Putting Data Centers on the Map: An Interview with Karen Edelstein

Karen Edelstein is the Eastern Program Coordinator at the FracTracker Alliance. As a GIS specialist, she’s mapped oil and gas infrastructure, community responses, and clean energy transitions along the East Coast. Recently, driven by the potential impact of data centers on frontline communities and their regulatory loopholes, her attention has turned to mapping data center projects nationwide. In this interview with Policy & Communications Fellow Sean Wang, she talks about the value, impact, and challenges of mapping as a tool for public advocacy and how she’s applied it to hot-button issues—from cryptocurrency mining to data centers.