In Indian Country, data centers come with a familiar threat of colonialism. These organizers are fighting back.

Citizens of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Kenzie Roberts and Jordan Harmon, expressed concern over a proposed AI data center on Looped Square Ranch, a 5,570-acre plot crucial for the tribe's food sovereignty initiatives. The proposed legislation would have rezoned this land for industrial purposes, prompting the activists to organize town halls across the Muscogee Reservation, which spans 11 counties in Oklahoma. Organizers, including Krystal Two Bulls and Ashley LaMont of Honor the Earth, highlighted that Native lands are increasingly targeted by developers who often promise jobs and economic benefits that rarely materialize. Instead, data centers bring threats of land loss, displacement, air pollution, electrical rate hikes, and the depletion of finite resources like water. Many developers seek to bypass state regulations by leveraging tribal sovereignty, often targeting tribes that may lack the legal or financial infrastructure for robust opposition or regulatory oversight. Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) signed by tribal administrations also create transparency issues, limiting information on projects' environmental impacts and the companies involved. Despite the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs encouraging tribes to engage with the data center boom, citing economic opportunities, the Muscogee National Council ultimately voted 4-11 against the "Mvskoke Tech Park legislation" last November, effectively blocking the specific data center proposal on the ranch. This decision followed significant pressure from citizens, leading Council member Dode Barnett to draft legislation prohibiting certain officials from signing NDAs in the future. The