Data center bills moving forward
Hundreds of residents and officials spoke out against a proposed DC BLOX data center near the Nashville Zoo. The Metro Council advanced bills to regulate data centers and enact a temporary moratorium, while Mayor Freddie O'Connell plans to acquire the land via eminent domain due to the company's "inaccurate" claims.
Hundreds of Nashville residents, alongside Mayor Freddie O'Connell and the Nashville Zoo, are vehemently opposing a proposed data center by DC BLOX slated for a location near the zoo. During a packed Metro Council meeting, citizens expressed concerns about increased energy costs, pollution, and potential harm to the community and zoo animals, particularly from noise. The Metro Council has since advanced bills aimed at regulating data centers and instituting a temporary moratorium on new project approvals, which still requires a third and final vote.
DC BLOX claimed to have had productive discussions with Mayor O'Connell and the zoo, expressing willingness to adjust plans by reducing noise, limiting water use, and potentially shrinking the project. However, Mayor O'Connell quickly refuted this statement on social media, labeling it "inaccurate, wishful thinking, divorced from reality," and indicative of a company attempting to mitigate a self-inflicted PR problem. The Mayor affirmed the city's intent to proceed with acquiring the land through eminent domain.
The Nashville Zoo echoed the Mayor's sentiments, stating that compromise is impossible, calling the project "simply the wrong project for that location." They highlighted the lack of evidence regarding the safety of long-term exposure to tonal noises for animals and expressed unwillingness to let their animals be an "experiment." The data center legislation passed its second reading and is scheduled for a final vote at the next Metro Council meeting on July 21st.