Jackie Venson to headline Austin anti-data center fundraiser
Austin musician Jackie Venson will headline an anti-data center benefit concert on October 7, organized with Save Our Springs Alliance, to raise money for legal advocacy and community organizing. The event addresses concerns over data centers' water use, energy demands, and limited public notice, especially as Texas faces drought and water restrictions. This comes as the Save Our Springs Alliance has already filed a lawsuit challenging tax abatements for data centers in Guadalupe County.
Austin musician Jackie Venson is set to headline a benefit concert on October 7 at Radio East, supporting efforts to increase oversight and oppose data center development in Central Texas. The event, titled CTRL-ALT-DEL, is organized in partnership with Save Our Springs Alliance and aims to raise funds for legal advocacy and community organizing. Garage-punk trio Subpar Snatch and hip-hop artist Blakchyl are also scheduled to perform.
Organizers state that the concert addresses concerns regarding data centers' high water and energy consumption, particularly amid Texas's ongoing drought and water restrictions, as well as limited public notice for proposed projects. Venson expressed that her urgency grew as developments approached her community, noting that "all of Austin, Texas, is in a water crisis." She also voiced a sense of "betrayal" following the Austin City Council's approval of the Dog's Head development despite resident concerns.
Save Our Springs Alliance, collaborating with groups such as Sunrise Movement, Data Center Action Coalition, and Extinction Rebellion, recently filed a lawsuit in July. This legal action, on behalf of the Data Center Action Coalition and several landowners, challenges tax abatements and development agreements for the proposed Palomino Alpha and Cloudburst data centers in Guadalupe County. Proceeds from the concert will bolster these legal efforts and broader opposition to similar developments across Texas.