that communities should demand clearer disclosure before approving the next wave of data centers.