Opponents decry data center approval
The Lowndes County Commission approved a deal granting a proposed Cloverleaf data center project in Burkville 50% tax abatements for 20 years. Residents and local opponents criticized the decision as rushed and lacking transparency, but said they would continue opposing Project Red Clay.
The Lowndes County Commission approved an agreement supporting the Cloverleaf hyperscale data center project, known as Project Red Clay, near Burkville. The deal includes 50% tax abatements for 20 years for the planned billion-dollar development, whose eventual end user has not been identified.
Residents and opponents, including Protect Lowndes County leader John Urquhart and Southern Environmental Law Center staff attorney Ryan Anderson, said commissioners failed to provide meaningful transparency or allow public input before the vote. Opponents vowed to continue fighting the project despite the approval, while several residents warned that the development could fundamentally change the rural community and leave taxpayers responsible for the incentives.