In serene Fort Worth garden, residents rally against data center development

A community rally was held at Weston Gardens in Fort Worth, Texas, protesting a proposed $10 billion artificial intelligence data center development by Black Mountain, a local energy consortium. Residents, including Sue Weston, the founder of Weston Gardens, expressed significant concerns about potential noise, light, and air pollution, as well as vibrations affecting historic structures on her property.

The protest follows a report presented by the Fort Worth city manager's office to the city council regarding data center expansion. Assistant City Manager Jessica McEachern highlighted Texas's favorable business environment and faster permitting as reasons for the rapid influx of data centers. Black Mountain has requested the city council to consider rezoning an additional 80 acres to accommodate its project.

To address residents' apprehensions, city staff have put forth a series of proposed restrictions, including a ban on cryptocurrency mining as a primary use, noise limitations, and wastewater regulations. The city is also contemplating a temporary moratorium on new projects, although it cannot be enacted until late October due to new state guidelines that extend the implementation process.

Letitia Wilbourne, a longtime resident of the Echo Heights neighborhood, voiced skepticism that the proposed regulations would be effectively enforced, drawing parallels to the city's perceived inability to regulate existing industrial operations. She also shared personal health concerns, attributing illnesses in her neighborhood to increased industrialization and fearing similar or worse outcomes with further data center proliferation.