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Alabamians Want Answers About a Four-Million-Square-Foot Data Center Coming to Their Backyards (insideclimatenews.org)

submitted 1 day ago by technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/technology@lemmy.ml

5 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/29805461

Residents in and around Bessemer are furious over Project Marvel, a plan to build a 4.5-million-square-foot data processing facility on 700 acres of wooded land. Public officials have been sworn to silence.

If built to planned capacity, the data center would be one of the largest in the United States and could become one of the largest single consumers of electricity in the state. Of nearly a dozen residents interviewed by Inside Climate News, none expressed support for the project as planned. Instead, all shared fear and frustration over their inability to obtain information about the $14.5 billion proposal from politicians charged with representing the public.

Efforts by Inside Climate News to speak with public officials in Bessemer about the proposal, called Project Marvel, were met with silence. The mayor, his chief of staff and the city’s attorney all signed a non-disclosure agreement with the developer, staffers said, and would not be able to answer questions about the project.

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[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 15 points 1 day ago

When I lived in rural America I lauded the local politicians for being happy data centers were coming. They told the old farmers it was because they were up and coming, they were going to become the next tech capital! Plus think of the jobs!

Of course us actually in the tech industry know why. It's cheap. The land is cheap, the power and water are cheap, and the people who would notice are few because they're... Farmers. The politics are red so they're happy to ease any red tape to get it passed. As for jobs, its pretty well known that the data center jobs are minimal compared to the corporate HQ, and even then those who would work there would more than likely move there.

It's all around a bad idea for small communities. The only ones who benefit are the politicians who green light it

[–] Libra@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh do you guys have cheap power too? Soon you too can enjoy the constant droning hum of some rich fuck mining bitcoin on an industrial scale to get just a little bit richer just like Texans.

[–] Sibshops@lemm.ee 3 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Do you mean poorer? Electric prices went up everywhere a crypto mine was installed.

[–] Libra@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 hours ago

But the reason they were installed in those places is because the power is cheap. Which is a particular irony in Texas because despite having cheap power we never seem to have enough of it. Every summer ERCOT rolls out warnings that are like 'zomg you guys I didn't realize it gets hot in Texas in the summer, y'all are gonna have to turn off your air conditioners so we don't run out of power. What? Of course we're not turning the AC off in our offices, are you crazy?' Yeah, sorry chum, I'm not suffering through 100+F degree heat just so some rich asshole can make a bit more money today.

[–] Pnut@lemm.ee 2 points 14 hours ago

If people can't get the concept of supply and demand anymore we are beyond "in trouble".