Over 1,000 signatures collected against Lowndes County data center ahead of Tuesday commission meeting
Residents in Lowndes County, Alabama, have gathered over 1,000 signatures opposing Project Red Clay, an 800-acre, $1 billion data center proposed by Cloverleaf Infrastructure. Concerns include potential environmental impacts, strain on infrastructure, and rising energy costs. Opponents plan to present their petition at an upcoming county commission meeting.
Residents of Lowndes County, Alabama, have amassed over 1,000 signatures in a petition against Project Red Clay, a proposed 800-acre, $1 billion data center development by Houston-based Cloverleaf Infrastructure. The project, described as potentially the largest industrial undertaking in the county's history, has sparked significant opposition ahead of an upcoming county commission meeting.
Opponents, organized under the group 45 Strong, are voicing concerns over potential environmental impacts, strain on local infrastructure, and anticipated increases in energy costs. They highlight that Cloverleaf acts as a developer assembling land and may eventually transfer the project to an unnamed hyperscaler, citing a previous similar project in Port Washington, Wisconsin, that was handed over to Vantage Data Centers for an $8 billion campus.
45 Strong has presented five demands to the County Commission: the naming of the operator-tenant, disclosure of daily water usage, ratepayer protection filings with the Public Service Commission, agreement to protect education millage, and a tenant-binding community-benefits agreement. They argue that the commission is being asked to approve a 30-year tax abatement without these crucial questions being answered, emphasizing that while they are not against investment, they are against "bad deals." The petition, which describes the tranquil communities of Lowndes County and Hope Hull as being under threat, has garnered nearly 1,100 signatures.