Citizens hear potential environmental impacts of data center
Citizens in Sumter County, Georgia, attended a public education meeting to discuss the potential environmental impacts of a proposed data center project by Liberty. Concerns were raised about the endangered Muckalee crayfish, thermal islands, erosion, and electromagnetic interference, leading to an advocacy for a moratorium. Residents also expressed dissatisfaction with the Sumter County Economic Development Authority's decision to sell the proposed site for $1.
Sumter County Citizens for Transparency hosted an environmental public education meeting at Georgia Southwestern University, focusing on the potential impacts of a proposed data center development.
Dr. O. Thomas Lorenz, a Georgia Southwestern biology professor, presented research on how the project could affect the endangered Muckalee crayfish, create thermal islands, contribute to erosion, and disrupt migrant bird navigation through electromagnetism. He advocated for a moratorium on data center development due to a perceived lack of peer-reviewed studies on large-scale projects.
Freshman Adriyanna Long voiced shock regarding the Sumter County Economic Development Authority's sale of the proposed site for $1, contrasting it with more beneficial agreements in other counties. Truman Waters, a neighboring property owner, expressed concerns about noise, potential health issues for his cattle, and the disruption to his property.
Waters clarified that his opposition is to the specific location, not data centers in general, and believes citizens could have secured a better deal for the $469,000 property.