60 Minutes Examines the Growing Community Opposition to Data Centers
A recent CBS News 60 Minutes report examined the growing data center opposition in communities across the United States as developers race to build facilities to support the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence.
In Texas, residents are organizing against proposed data centers—and the opposition to data centers is crossing traditional political lines. People who may disagree about national political issues are finding common ground in opposing massive industrial facilities in their communities.
The data center boom may be driven by a global technology industry, but the impacts of these facilities are being felt locally by the communities where they are built.
In rural Hood County, Texas, there are currently nine proposals for data centers. Dave Eagle, an elected county official, told 60 Minutes that data center proposals are often shrouded in secrecy.
Eagle said an out-of-state company approached him and other members of the commissioners’ court about a project, promising jobs and saying it would be a good neighbor and help upgrade the community—but refused to identify itself or explain exactly what it wanted to build. He later learned that Amazon Web Services was behind the proposal.
The company sought up to 90% in property-tax rebates for 30 years. When the county refused, the company moved its proposal to the neighboring county, where it received the tax incentives it had requested.