Boswell residents voice concerns over proposed data center, gas plant at town hall
Residents in Boswell, Oklahoma, gathered at a town hall to express significant concerns over a proposed natural gas power plant and data center project. Choctaw County commissioners have already enacted a one-year moratorium on data center approvals to allow time for research into potential impacts. Key concerns raised by residents and officials include electricity use, water consumption, noise, light pollution, and the need for greater regulation and transparency for such large industrial developments.
Residents of Boswell, Oklahoma, held a town hall meeting to discuss a proposed natural gas power plant and data center project planned near the Bryan and Choctaw County line. The project has sparked widespread concerns among the community regarding its potential impact.
In response to initial news about the project, Choctaw County commissioners enacted a one-year moratorium in May, pausing the approval of data centers and other tech facilities. This pause aims to provide officials with time to research and assess the potential impacts of such developments. Rhonda Eastman, a nominee for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, attended the meeting and highlighted the sentiment among rural communities that they are being targeted by industrial development, emphasizing their desire to preserve their rural lifestyle.
Eastman, along with other attendees like State Senate candidate Patrick Southerland, voiced concerns over the project's potential effects, including increased noise, light pollution, and significant demands on electricity and water resources. Eastman specifically cited hyperscale data centers' massive water consumption, particularly worrying during a drought. Both political figures stressed the critical need for transparency, real regulation, and community involvement in decisions regarding large-scale industrial projects.
Residents passed a petition at the meeting to solidify their opposition to the Boswell project. Eastman supports moratoriums as an essential first step, advocating for a study to inform necessary regulations and prevent past mistakes in industrial development.