Humans First bring AI Data Center Revolt Bus to Imperial
Humans First brought its AI Data Center Revolt Bus tour to Imperial to support residents opposing a proposed nearly 1-million-square-foot, 330-megawatt data center near Victoria Ranch. Imperial County approved the project before imposing a construction moratorium, and a judge later vacated the approval after finding that the county had improperly avoided required environmental review.
Humans First held a community event and press conference in Imperial as part of its nationwide campaign against large AI data centers. The organization cited local opposition to a proposed nearly 1-million-square-foot, 330-megawatt facility on county land near the Victoria Ranch neighborhood, where residents organized NIMBY Imperial and collected more than 3,400 petition signatures.
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors initially approved the project 4-1, but later unanimously imposed a construction moratorium. The City of Imperial and the Sierra Club sued over the environmental review, and a judge ruled in September that the county had improperly shielded the project from review and ordered the approval vacated. Developer Sebastian Rucci said he would appeal and argued the facility could generate substantial jobs and economic activity, while Humans First and local activists emphasized concerns about farmland, water, infrastructure, and neighborhood impacts.